On a weekend where much of the football world had their eyes fixed on La Liga to watch the gigantic tussle between the Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, the English Premier League once again stole the show. Prior to El Clasico, the match between Arsenal and Chelsea may not have been a great advertisement for the Premiership, but it did show the quality of the league as a …
Yoann Gourcuff, who? Some of you may ask. The Bordeaux attacking midfield player has become a star in his native France over the last couple of years. His performances have been likened to Zinedine Zidane, not something new in France as players such as Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema have in recent seasons also been compared to the French legend. Their comparisons were purely because of their similar North African origin and …
The big news this morning hails from Manchester and more specifically Old Trafford, where Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has lined up a potential January transfer market window swoop for out of favour Manchester City and England star Micah Richards.
However Sir Alex won’t find it easy to land the young defender for two reasons, first Mark Hughes is probably unlikely to want to sell, especially given the …
Not that there was much doubt beforehand, but any lingering feelings that Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea side are merely pretenders to throne were disspelled on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium. Led by the utterly annoying, infantile and equally inspiring Didier Drogba, Chelsea put Arsenal to the sword in a comprehensive 3-0 demolition of their London rivals. A result which not only kept Chelsea five points clear of Manchester United, but …
As a weeks football draws to a close there have been many stories that have prompted the columnists to vent their emotions on a number of issues, Tottenham Hotspur feature high on the list of topics, Liverpool are also the subject of some debate and who will win the World Cup?
With Spurs on the rise, it seems Daniel Levy could be using the new stadium as a bargaining …
In his heyday, playing for Barcelona, there wasn’t a player in the world as good as Rivaldo. If that is disputed, it shouldn’t be.
Despite carving out a very successful career for himself, in which he won the World Cup, two Spanish La Liga titles, the Copa Del Rey, along with the 1999 European and Fifa World player of the year awars, the early days of his career were not so easy. Coming from an empoverished Brazilian family, his thin, bow-legged appearance initially put coaches of his native country off – many of them claimed he was too weak.
Appearances often flatter to decieve though, and a talent so natural as his was eventually impossible to ignore. At 21 years of age, after 3 years of flirting with the lower divisions, Rivaldo eventually got his big chance in the Brazilian top flight, signing for Corinthians. It got better though as, after one successful season and 17 goals, Palmeiras snapped him up. It was here, and with Brazil in the 1996 Olympics, where the rest of the world started to take notice.
A move to Deportivo, and then to Barcelona a year later, and he was in his prime, playing at one of the best clubs in the world. He excelled.
A left footed forward, Rivaldo played his best stuff operating in the hole behind the strikers. He had exceptional technique that allowed him time to pick out team-mates with pin-point passes, and gave him space to unleash left-footed piledrivers from outside the penalty box. Giving himself this extra space by means of his technique was vital to his success, as he was often man-marked which would have usually disabled players with lesser levels of skill.
The left footed pile-drivers, many of them superb free-kicks, were one of Rivaldo’s trademarks. The remarkable thing about many of these strikes was that, on first viewing, a spectator could easily think that he had just hit the ball as hard as he possibly could and hoped for the best. However, replays often showed that, despite the venom of the shot, Rivaldo had actually found the corner by expertly sidefooting the ball exactly where he knew the keeper could not save it.
The other Rivaldo trademark was the bicycle kick. I honestly believe I’ve never seen anyone execute this skill better than him. On numerous occasions in his career he would have his back to goal at an impossible angle, or from a ridiculous distance from goal, only to launch himself into the air like a gangly daddy-long-legs., and expertly volley the ball into the back of the net.
For me, although not a trophy winning moment, the best showcase of the great Brazilian’s skills was a game he played for Barcelona in the 2000-01 season. Needing to win the game to qualify for the following season’s UEFA Champions League, Barcelona found themselves at 2-2, running out of ideas, and in need of something special. They got it from Rivaldo in stunning fashion. With his back to goal, 25 yards out, he produced an unstoppable bicycle kick that flew past Valencia’s goalkeeper, and into the onion bag. Rivaldo scored all three of Barcelona’s goals, each one of them a beauty. In my mind it is the greatest hat-trick of all time.
I could go on, but i’ll just let you watch the clip, and you can decide for yourself if he’s worthy of the ‘Great’ tag. I don’t think you’ll disagree.
It was probably unwise of Carson Yeung and his associates to announce the £40m budget that Alex McLeish would have to spend on new players. It will no doubt push the prices up of players around Europe by an extra 5-10m and McLeish will find it tough to find the players with the right amount of quality within his budget. Another factor that the Birmingham manger must take into consideration is …
There is a famous phrase, ‘football is a funny old game’ and indeed it is. This past week has seen a number of football related videos make there way on the that world wide web, and here at the Transfer Tavern we have scoured that web to bring you the most amusing happenings of the past week.
There is no doubt that celebration of the week goes to Jimmy Bullard of Hull City. Many of you may remember when Hull were good but after a miserable first half performance against Manchester City last year, manager Phil Brown took the wise step of holding his team talk on the pitch. A bad move. But the effervescent Bullard, recently back from injury showed the world that all is well at the KC stadium.
Most people detest Didier Drogba, apart form Chelsea fans, and most people have good reason. The burley striker is one of the most powerful forwards on the planet, yet he seems to spend most of his time rolling around on the floor. Maybe he has changed; check out this video of a dancing Drogba and Arsenal full-back Emmanuel Eboue.
Remember Rivaldo, the great Rivaldo, and the Rivaldo that won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. Remember the Rivaldo who fell to the ground clutching his face when the ball was kicked at his legs, well… he may have a rival.
Goalkeeping blunders are part and parcel of the game and here is one from Belgium as Jurgen Sierens scores an almighty own goal that will surely make the DVD compilations in time for Christmas. Ben Foster take note, DO NOT IMITATE.
That is your lot for this week, be sure to look out for more funny videos very very soon.
Craig Bellamy is a 2 Handicap
Craig Bellamy is one of the best players Wales have produced in their history, an almost deadly striker who possesses great pace but has a personality most disagreeable. Over his career run-ins with Bellamy have become part of the deal when in the vicinity with the Welsh virtuoso, so much so, I wonder who would even want to share a dressing …
“Some write that I’m a genius, others say that I’m disrespectful towards their country. Just like they were towards mine. If you remember in 1993 I squatted to tie my shoe during the French national anthem. I don’t care what they write about me.” Hristo Stoichkov
The above quote is just an example but, seriously, this guy could start an argument with his own reflection and, throughout his career, could frequently be seen having a go at the referee, his opponents, or his manager.
However, aggression can be a very good attribute and, in Stoichkov’s case, is what drove him to become one of the best players in the world. I’ve always thought that it was such a shame he never played in English football, as his style was a perfect match to that of the English game. He fought for everything, chased back when he lost the ball, and a high tempo bought the best out of him.
‘So, the same style as Craig Bellamy then?’, I hear you say. Yes, but unlike Bellamy, Hristo Stoichkov was world class. Great as a support striker, the Bulgarian played at his best as an attacking left-winger, mainly because his crosses had an uncanny ability to find their targets in the penalty area. With the sort of pace a greyhound would be proud of, he never had a problem beating his man either, and when he wasn’t setting goals up, he was scoring them. His career record reads 220 goals in 455 games, including 83 goals in 175 games in one of the best Barcelona teams ever to have graced the Camp Nou.
Dubbed the ‘Dream Team’, Johan Cruyff’s side were unstoppable as they won La Liga four years in a row, and the Champions League in 1992. Stoichkov was the fans favourite, and remains a legend in their eyes today, having won everything he possibly could have with the club, and frequently stating his hatred for Real Madrid.
Standing at a modest 5ft 10in, the Bulgarian looked in no way a powerhouse, but that didn’t stop him producing explosive left-footed pot-shots from distance, which would have Popeye wondering what his diet consisted of. This ability also extended to sublime free-kicks, which most goalkeepers would simply have to watch as they sailed into the top corner.
The best way to remember Stoichkov is to think back to the phenomenal World Cup he had at USA ’94. That tournament was a showreel of his brilliance. The world couldn’t believe its eyes as the Bulgarian led his country to the semi-finals against all the odds, and scored some absolute beauties along the way, to clinch the golden boot. This culminated in him being crowned European footballer of the year, and earning global admiration.
Fine, his career did tail off slightly after leaving Barca, and he was last seen breaking a kid’s leg in the MLS, but who cares? Stoichkov is a true modern great, and that kid now has a story for his grandkids. Anyway, is Dimitar Berbatov the best Bulgarian player in history?
Not in my book…
Escapini, LOL! Point taken! Got a little carried away (removing bug from ze a**)! Craig, mate, no offense!
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