The Spanish title has been won at last and wasn’t it pulsating! Much as I hate Madrid, I couldn’t but feel happy for two former United heroes who had major hands to play in the title run-in.
For one, Beckham showed how wrong McLaren and Capello were, with his work rate and brilliant crosses doing more than its fair share of damage. His work ethic was undeniable even in his last season at OT when it was all but certain that he was moving. The change his introduction brought into the 4-3 Champions’ League classic against Madrid was testimony to his character. He’s proven once again that he is at his dangerous best when completely written off.
At the end of the season, it’s only Calderon who’ll be crying his ass off that he had to lose one ‘galactico’ who at least worked his socks off instead of taking his place for granted like Carlos, or Ronaldo (the fat one, that is). The other ex-United hero who was even more crucial to Madrid’s resurgence was Ruud van Nistelrooy, whose reputation of being a lethal finisher remained intact this season finishing with a sensational 25 goal tally, which makes the 10 million pounds seem like pocket change. More interesting to note was the urgency and hunger he showed when on the pitch that was more reminiscent of the earlier half of his time in United. He got to the end of Beckham’s crosses (a combination that was well known the world over). He is sure to miss him next season.
Apparently the hurt of exiting Old Trafford under the circumstances he did had a lot to do with his determination. We wish him well.
Moving on to our current and future stars, Rossi expects to make the cut at Old Trafford. The young Italian, who Zola repented at not having played him longer than they did at the U21 Championship, has done enough to merit a shot at first team. The transfer activity, as well as the pre-season, during the next month or so will help us know what Sir Alex’s plans are for him next season. While of course, if its rumours that you are interested in, then Roy Keane is lurking nearby looking to take Rossi on loan next season. While he would surely get the starts which he didn’t get at Newcastle, he wouldn’t be too happy because he is an ambitious young lad and is determined to break into the OT setup straightaway. I like his attitude, and maybe we must put our faith in him. I’d be lying if I’d say that I am not really looking for us to retain the title next season, but if we manage to give a good run out to promising youngsters like Rossi and come out trumps, that would be more valuable for the long haul.
And finally, news items that wrap up this post involve players/ex-players offering their opinions on other players. Pele opens his gob and says Kaka is a better player than Ronaldo. And Ricardo Vaz Te says that Nani will be a great player.
Oh well. Until next time.
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