"Sensational". Pep Guardiola
Radamel Falcao is a beast of a man. Aptly nicknamed 'el tigre', the Colombian is revered around the world and quite rightly. Strikingly handsome and intelligent (he practised as a journalist) to be in his presence you feel a genuine sense of star quality which would have rubbed off most after a few moments in their company. The man is a demi-god in his home country of Colombia. Mention the 2014 world cup to any Colombian and you will be greeted with a sad shake of the head and the single word 'Falcao' muttered, it is with this heavy heart which they genuinely believe they would of been crowned champions of the world and not Germany had their leading man not have been ruled out of the tournament in Brazil through a horrific knee injury.
A sterling career has seen him play for some of the worlds most famous football clubs in various leagues and countries, Argentina's River Plate, Porto of Lisbon, Atletico Madrid in La Liga and one of the richest in Monaco, a string of clubs that has rewarded him with various medals, individual honours and a staggering 138 goals in just 229 appearances.
Sadly the mans legacy is in serious danger of been tarnished following a disastrous loan spell at Manchester United in the 2014-15 season. A competent but relatively average campaign for the club in Louis Van Gaal's debut season, for all they did not succeed, Falcao became the poster boy for abject failure. Used sparingly and inconsistently by the Dutchman, a miserable campaign for Falcao was sealed by been placed into a youth match just 24 hours after a league game at Old Trafford. The decision by United not to turn his loan into a permanent transfer was hardly met with shock within the football world, and it seems his enthusiastic yet uninspiring performances for his country at the 2015 Copa America have made Van Gaals' decision seem the right one.
But it seems the man who coaching legend Fabio Capello described as been up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo just a couple of years ago is on the verge of a season long loan this time to the newly crowned champions of England Chelsea with their manager the much fawn over Jose' Mourinho seemingly on a personal mission to help see that the Colombian is placed back in his rightful place on the pillar amongst footballs current greats.
So all seems to be looking up for the 29 year-old but he won't be without his warnings from various experts if he so wishes to seek advice ahead of a move to Stamford Bridge for the public sympathy and desire for him to return to his previous best won't quite be what it was once he runs over the white line wearing the blue of Roman Abramovich million-men for this is the club who turned striking greats such as Andrei Shevchenko and Fernando Torres into pale shadows of themselves and seemingly never recovered once they finally moved on, both have since commented on how painful their time was in West London. Add into the mix Chelsea's somewhat mixed reputation as an endearing club at home and abroad, Falcao won't have to look far for critics and naysayers if the expected loan is not a successful one.
A striker, particularly a great striker struggling for confidence and failing to find the net is one of the most depressing sights in football. Despite earning more in a week than most would in a decade, the sight of a goal-getter struggling makes for painful viewing to all but the few detractors for whom it provides hours of comic material.
Most want 'el tigre' to roar again. For the sight of a Radamel Falcao on song, happy in his work and in the groove is one of the most exciting and exhilarating sights in football from the past decade (view Youtube for clips of some of his goals for Porto and Atleti' and you will understand) but a move to Mourinho's team has that feeling of last chance salon. To a few who witnessed him ply his trade at Old Trafford last season it seems a little strange that he is opting to remain the Premier League but it is a credit to the quiet mans determination that he wishes to remain and prove he can hack it in one of the most physical leagues in the world.
Whichever way it works out the man who will retire a legend in his home town of Santa Marta deserves to be remembered as one of the worlds best strikers not the abject one we witnessed last season who failed to get a chance against lower league opposition. Lets hope he gives us a few more moments for the show reel, it will be fascinating to see if they are in royal blue..
Sunday 21 June 2015
Sunday 25 January 2015
Cantona's Kick - Twenty Years On
''When the seagulls follow the trawler, its because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea''.
And with those words uttered at a press conference after the event, Eric Cantona immortalised himself into football folklore for years to come.
Selhurst Park, 25th January 1995. Crystal Palace v Manchester United.
Twenty years to be exact since that dark night in South London, when the Frenchman launched himself across the barriers into the chest of Palace fan Matthew Simmons.
During a somewhat edgy match between the South Londoners and the reining Premier League champions, the setting for what was to occur couldn't have been more perfect, a cold dark night in a somewhat ramshackle of a ground with its players tunnel in the corner, unusually filled to full capacity thanks to United's lure in the Capital, the then Palace manager, Alan Smith was to say, ''United were some team. They were big men. The all black kit and unshaven faces giving them a menacing edge'',
After much needle through the match Cantona finally fed up with the Palace defender Richard Shaw's attempts to wind him up finally fell into the trap and lashed out receiving a straight red in the process. Led down the touchline past the home fans towards the tunnel by the United kit man Norman Davies, Cantona hears, stops, turns and the rest is history.
Simmons, twenty years of age at the time had raced down eleven flights of stairs to supposedly shout at the red carded Manchester United player, ''off you go Cantona, its an early bath for you''. Simmons claim at the time to have said those words didn't seem plausible, twenty years on they read as nothing but comic. According to witnesses, a number of which seems to grow more and more with each passing year, claim the Londoner's words were more like, ''f*** off back to France you French motherf*****'', there was ensuing abuse directed towards Cantona's mother too which has since been claimed as been unprintable.
With the twentieth anniversary of the infamous kick now upon us, there has been a lot of words printed and much said on the matter, much drawing divided opinion as to the way the moment has since been documented and discussed on to the point where some critics believe it is wrongly celebrated.
But discussed and 'celebrated' it will be for many years yet as it was such a defining and monumental moment, in a premier league era that was only three years old.
Quite a few people have made money off the back of it to a somewhat unsettling level.
Ned Kelly who was in charge of United's security throughout the nineties until he was released due to reports of ticket scams, is never shy from talking about how it was he who accompanied Cantona to his court case and various other appointments during the eight month ban, the referee on the night Alan Wilkie went onto release his autobiography bizarrely titled 'One Night at the Palace', although apart from brandishing the red card it is quite difficult to understand what further part Wilkie had to play in the ensuing drama, and the lady whose horrified face was caught on camera at the time as she attempted to shield her two children away from the unfolding horrors is never too far away to describe in great detail how she feared for her life.
Was he right to commit what he did, was he wrong, is up for discussion and will forever be so, Cantona himself in an interview in 2011, said ''it was a great memory and a memory I'm happy for fans to treasure, but..it was a mistake''. And celebrate it they do, a walk around Old Trafford on match day amongst the stalls selling various pieces of unofficial merchandise you are somewhat spoilt for choice on Cantona themed t-shirts depicting the 'kick'.
Somewhat unfairly compared to Luis Suarez and his multiple accounts of bites on fellow professionals, it is possibly best compared to Zinadine Zidane's infamous headbutt on the Italian Marco Materazzi towards the end of the World Cup final in 2006 for derogatory comments which had reportedly been said against himself, his mother and his family's heritage.
Cantona like Zidane were quite mystique figures, cool and withdrawn yet adored and idolised, the actions have been held up as moments when the defenceless' actions were actually defendable.
Wrong it may of been, he did leave the field of play to enter a 'no-'go' area and confront a fan, but it is to Cantona's credit and enduring appeal that it is just remembered as a moment and not what he's career is defined as, coming back stronger against all odds to lead Alex Ferguson's team of 'kids' to a double of Premier League title and FA Cup, scoring the all important late winner at Wembley against arch rivals Liverpool.
Other players with various characteristics would have wilted and disappeared to new surroundings after the incident. Cantona came back, kicked on and thrived. That right there is the true legacy from that night at the Palace.
And with those words uttered at a press conference after the event, Eric Cantona immortalised himself into football folklore for years to come.
Selhurst Park, 25th January 1995. Crystal Palace v Manchester United.
Twenty years to be exact since that dark night in South London, when the Frenchman launched himself across the barriers into the chest of Palace fan Matthew Simmons.
During a somewhat edgy match between the South Londoners and the reining Premier League champions, the setting for what was to occur couldn't have been more perfect, a cold dark night in a somewhat ramshackle of a ground with its players tunnel in the corner, unusually filled to full capacity thanks to United's lure in the Capital, the then Palace manager, Alan Smith was to say, ''United were some team. They were big men. The all black kit and unshaven faces giving them a menacing edge'',
After much needle through the match Cantona finally fed up with the Palace defender Richard Shaw's attempts to wind him up finally fell into the trap and lashed out receiving a straight red in the process. Led down the touchline past the home fans towards the tunnel by the United kit man Norman Davies, Cantona hears, stops, turns and the rest is history.
Simmons, twenty years of age at the time had raced down eleven flights of stairs to supposedly shout at the red carded Manchester United player, ''off you go Cantona, its an early bath for you''. Simmons claim at the time to have said those words didn't seem plausible, twenty years on they read as nothing but comic. According to witnesses, a number of which seems to grow more and more with each passing year, claim the Londoner's words were more like, ''f*** off back to France you French motherf*****'', there was ensuing abuse directed towards Cantona's mother too which has since been claimed as been unprintable.
With the twentieth anniversary of the infamous kick now upon us, there has been a lot of words printed and much said on the matter, much drawing divided opinion as to the way the moment has since been documented and discussed on to the point where some critics believe it is wrongly celebrated.
But discussed and 'celebrated' it will be for many years yet as it was such a defining and monumental moment, in a premier league era that was only three years old.
Quite a few people have made money off the back of it to a somewhat unsettling level.
Ned Kelly who was in charge of United's security throughout the nineties until he was released due to reports of ticket scams, is never shy from talking about how it was he who accompanied Cantona to his court case and various other appointments during the eight month ban, the referee on the night Alan Wilkie went onto release his autobiography bizarrely titled 'One Night at the Palace', although apart from brandishing the red card it is quite difficult to understand what further part Wilkie had to play in the ensuing drama, and the lady whose horrified face was caught on camera at the time as she attempted to shield her two children away from the unfolding horrors is never too far away to describe in great detail how she feared for her life.
Was he right to commit what he did, was he wrong, is up for discussion and will forever be so, Cantona himself in an interview in 2011, said ''it was a great memory and a memory I'm happy for fans to treasure, but..it was a mistake''. And celebrate it they do, a walk around Old Trafford on match day amongst the stalls selling various pieces of unofficial merchandise you are somewhat spoilt for choice on Cantona themed t-shirts depicting the 'kick'.
Somewhat unfairly compared to Luis Suarez and his multiple accounts of bites on fellow professionals, it is possibly best compared to Zinadine Zidane's infamous headbutt on the Italian Marco Materazzi towards the end of the World Cup final in 2006 for derogatory comments which had reportedly been said against himself, his mother and his family's heritage.
Cantona like Zidane were quite mystique figures, cool and withdrawn yet adored and idolised, the actions have been held up as moments when the defenceless' actions were actually defendable.
Wrong it may of been, he did leave the field of play to enter a 'no-'go' area and confront a fan, but it is to Cantona's credit and enduring appeal that it is just remembered as a moment and not what he's career is defined as, coming back stronger against all odds to lead Alex Ferguson's team of 'kids' to a double of Premier League title and FA Cup, scoring the all important late winner at Wembley against arch rivals Liverpool.
Other players with various characteristics would have wilted and disappeared to new surroundings after the incident. Cantona came back, kicked on and thrived. That right there is the true legacy from that night at the Palace.
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