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One of the ironies of Samuel Eto’o playing for FC Barcelona is that he originally joined arch-rivals Real Madrid, who immediately put him out on loan; first to second division CD Leganes; then to first division Espanyol after playing just one league match for Madrid; and finally to Mallorca. He did so well at the latter club that they signed him for a club record and became the highest scorer in the history of the club with a total of 54 goals between 2000 and 2004.

The Cameroon striker signed to FC Barcelona after a series of negotiations between Barcelona, Mallorca and Real Madrid who had retained an option on him. On one hand Madrid didn’t require him in the team as they already had two strikers in the form of Ronaldo and Raul; on the other hand they didn’t want him to play for Barcelona, a club that was looking for a quality striker to cement the attack after they were unable to come to an agreement with midfielder Edgar Davids, who had spent the second half of the 2003-2004 season on loan to the Catalan club.

With Eto’o in place as striker and Ronaldinho as attacking mid-fielder, Samuel Eto’o quickly proved to be good value for money and scored a total of 24 league goals in the 2004-2005 season. Although he helped FC Barcelona to take the league title, he narrowly missed the title of top goal scorer in La Liga.

However, at the celebrations that followed at the Nou Camp he gave speech in which he openly criticised Real Madrid, apparently venting the bitterness he felt for being passed over by the club in favour of being put on loan. He later had to retract his statement and issue an apology.

The following year Samuel Eto’o was able to improve of his league score and with a total of 26 goals he narrowly took the «Pichichi» crown, just one goal ahead of David Villa from Valencia. His strong performance on the pitch saw him also score six Champions League goals, helping to propel Barcelona all the way to the final against Arsenal. He was strongly implicated in the result as first the Arsenal goalkeeper was sent off for a foul against Eto’o in the first 20 minutes; failing to capitalise on the one man advantage, Eto’o equalised in the 76th minute from a pass from Larsson and Belletti scored the winning goal a few minutes after.

On the basis of a strong season Samuel Eto’o was awarded the title of UEFA Champion’s League Best Forward as well as Best African Player for the third year running.

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If any player has all the hallmarks of a ‘typical’ Barcelona signing, then it has to be Dani Alves.

With the potential of being to right back what Roberto Carlos was to left back, Dani Alves has the lot – pace in abundance, aggression, skill, attitude and seemingly limitless energy.   Who needs a right winger when Alves is playing right back?

Born in Juazeiro in Brazil in 1983, Daniel Alves da Silva first came to the notice of European eyes whilst playing for Brazil in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships.   Sevilla snapped Dani up from his first professional club, Esporte Clube Bahía, and, during season 2003/04 he really began to shine in Spanish football.   As part of the Sevilla side that won the UEFA Cup in consecutive seasons, Dani Alves began to develop his reputation as a tough tackling, marauding full back.   In fact, in 175 career games for the Andalucian side, Alves scored 11 goals – not bad for someone who didn’t take the penalties.

After the 2006/07 season, Chelsea appeared to be on the brink of signing Alves – at least they thought they were.   They reckoned without Sevilla’s powerful and idiosyncratic president, José María Del Nido, who took exception to Chelsea’s methods and insisted on holding out for a transfer fee that even Chelsea thought was too high.   Much to the player’s annoyance at the time, Alves started the following season an unwilling Sevilla player.   There then followed one of those ‘if he doesn’t like it he can stay in the reserves for the season’ comments that presidents love to make and the relationship between club and player appeared irrevocably destroyed.

The tragic death of team mate Antonio Puerta, however, put things in perspective for all the parties concerned and Alves went on to make 33 league appearances for Sevilla, in what turned out to be his final season for them.

When he did leave, in the summer of 2008, as the world’s most expensive right back for a potential total fee of EUR35 million, Alves left Sevilla in tears with the memorable phrase that he arrived at the club a boy, but was leaving it as a man.

Watching Alves play for Barcelona now, it is hard to imagine him playing for any other team.   His exuberant style completely fits into his new surroundings.   He does appear to be in defence one second and in attack the next and his tireless enthusiasm quickly won over the local supporters.   In seemingly no time at all, he developed an intuitive relationship with Lionel Messi that sees them linking on the right flank and mesmerising the opposition.

Now fully established in the Brazilian national team – he scored one of the three goals in the team that won the Copa America in 2007, Dani Alves can perhaps claim to be the best attacking right back in modern world football.

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After expressing a desire to play for Barcelona by the player himself and his close associates at Zenit St Petersburg, Barcelona has not let the player’s words go unheard, as now it has been made known that an official inquiry has been made regarding the player.

This somewhat confirms that Emmanuel Adebayor is very close to a Milan switch. Recent reports by the player’s agent has revealed that the Togolese striker’s deal with Milan is about 80 percent complete. Barcelona were apparently keen on bringing the lanky striker in, but the player has expressed more interest in a move to the Rossoneri, which could see him join his old teammate Mathieu Flamini, who joined Milan earlier this transfer season on a free transfer.

Zenit’s sporting director Konstantin Sarsaniya has stated that the Catalans have made a formal proposal for Arshavin, and that they will begin talks when the player returns to Zenit, from his international duties with Russia.

Many Barca fans are craving to see this stumpy striker at the Camp Nou, as he is seen as an ideal replacement for Deco, who is likely to leave Barcelona shorty for either Chelsea or Inter according to reports.

Arshavin is a very versatile player and can play many positions including second striker, winger and attacking midfielder. With him in the lineup, Barca could experiment with various formations to utilize him to help the team perform to the best of their ability. Arshavin is a good player with good qualities, but for me the best quality he possesses, is his desire to play for Barcelona. Without desire nothing is achieved.

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Eidur Gudjohnsen, of course, is the answer to a well-known quiz question.   Who was the first player to come on as a substitute for his own father in an international football match?   What might be even more amazing is that it could happen again in a few years – Eidur’s son was one of the star players in the annual televised schoolboys tournament in the summer of 2008, captaining the Barcelona team.

Born in Reykjavik in 1978, Eidur Gudjohnsen was clearly always going to be a footballer and made his debut in the Icelandic League when he was only 16 years of age.   After just 17 games for his club Valur, the player had done enough to earn a transfer to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.   During his 2 seasons in Holland, however, Eidur suffered numerous injuries and was only able to complete 13 games before being transferred back to Iceland – to KR Reykjavik.

Barely had he signed, though, before he was off on his travels again – this time to England and, after a short trial, to Bolton Wanderers.   It was his success here, mainly as a bustling and determined centre forward, that brought a move to Chelsea, where he was to stay for 6 seasons. During this spell at Stamford Bridge, Gudjohnsen made a total of 268 first team appearances, scoring 78 goals.

Although originally a centre forward, Eidur always demonstrated what pundits insisted on calling ‘a surprisingly good touch for a big man’. Technically gifted, with very quick feet and, crucially, a nimble brain, the Chelsea fans warmed to the big Icelander because of his remarkable versatility.   Able to play up front, in midfield, or even on the wings, Eidur was part of the developing Chelsea team that won the league in 2005 and 2006 and the Carling Cup in 2005.

Many people were surprised when Eidur signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2006, especially when it appeared he was being seen as a direct replacement for the huge fans’ favourite, Henrik Larsen.   Initially played as a striker, he certainly had problems winning over the Barça faithful and, in his first season, a return of just 5 goals in 25 league games led to questions being asked about the player’s suitability for La Liga.

One thing that Eidur Gudjohnsen has always been, though, is determined and that played a big part in his ability to turn the difficult situation around.   By being used more in midfield, the player demonstrated his adaptability and consequently, in both 2006/07 and 2007/08, he became an important member of the squad.   Able to play in a variety of positions, and always liable to come up with a goal, Eidur Gudjohnsen is now an established Barcelona player and one whom the fans now trust totally.

Iceland’s record goal scorer, and with over 50 international caps already, and captain of the national team, Gudjohnsen has been Icelandic Player of the year three times.   It is a good bet that he will try to keep his place in the national squad until he’s able to play in the same team as his son. Now that would be a good quiz question.

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The biennial Africa soccer cup of nations comes alive on 10 Jan. 2010 with great promises. It would be a showcase of most of the soccer talents from the African continent, ranging from those plying their trades in the English premiership, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian serie A, Brazilian league, Asian leagues, to those in the African leagues.

The traditional national teams like Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d’ivoire, Congo, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali and Zambia would all be there to entertain the teeming followers of the African soccer fiesta. Countries favoured to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament include Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’ivoire, Cameroon, Algeria, the defending champions Egypt and the host nation Angola which is an emerging soccer giant in the African continent.

The likes of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Eboue, Peter Osaze Odiwingie, Vincent Enyama, Samuel Eto’o, Zidane, Mohammed Abu Tarika, Taiye Taiwo, Obafemi Martins, Dominic Adiyiah, Opoku Agyemang, etc. would all be paraded by their respective countries. Millions of soccer fans world-wide would be glued to their television sets to feed their eyes with artistic soccer display throughout the period of the Africa cup of nations’ championship 2010. Samuel Eto’o would certainly be the centre of attraction: being the highest goal scorer of all time in the African nations cup history a lot would be expected from him. Would he deliver again this time around? Or would someone else equal or break his record? That would be an uphill task for any player at the moment. Another player that would also attract much attention is Didier Drogba of Chelsea Fc who is currently the highest goal scorer in the Barclays English premiership. With Drogba scoring close 20 goals in the first half of the league a lot of soccer fans would expect him to do very well in Angola.

The question on everyone’s lips is ‘who lifts the trophy at the end’, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’ivoire, Cameroon, Egypt or Angola? The end shall tell as each of the above-listed countries has the wherewithal to lift this year’s Africa cup of Nations’ trophy. As the various teams file out to confront each other and entertain their teeming spectators, they should remember to approach each game in the spirit of ‘fair play’ as the game of soccer is built on the grounds of fostering unity and love amongst the competing nations, and should not be a theartre of war or a do-or-die affair. As the tournament finally winds to a close on 31st Jan. 2010, one thing is sure- there would be a new African champions, but who would that be? Till then.

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FIFA’s recent award of the Ballon d’Or 2014 (World Player of the Year) to Cristiano Ronaldo proves that the accolade is more about politics and personal popularity than about performance on the field.

Although players from several nationalities are nominated and win the award, they always all play for European clubs while those active in other leagues such as in South America and Mexico are generally overlooked. The best player is chosen by players and managers based on favoritism rather than merit which often creates unworthy winners. Thus the award has lost its recognition and become the object of amusement and ridicule.

The Ballon d’Or was established by a magazine called France Football in 1956 to recognize the history-makers of the game. But that is not what it has turned out to be.

LA LIGA

Between January 1 and December 31, 2014 in this competition Lionel Messi scored 35 goals in 36 matches (11 with the right foot, 23 with the left and the other with the head) while Cristiano Ronaldo scored 38 but with less versatility as only 4 were with his head and unfavorable left foot.

In addition Messi created 97 chances, 24 more than any other player and completed 164 dribbles, 63 more than the nearest rival Iker Muniain of Atletico Bilbao (MAILOnline – Why Lionel Messi should win Ballon d’Or after a record-breaking year with Barcelona; by Kieran Gill, January 12, 2015).

EUROPE

Messi conquered the continent on November 25 when he became the all-time top goal scorer in the Champions League in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was his 23rd European city, his 16th European country and recorded the 24th different stadium in which he had scored (MAILOnline etc.)

WORLD CUP 2014

At soccer’s most important competition Messi led Argentina to the final, was voted Man of the Match in 4 games (the most of any player in the competition) and won the Golden Boot as the best player of the tournament.

He had the most impact on the competition. His goals were all match-winning goals which propelled Argentina to the final. He was the third joint highest goal scorer with 4 goals and 1 assist, created the most chances, had the most successful dribbling runs, made the most deliveries into the box and produced the most through balls of any player.

In contrast, Ronaldo was a non-factor and only scored a late goal against minnow Ghana and had an assist against the USA.

HISTORY MAKER

Messi’s performance in 2014 was what the Ballon d’Or is all about, namely, history-making performances. On March 16, he became Barcelona’s all-time top goal scorer (371). One week later he became the El Clasico (matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona) top goal scorer (21) with a hat- trick.

He scored his 400th career goal on September 27 against Granada and surpassed a 59-year-old record to become La Liga’s all-time top goal scorer (253) on November 22. Three days later he overtook Raul by scoring a hat-trick to become the top goal scorer in the history of the Champions League (74).

Given all these achievements one would think that of the three nominees Messi was the most deserving to win the award. Instead he not only lost to Ronaldo but he and the other nominee Manuel Neuer got less votes combined (31.48 %) than Ronaldo (37.66%).

In 2013 Ronaldo won nothing and Franck Ribery won everything but nevertheless Ronaldo beat him.

How can all this be explained?

POLITICS BEHIND THE VOTING

FIFA’s criteria call for national managers, captains and media officials to vote for the most outstanding performer of the previous twelve months.

Not unexpectedly players vote for their team-mates and compatriots. In the 2014 contest for example, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) gave all three spots to Germans, Manuel Neuer, Phillip Lahm and Thomas Muller.

Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid) voted for his former team-mates Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois.

Vincent Kompany (Belgium) voted for team-mates Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard as the world’s two best players with Arjen Robben third.

The best example of the politics in all of this is illustrated by Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) who declared without giving a reason that he regretted voting for Ronaldo instead of his team-mate Neuer. This ‘change of heart’ can only be explained as coming from a player who wants to save face with team-mates in the dressing room rather than from a voter with any real conviction.

The same criticism applies to managers who only vote for national players. For example, Argentina’s manager Gerardo Martino gave all three places to his fellow countrymen namely, Lionel Messi, Angel di Maria and Javier Mascherano, Belgium coach Marc Wilmots voted for Belgian Thibaut Courtous for third place, Didier Deschamps (France) gave the final spot to French striker Benzema and Holland’s Guus Hiddink gave top honor to compatriot Arjen Robben.

Players will get a lot of votes if they are popular ‘with the boys’ and can play to the cameras to advertise commercial products. Those who defend the choice of Ronaldo as best player point to the fact that in the second half of 2014 he scored 32 goals. The problem is that 9 of those goals were penalties so his non-penalty goals were 23, the same amount as Messi who had no penalties. Ronaldo is nicknamed «Penaldo» because of his mastery of drawing and scoring penalties.

In a World Cup year such as 2014 your performance in that tournament is what defines you. On the world’s biggest stage Ronaldo was a nonfactor and his supporters excuse this by saying he was carrying an injury. If that is true that is unfortunate but injury is a misfortune, not a privilege and he can only be judged on actual performance and not on speculation as to what he might have achieved had he been fully fit.

The Player of the Year award has lost its authenticity. But it does not have to be so. It is not a personality or school prom contest. It is supposed to recognize performance on the field. Maybe the officials of FIFA should themselves become the judges, give more consideration to non-European clubs and use criteria like achievements and fair play to choose the winner. This would not be a perfect system but would be preferable to the present one which is deeply flawed and cannot be taken seriously.

Victor A. Dixon

January 18, 2015

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