January 2014

    Paul Scholes: A Tribute

    1 Comment / Contributors /

                   After Paul Scholes announced his retirement at the end of the 2012/2013 season, football lost an icon and Manchester United have not been the same. Getting to find a replacement for someone as talented as Scholes will be a huge task for current Manager David Moyes or any manager Manchester United might have in the future. He was so vital for United that Fergie had to call him out of retirement in 2012. Even England begged him to consider his national retirement in 2004. It’s just unfortunate that Scholes was not really recognized on the world stage. Below are quotes from people across the football world who spoke about the genius Scholes was. Note that some of these quotes where made while Scholes was still an active player. ZINEDINE ZIDANE         “You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get, he is my favourite player.” “One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.” “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.” “He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play.” XAVI “In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen- the most complete- is Scholes. I have spoken with Xabi Alonso about this many times. Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything. He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn’t give possession away. If he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more.” LUIS FIGO “I’m star-struck when I see Paul Scholes because you never see him. On the pitch you can’t catch him. Off the pitch he disappears.” EDGAR DAVIDS “I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is.” “Every one of us (midfielders) is just trying to become as good as him. Everyone can learn from Paul Scholes.” PELE “If he was playing with me, I would have scored so many more.” PATRICK VIEIRA “The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy- Scholes.” ROY KEANE “An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being.” LAURENT BLANC “I tell anyone who asks me- Scholes is the best English player. XABI ALONSO “I admire him a huge amount. To me, he is a role model.” WAYNE ROONEY “The best player I’ve played with or against.” JOSE MOURINHO “One of the best in the world. Manchester United are lucky to have him.” THIERRY HENRY “I can’t understand why Scholes has never won the player of the year award. He should have won it long ago. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t seek the limelight like some of the other ‘stars’.” “He is my Favourite player.” “United always had many amazing players, but whenever we faced them we were always, always, always scared of what Paul Scholes could do. “Ask anyone from that old Arsenal team, they will tell you the same.” DIEGO MARADONA “His technique is unique.” RONALDINHO “I want to pass like him. Who taught him how to do that?” BRIAN KIDD “Paul Scholes had the best football brain I’d ever seen in a kid. Let’s face it. Paul Scholes is in a class of his own.” MARCELLO LIPPI “Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team.” PEP GUARDIOLA “Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes, he is the best midfielder of his generation. I would have loved to play alongside him.” CESC FABREGAS “He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League.” LIONEL MESSI “At La Masia his name was mentioned a lot. He’s a teacher.” “He’s an inspiration.” GERARD PIQUE “One of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life.” DIMITAR BERBATOV “Nobody else can play the way Paul Scholes does.” CRISTIANO RONALDO “When we were in training, I used to do a lot of tricks which hardly any players at the club could do. Once I was showing my skills to Scholes. After I finished, Scholes took the ball and pointed to a tree which was about 50m from where we were standing. He said, I’m going to hit it in one shot. He kicked and hit the tree. He asked me to do the same; I kicked about 10 times, but still couldn’t hit it, with that accuracy. He smiled and left.” GARY NEVILLE “I wouldn’t swap Paul Scholes for anybody. He is quite simply the most complete footballer I have ever played with. He is the best.” RIO FERDINAND “Best player? For me, it’s Paul Scholes. He’ll do ridiculous things in training like say, “You see that tree over there?” It’ll be 40 yards away-“I’m going to hit it”. And he’ll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best.” GEORGE BEST “He is simply the best.” DAVID BECKHAM “Even when I’m playing with Real Madrid, the players always say to me ‘what’s he like?” RYAN GIGGS “I have played with some great players in my time at United but I would have to put Paul Scholes down as the best.” SIR BOBBY CHARLTON “Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite.” “Paul Scholes is my favourite player. He epitomises the spirit of Manchester United and everything that is good about football.” SIR ALEX FERGUSON “Without question, I think Paul Scholes is the best player in England. He’s got the best skills, the best brain. No one can match him.” “He has an awareness of what’s happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a

    Paul Scholes: A Tribute Read More »

    Didn’t Southampton realise they were bringing in the worst version of Balotelli and Barton?

    Leave a Comment / Contributors /

                   Southampton’s record signing Dani Osvaldo looks set to leave the club after half a season following his latest violent outburst, which left a team-mate bloodied on the training ground. Argentine-born Italy forward Osvaldo reportedly attacked defender Jose Fonte after taking exception to his colleague’s over-enthusiastic approach in a training match. Former Roma player, Osvaldo kicked and head-butted Fonte, with media reports claiming there was “blood everywhere”. Fonte is believed to have suffered a busted nose and a cut eye in the incident; Osvaldo has been suspended for two weeks, fined and transfer listed. But Southampton only have themselves to blame for this. A look at his CV has revealed a record of violence that would make even Joey Barton and Mario Balotelli fearful. Well, maybe not. The Southampton incident is just the latest in a long line of disgraces for the Buenos Aires-born hothead, all of which are linked to his fiery temper.   1. March 2, 2008. After scoring the winning goal in Fiorentina’s 3-2 victory over Juventus, Osvaldo is sent off for removing his shirt and machine-gunning fans in celebration. Obviously there was no gun, or his punishment would have been much harsher. 2. November 25, 2010. While at Roma, he confronts team-mate Erik Lamela (now of Tottenham) in the dressing room and makes his feelings known by punching him in the face. Lamela’s crime? Failing to pass to him during a defeat to Udinese. Osvaldo is fined and suspended for the incident, but makes up with Lamela afterwards.   3. April 25, 2012. Osvaldo swears at and sarcastically applauds the referee during Roma’s 2-1 loss to Fiorentina. He is sent off and is suspended for two matches. 4. December 20, 2012. Osvaldo deliberately elbows an Atalanta player in the face during a Coppa Italia match. He is suspended for three matches. 5. May 26, 2013. Osvaldo screams abuse at Roma coach Aurelio Andreazzoli after being substituted during the 1-0 Coppa Italia final defeat against city rivals Lazio. Does not attend the runner-up medal presentation with his team-mates. Later, he tweets abuse at Andreazzoli, telling him to “go celebrate with the Lazio fans”. Falls out with the club and fans, and is sold to Southampton for £15m. The incident also costs him his Italy place for the Confederations Cup. 6. December 14, 2013. Now at Southampton, Osvaldo provokes a touchline brawl that involves several Newcastle players and members of the coaching staff. Banned for three matches and fined £40,000 by the FA.   7. January 23, 2014. Still suspended for his antics against Newcastle, Osvaldo is on the brink of returning to action but he effectively ends his Southampton career by assaulting a colleague at work. Source: Eurosport

    Didn’t Southampton realise they were bringing in the worst version of Balotelli and Barton? Read More »

    Arsenal face nightmare over FA Cup fixture

    Leave a Comment / Football /

                 Arsenal will have to play their FA Cup clash against Liverpool just 72 hours before playing their crucial Champions League last-16 clash against Bayern Munich. Wenger had apparently asked for the Gunners to have a Saturday lunchtime kick-off in order to give them a decent amount of rest and preparation time ahead of their first leg match against the European Champions.Instead, TV companies have convinced the FA to schedule the match for the prime late slot on Sunday afternoon – perfect for big viewing figures, but something of a nightmare for Arsenal, who are still chasing three trophies this season.Liverpool have confirmed that the fixture will take place at 4pm on Sunday 16th February. Bayern will visit the Emirates just three days later on the 19th of February.             To make things worse, Arsenal already have a big match just a few days before the Liverpool FA Cup clash: they face Manchester United at The Emirates on Wednesday 12th February, a game which itself comes just four days after the Gunners’ trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League.             Wenger has been hugely critical of TV schedules forcing unreasonable turnarounds on his team in the past. On Tuesday Wenger had already responded indignantly to a question about how much English football authorities do to help the nation’s sides in European competition: “Let’s turn it around. You cannot do less because they do nothing. In the other leagues they do help teams,” he said. “I’ve already suggested in UEFA meetings to make sure that in Champions League competitions that the teams before have the same amount of rest. In some championships, for example in Portugal, they cancelled the games sometimes, they did what they wanted. The game before the Champions League, they cancelled the game. For the competition maybe it would be better that all of the teams would have exactly the same amount of rest. It’s difficult to say how much difference it makes. But, for example, if you have a bad bruise on a muscle. If you only have three days, one day more the player could play, one day less, the player cannot play. In small injuries, you gain 24 hours and it can make a difference. Also, mental recovery is better. Sometimes after a game you go on a high. You go on a high mentally, you go down and then you have to come up again and having a bit more time helps you get up for it again.”             Wenger made correct statements there. The fixtures need to either be shifted so as to allow players maintain optimum fitness for the Champions League. The Champions League is the ‘Cream of the Crop’ in European football and focus needs to be put on it. I know very well that in other leagues, Champions League participants sometimes play on Friday in their local leagues so as to have enough preparation. It’s never been done in England before. Only a few fixtures have been played on Fridays in the EPL. What’s more is that the EPL TV rights deal is the biggest in the world of football costing billions of pounds. Shifting a fixture as big as Arsenal vs. Liverpool will only mean people across the globe not been able to watch the game at a convenient time and in turn millions of pounds in TV viewing and subscriptions will be lost. It’s sad that the fixture is taken from the money perspective and not the nightmare Arsenal has to face.             It’s going to be a nightmare for Arsenal quite alright. This fixture congestion against big opposition will make it harder for Arsenal to have a chance at winning the Premier League since 2004 and a major trophy since 2005. Playing Liverpool and then Bayen Munich is a real nightmare. It will be hard for Arsenal. They need to be as fit as possible, with no injuries to key players. The momentum in all will be high and Arsenal will have to work hard enough to maintain it. The way I see it, I think it’s done and dusted for Arsenal because I don’t think the team Wenger has can keep up with such Momentum. It’s just a big pity. The prospect of Arsenal going trophyless again seems likely since Arsenal won’t be able to keep up the pressure. Don’t take me for my words though. Football is a game of chance and risk and who knows maybe and just maybe Arsenal will prove doubters wrongs and soak the pressure and end up having a glorious campaign filled with trophies.             If Manchester City where in this scenario they won’t have a problem because they have a large squad. Sergio Aguero can be rested and Edin Dzeko brought it and you can be sure the towering striker will deliver. Other key players like Fernandinho, Gael Clichy, David Silva among others can all be rested and competent replacements will be made. Arsenal don’t have such depth and injury to any key player will worsen the situation for Arsene Wenger.  

    Arsenal face nightmare over FA Cup fixture Read More »

    David Moyes: The real deal at Old Trafford? Part 3

    Leave a Comment / Football /

           Half a season gone and Manchester United are having their worst league performance in the Premier League format under the care of David Moyes. It’s been a difficult start to life at Manchester United for David Moyes and is there any hope for better things to come? The following below are 16 stats coined out from thejournal.ie and the majority of the statistics reflect that fact the Moyes has struggled to establish himself at Old Trafford.                                     1.      Moyes won 18 of his first 31 games in charge at United— a better record than Sir Matt Busby (15), Ron Atkinson (14) and Sir Alex Ferguson (12). 2.      United have gone out of the FA Cup at the third round under Moyes— something which only happened once in Alex Ferguson’s 27 years in charge. 3.      United are currently seventh. They haven’t been as low at this stage of the season since the 1988/89 campaign. 4.      Only Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp have managed more Premier League games than David Moyes. 5.      Alex Ferguson (528), Arsene Wenger (383), David Moyes (174), Rafa Benitez (126) and Gerard Houllier (112) are the only managers to have won over 100 games with a Premier League team 6.      Moyes’ expensive £27.5 million signing, Marouane Fellaini has scored just once this season— while playing for Everton. He has failed to score in any of his eight appearances for United. 7.      United had 202 shots and 33 goals after 20 games this year, compared with 245 shots and 50 goals after the same amount of games last year. By comparison, Man City’s record reads 265 shots and 57 goals. 8.      On average in the Premier League era, United took 45 points from their first 20 games, whereas this season, they took just 34. 9.      Before taking over Man United, Moyes had the 18th best managerial win% of managers who had played 20 games or more in the Premier League era. David O’Leary, Roy Evans, Kevin Keegan, Bruce Rioch and Gianluca Vialli were among those who had superior records to him. 10.  United met Chelsea last weekend, with Mourinho having just dropped four points out of a possible 21 against Moyes, while the Portuguese boss has also never been beaten by his Scottish counterpart in the league. 11.  Man United are the third most patient club in the history of English football when it comes to maintaining managers (hiring a new manager every 5.9 years on average), with only West Ham (7.47 years) and Arsenal (6.11 years) more patient. 12.  This season, Southampton, Swansea, West Brom, Aston Villa, Norwich, Sunderland, West Ham and Man United have had an average of 12–13 shots per game. By comparison, Everton, Arsenal and Newcastle have had 15 shots per game, while Man City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea have had 16–17.5. 13.  United have experienced their worst home league form for over a decade under Moyes— they’ve also lost at home to Swansea for the first time ever, to West Brom for the first time since 1978, to Everton for the first time since 1992 and to Newcastle for the first time since 1972. 14.  So far, David Moyes has a better win% record (57.58) than any manager in United’s history apart from Alex Ferguson (59.67). Moyes’ win% with Everton was much lower though (41%). 15.  United have won no points from goals scored within the last ten minutes of games (aka ‘Fergie time’) this season, compared with 11 points by this time last season. 16.  They have already lost more games in the league under Moyes this season than in the past three full seasons under Ferguson.             These stats have shown that Moyes has not gotten his feet right with Manchester United. The board and the fans seem to have faith in him probably bearing in mind his lack of experience at a top-level club and also that he signed a long term contract. Managers get short term contracts these days because you never know when bad results start coming in so rather than take a risk of signing a manager on a long term deal and then sack him shortly and have to pay heavy outstanding fees and clauses, club owners stick with a short term deals. That’s not the case with Moyes. It seems united want to continue with the tradition of having long term managers hence the patience of keeping Moyes. If Moyes were to be in a club like Chelsea, lying in 4th place by this stage could get the exit door open talk less of 7th place.             The woeful start to the season for Manchester United has also seen the club’s valuation drop by £250 million from £1.75 billion to £1.5 billion in just one month and its getting investors worried. Manchester United is the most marketable and valuable football club in the world that’s why many corporate companies come in for sponsorship. The prospect of not qualifying for next season’s Champions League can further damage United’s finances and sponsors can decide to pull out if the bad results keep damaging United’s business profile. The Glazers won’t be happy if this happens, considering that United is trying to pull itself out of huge debt. The Glazers have given Moyes a huge transfer kitty so it’s left for him to make the right signings that will continue to drive the club forward. Recent signing Juan Mata is a good buy but Moyes has the task of putting the right tactics that will make him flourish as he did at Chelsea. Man United are still in the Champions League so it’s a bit of a consolation but question is how far United can go in the competition with a dismal season overall? The group stage was ok especially the resounding 5-0 away victory at Bayer Leverkusen which is United’s biggest away victory in the Champions League. Topping the group ahead of Leverkusen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad and going unbeaten was probably more rewarding but United have a

    David Moyes: The real deal at Old Trafford? Part 3 Read More »

    Juan Mata’s transfer is the best for him, Chelsea and Manchester United

    Leave a Comment / Contributors /

              It’s always sad to lose your best player, with Juan Mata having been voted as such by Chelsea’s fans and players for two years running. The Spaniard is known to be popular with the board, happy in London and loyal to the club. The sole reason for the 25-year old’s departure is Jose Mourinho. You could say the £37 million is a huge contributing factor as it’s an offer to good to refuse but United would simply not be bidding on the playmaker if he were in the Portuguese’s plans. The fact is that Chelsea is winning matches without him. Mourinho has proven that he can contest for the title where predecessors couldn’t without even playing the man that was deemed to be their strongest asset; something that he is likely to take real pleasure from.             The primary reason that ‘The Only One’ has given for dropping the former Valencia man is a lack of defensive contribution, or at least in relation to what he demands from his players. In Mourinho’s eyes Chelsea had two luxury players, Mata and Hazard, and in his system there is only room for one. Player characteristics show that both Mata and Hazard have ‘defensive contribution’ as a weakness. Meanwhile, Oscar’s defensive contribution is ‘strong’, while Willian’s is statistically ‘very strong’. Mata has been on the fringes of the Chelsea side this season, featuring only 13 times in total in league action, and is clearly not part of Jose Mourinho’s first-team plans. Mata doesn’t make up defensively for his attacking prowess, the balance of both being something Mourinho teams have always strived for. Hazard is undoubtedly Mourinho’s luxury, while Oscar and Willian are being tasked to allow the Belgian to flourish. It’s worked, and he’s done exactly that.Angel Di Maria played a similar role under Mourinho at Real Madrid. A tireless runner, Ronaldo’s need to track back was lessened by the Argentine’s work rate on the opposite flank. You could argue that the Spanish giants had two luxury players in Mourinho’s attacking midfield, with Ozil playing in behind the striker, but the manager has been quick to talk up the competitiveness of the Premier League in comparison to the ‘two-team’ La Liga at the time.             The Chelsea boss is clearly looking to press high up the pitch when possible, but also have more solidity to the side; a lack of which he may have felt cost them in recent years. Chelsea fans can be as heartbroken as they like, and they will be, but £37 million for a player that is surplus to requirements under a man that they were desperate to return is an incredibly good deal. Ideally you don’t want to sell to a club that, despite an awful campaign thus far, will likely still challenge for honours in the coming years, but there really isn’t any side outside of England that will pay that sort of money right now.             United are in somewhat of a desperate situation, and one that Chelsea are probably right to exploit. They need to rebuild and plan for the future in a time when key players may well see their own away from Old Trafford. Signing Juan Mata, if both Rooney and Van Persie stay beyond the summer, would certainly seem to make little tactical sense. Any formation involving all three would surely see a lack of wingers, while Moyes favours attacks down the flanks. Indeed, no side has focused fewer of their attacking touches down the central third of the pitch than United this season (24%). It’s in this area where they’ve lacked creativity, however, with just 4 assists coming from wingers in the league thus far this season (Januzaj 2, Valencia 2). Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney, who has played in behind the striker more often than not, has 9 assists – three times the amount of any other teammate.             Mata is a superb player, there’s no doubting that much. Since he arrived in England only compatriot David Silva has picked up more assists and created more chances in the Premier League than Mata’s figures of 27 and 227 respectively. He can unlock a defence like few others in and around the box, but United will need to have a change in style if he was to do so to the greatest possible effect at Old Trafford. The reigning champions would unquestionably be strengthening their squad by signing the 25-year old. They’ve also given Chelsea a huge sum of money for a player on the fringes of the side, with which they can improve their team greatly where necessary. United fans will be delighted at the prospect of seeing Mata in red and Chelsea’s faithful shouldn’t be feeling too blue over a deal that is certainly right for them at this moment.  

    Juan Mata’s transfer is the best for him, Chelsea and Manchester United Read More »

    Top 5 summer transfer bargains

    3 Comments / Football /

                The 2013/2014 European football season is now at its half way point. It’s been filled with thrills all across the major 5 leagues (The English Premier League, The Spanish La Liga, The German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1). Nothing makes a pre-season more fun than the transfer market. The players bought across the leagues over the summer have settled into their various clubs. Huge sums of money have been spent in acquiring these players, some breaking transfer records in the process. I’ve made a list of 5 summer transfer recruits from the top 5 leagues that have stamped their authority and justified their price tags whether with a little or exuberant fee.                                                                                                                            THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE   MESUT OZIL Real Madrid to Arsenal for £42.5 million   ALVARO NEGREDO Sevilla to Manchester City for £16.4 million   PAULINHO Corinthians to Tottenham Hotspur for £17 million   FERNANDINHO Shakhtar Donetsk to Manchester City for £30 million   ROMELU LUKAKU Chelsea to Everton (Loan) THE GERMAN BUNDESLIGA PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG St. Etienne to Borussia Dortmund for €13 million   MARIO GOTZE Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich for €37 million   KEVIN-PRINCE BOATENG AC Milan to Schalke 04 for €12 million   SON HEUNG-MIN Hamburg SV to Bayer Leverkusen for €10 million   LUIS GUSTAVO Bayern Munich to VFL Wolfsburg for €14 million   THE SPANISH LA LIGA   GARETH BALE Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid for €91 million   NEYMAR Santos FC to FC Barcelona for €57 million   GIOVANI DOS SANTOS RCD Mallorca to Villarreal CF for €6 million   DAVID VILLA FC Barcelona to Atletico Madrid for €5 million   ISCO Malaga CF to Real Madrid for €30 million   THE ITALIAN SERIE A   GONZALO HIGUAIN Real Madrid to SSC Napoli for €37 million   CARLOS TEVEZ Manchester City to Juventus for €9 million   JOSE CALLEJON Real Madrid to SSC Napoli for €9.5 million   KEVIN STROOTMAN PSV Eindhoven to AS Roma for €17 million   MEHDI BENATIA Udinese to AS Roma for €13.5 million THE FRENCH LIGUE 1   EDINSON CAVANI SSC Napoli to Paris Saint Germain for €64.5 million   RADAMEL FALCAO Atletico Madrid to AS Monaco for €60 million   ERIC ABIDAL FC Barcelona to AS Monaco for free   JOAO MOUTINHO FC Porto to AS Monaco for €25 million   JAMES RODRIGUEZ FC Porto to AS Monaco for €45 million    

    Top 5 summer transfer bargains Read More »

    The top 10 non-Ballon d’Or nominees part 2

    Leave a Comment / Football /

    ALESSANDRO NESTA. Another Alessandro by name and also Italian, Nesta is one of the best defenders to have graced the game. He started his career in Lazio before making a big money move to Milan in 2002 for £26 million, making him the 4th most expensive defender in football history. He established himself at the heart of a strong Milan defence that won two champions league and 2 Serie A titles among other titles. He was also a key player in the Italian defence. The negative side of Nesta is that he has had to face a career filled with injuries. His Injury problems led him to early retirement from the Italian national team in 2006 after a triumphant World Cup in which he only played in group stage and missed out remaining matches due to injury. Nesta has an innocent looking face and is a clean tackler. He can regain the ball without going into a rough tackle. This makes him a defender who gets less yellows very few red cards. His fine form as a defender over the last decade should have put him in contention as a Ballon d’Or finalist.   JOHN TERRY If you are looking for the words serious, focused, committed, influential and a commander, you’ve got that embedded in John Terry. Terry has been a Chelsea player for his entire senior career and has gone on to establish himself as one of the clubs greatest players as well as one of the best defenders of the last decade. He had been crucial to Chelsea’s gradual climb as an English and European powerhouse. Terry has also been exceptional for the English national team. Though England have not really performed at majored tournament, Terry has been vital in the defence. Terry has appeared in tournament and world XIs. It’s only a shame that his strong presence never gave him a Ballon d’Or top 3 slot.   IKER CASILLAS When you say number 1, who else but Iker Casillas. The number 1 for both Real Madrid and Spain. Ever since he came to the scene in the year 2000, he has entertained people with series of breathtaking saves. He is also a decorated player with 2 Champions League, 2 European Championship and a World Cup among others. He has been the goalkeeper of the year in Spain as well the goalkeeper of many world and European XIs. With a keeper as exceptional as Casillas, I ask why he was never a number 1 pick for the Ballon d’Or.   GIANLUIGI BUFFON Another exceptional goalkeeper over the last decade just like Casillas is Buffon. Buffon is top class. His hefty transfer fee of over £30 million from Parma to Juventus in 2001 makes him the most expensive goalkeeper in history. He has been crucial to much of Juventus’ dominance in both Italy and Europe, it’s hard to see who can come out of Italy that will be as good as him. He is a big leader on the field too. Buffon boasts of 5 Serie A titles and a World Cup in which Buffon was so dominant conceding only 2 goals, a tournament record and keeping 5 cleansheets. He has been the recipient of many goalkeeper of the year awards in Italy, Europe and the world and has featured in XIs also. It’s so bad that Buffon hasn’t made any Ballon d’Or final 3.   ANDREA PIRLO What name isn’t given to this man? Called l’architetto (the architect) by the Italian national team and Juventus fans call him il professore (the professor) and even Mozart, as reference to the famous Austrian composer’s ability. Pirlo is Just a genius. A midfield maestro. His technique is so awesome, your jaws will fall if you see his passes. He’s a good set piece taker and a leader. He has played around Italy and is no doubt one of Italy’s finest players. With 4 Serie A titles, 2 Champions League and a World Cup, Pirlo has shown brilliance for the world to see. His performance for both club and country in 2012 was top class, masterminding Juventus to the Serie A and Italy to the Euro 2012 final where Italy lost to Spain. I remember him dominating the headlines that year. Such brilliance should have put him as a Ballon d’Or final 3, unfortunately it was not to be.   EDGAR DAVIDS If you are looking for someone full of energy, strength, mental ability and good technique going forward, it’s Edgar Davids. Never mind the goggles he wore, that was to protect his eyes after been diagnosed with glaucoma and that along with his dreads made him one of the most recognisable players. Davids had a glittering career that took him across Europe to ply him trade including a short stint with FC Barcelona. His career was mainly in Italy where he played for AC Milan, Inter and Juventus, finding more success with Juventus. He won titles with Juventus which Includes 3 Serie A titles, 3 Eredivisie with Ajax Amsterdam as well as a Champions League and a UEFA Cup. He was an important player for the Netherlands. His performances where crucial to the Netherlands 4th place finish at the 1998 World Cup in which he made the 1998 World Cup All-Star team. He also helped the Netherlands reach the Euro 2000 Semi-finals where they lost to Italy in a penalty shootout. He also made the XI team of that tournament. Such was Davids outstanding performances that he should have been considered a Ballon d’Or finalist. It never happened and the rest is history.   This list compiled is purely based on opinion and you are free to make up your own top 10 list as a comment below.  

    The top 10 non-Ballon d’Or nominees part 2 Read More »

    The top 10 non-Ballon d’Or nominees

    Leave a Comment / Football /

         And finally the Lionel Messi dominance has been broken by Cristiano Ronaldo winning the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or. It’s no doubt that Ronaldo deserves it after a fantastic 2013 even if he didn’t win any trophy. That shouldn’t matter because it’s more about the performances. Speaking of performances, the award of the Ballon d’Or has been controversial at times like in 2010. So some players have deserved to win the award or at least be in the top 3. Too bad they couldn’t make it. I strongly believe that the award should not be handed out only to attackers. Yes attackers entertain us but what of the defenders that work tirelessly to stop the attackers from charging into the box and the goalkeepers that do superman flying stunts to prevent a wonderful goal from being scored? You might disagree with me and that’s ok. Please note that the Ballon d’Or used to be the European Footballer of the year award. It was merged in 2010 and with the FIFA World player of the Year award so using the term ‘Ballon d’Or’ refers to the former FIFA World Player of the year. I have compiled a top 10 list of players I feel could have been in the top 3.     RYAN GIGGS One of the most decorated footballers in terms of title medals. He’s got 13 league medals to his name in Manchester United Colours and I think that’s about the highest of any active player. Giggs is now 40 years old and will retire end of the current campaign. If we look back down the years, we can recall a speed maestro down the left flank that used trickery and skill to unsettle defenders and score some wonderful goals with the left foot. Giggs is no doubt a great player but if we look at his national team statistics, they are not fantastic. He’s never played at a major tournament because Wales never qualified but his individual brilliance could have merited him a spot in the Ballon d’Or top 3.   PAUL SCHOLES A colleague of Giggs at Manchester United, Scholes is not doubt one of the greatest midfielders of his time. His skill, technique, passing ability, shot accuracy is something you rarely see in midfielders. He had been the catalyst behind much of Manchester United’s success over the years under Alex Ferguson. His brilliance was so vital that he had to come of retirement in 2011 to help Man United’s ailing midfield and he came back with a bang. Even England begged him to come out his early retirement in 2004 aged 29. He had been key for England even though England never impressed at major tournaments but Scholes’ performances never went unnoticed. Scholes has drawn praise from players all over including Ballon d’Or winner Zinedine Zidane, Runners up Xavi, Andres Iniesta among others including managers. It’s only unfortunate that all that praise never gave him a pick for the Ballon d’Or.   FRANCESCO TOTTI. Where do I start from with this man? Ok, he’s Italian and when you mention the word ‘lethal’, I think Totti’s got it all. A highly skillful, technical, physical and mental player. A perfect taker of set pieces and a good finisher on goal. There’s nothing you are looking for in an attacker that you won’t find in Totti. Just looking at his attributes on Football Manager game will scare you. Virtually all attributes are in dark blue with rating of between 16 to a perfect 20 over a total rating of 20. The game didn’t give false attributes because it’s reflected in reality. He’s been in AS Roma his entire career. Born and raised in Rome, He is an important figure in the city as well as Italian Football. He is the top scorer in AS Roma history and second highest goal scorer in the History of the Italian Serie A with 231 league goals. He was top scorer in Europe in 2007. I get to wonder why such a player of Totti’s caliber has never been shortlisted as a Ballon d’Or finalist.   ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO Another Italian and like Totti is a technically gifted player. He had been instrumental to much of Juventus’ dominance in Italy and in Europe as well. Defenders feared Del Piero. He was the kind of player you wished was not your opposition. Extremely lethal, his performances have made him all time top scorer for Juventus with 290 goals as well as most appearances for Juventus with 705 overall appearances. He was also a crucial player in Italy’s 2006 World Cup victory especially in the semi-final against Germany. It seems unfair not to have considered Del Piero in the Ballon d’Or final 3. *To be Continued

    The top 10 non-Ballon d’Or nominees Read More »

    subscribe to our newsletter

    stay up to date with the latest content

    Subscription Form

    © Kunle Fayiga's Blog copyright all right reserved.

    Facebook-f X-twitter Instagram Linkedin
    Scroll to Top