2 December 2008
‘What the hell is wrong with you? Fernando Torres is your candidate for the
Ballon d’Or
(European Footballer of the Year) – 33 league goals, the best foreign debutant ever in the Premier League, the scorer of the winning goal in the European championships, the most important in 44 years of Spanish football history and yet he’s not your candidate. Why not? Why, in Catalunya, their candidate was Lionel Messi and then Xavi Hernández? Why in Madrid their candidate was Iker Casillas?’
The strongly voiced thoughts of an imaginary Englishman, who, in autumn 2008, is desperately trying to understand why the Spanish never unite behind El Niño. Liverpool’s Number 9 is a strong candidate amongst the 30 nominations for the
Ballon d’Or
prize awarded by
France Football
magazine, thanks to his goals for the Merseyside club and his winning strike in the final of Euro 2008. Nevertheless, for him, his nomination seems incredible: ‘When I saw that Kaká, Ronaldino and Zidane had won the
Ballon d’Or
,’ he says in an interview with
Eurosport
, ‘I thought they were players from a different planet and I could never get to their level. And then after Euro 2008, they talked about me alongside other great footballers. For me, that’s incredible. I can’t say that it was a dream because I never considered
the possibility. I never thought I would even be near. Even today, I still see it as something that is a long way off.’
And yet Torres is on the list and forms part of a strong Spanish presence: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Marcos Senna, Xavi Hernández, Cesc Fabregas and David Villa. An explanation from El Niño: ‘The trophy (Euro 2008) has catapulted us into a position from which we can compete for individual recognition.’ However, for Torres, Cristiano – the overwhelming favourite to win the top prize – has been ‘the best, the most consistent. He’s played at a very high level. He’s won the Premier League, he’s won the Champions League and scored in the final. He’s been the top scorer in all competitions and he won the Golden Boot. I think it’s very rare that a player has achieved so much to win. Let’s hope I get near. Let’s hope I’m in the first three. For me, that would be sufficient,’ explains Torres.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Manchester United Number 7, is certainly the strongest candidate and the sure-fire winner of the
France Football
prize – no debate. The Portuguese from Madeira has played the perfect season and 2008 has been his year. He has bagged an impressive total of 42 goals (31 in the Premier League and eleven in the Champions League). At Euro 2008, he was disappointing. His Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals but the European tournaments have rarely been a determining factor in the
Ballon d’Or
award.
Meanwhile, the Spanish newspapers have very different ideas as to who should win the competition. Take
Sport
, one of the two dailies based in Barcelona that covers news about football. It began collecting signatures from celebrities and fans all over the world to support the nomination of Leo Messi. An initiative that reaches a total of 60,000 within a few days – and this in spite of the 2007–08 season, which has not been the best for the little Argentinian. Apart from the
gold medal with the national team at the Beijing Olympics, Lionel has won nothing with Barcelona. His year has been ruined by injuries and, in addition, he lost the direct clash with Ronaldo’s Manchester United in the semi-final of the Champions League. From last September, under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, he has once again returned to the top level, performing well and scoring goals. A bit late, though. Staying in Barcelona:
Mundo Deportivo
, the other daily of the city, champions Xavi – also a Barça player – undoubtedly the leading participant at Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, as well as being elected the best player of the tournament. Moving to the Spanish capital, one discovers that
Marca
is campaigning for Iker Casillas, the keeper whose saves and cool-headedness in the penalty roulette against Italy got the national side past the taboo of the quarter-finals.
To sum up, everyone has their axe to grind, but the situation in Spain is such that the weight of the two historic clubs is more than the national team. Real Madrid and Barcelona rule the roost, as always. Nevertheless, the fact remains that it’s all very irksome. Even to Fernando. In an interview with French sport daily,
L’Équipe
, on the eve of the World Cup qualifying match between Estonia and Spain last October, El Niño said: ‘You’d have to be blind not to see the huge campaign in favour of Iker. I’m the first to recognise that he deserves it, but so does Villa, Xavi or me. But no one is saying so. According to where you are geographically, you are rated more highly. I don’t like this difference in treatment.’ A controversy that is immediately hushed-up. The different voices from one side or the other tone themselves down and there’s less discussion on the issue. Xavi Hernández makes light of the quarrelling and draws a line between the personal jealousies: ‘The individual prizes’, he says, ‘are a reflection of the collective success. I don’t think that I have
much chance. I would certainly like a Spaniard to win. If not then Messi, my Barça team-mate.’ But that is not to be.
On the cover of the 2 December edition of
France Football
, there is Cristiano Ronaldo. With 446 points, he is European Footballer of the Year (winner of the
Ballon d’Or
) 2008. Second, on 281, is Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres third with 179. Following-up behind are Iker Casillas, who just misses out on the podium, Xavi in fifth and David Villa seventh. Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, comes in tenth. To complete the Spanish Armada, midfielder Marcos Senna, of Brazilian origin, is also there, finishing in 11th, Cesc Fabregas 20th and Sergio Ramos 22nd.
The result is expected – at least for the top place. Messi keeps second place, the same as the previous year. Torres mounts the podium for the first time. Fernando was nominated in 2006, the year of the Germany World Cup, the year in which Fabio Cannavaro, the Italy captain, took home the award. El Niño ended up in the body of the group, 26th, equal to lots of other good players. This time, things go very differently. Despite the vote in favour of the Manchester United winger, five judges on the award panel made Torres their top candidate. Their opinions make for interesting reading: ‘Torres for me is the best-performing player of the year,’ writes Franks Van Den Nieuwenhof of the Dutch
Eindhovens Dagblad
. ‘Torres is the best over the last 30 metres,’ from Paché Andrade,
Canal RCN
, in Colombia. ‘Fernando Torres, in his first season with Liverpool, has achieved the incredible total of 24 goals and got the crowning goal for Spain. For all these reasons, I put him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo,’ comments Luo Minn,
Titan Sport,
China. ‘Torres is a strong character and has immense talent,’ from Dafrallah Mouadhen, MBC TV, Dubai. ‘His outstanding season with Liverpool and his enormous contribution to the Spanish national side persuade me to vote
for Fernando, who this year has become the complete footballer,’ argues Francisco Rivas García,
El Heraldo
, Honduras. Who did the English representatives, Max Marquis and Henry Winter, of the
Daily Telegraph
, vote for? For Cristiano. In their order of preference, Torres is second. Paco Aguilar, of Spain’s
Mundo Deportivo
, chose Xavi. A confirmation of what has been said before.
And what does Fernando Torres think of his ‘bronze
ballon
?’ ‘The prize is an important recognition, which comes just as I’m recovering from an injury (picked up on 26 November, during the Champions League game against Marseille. The prognosis is that he should be fit again within about four weeks). It’ll give me a boost to get back to playing again as soon as possible.’
He is proud to have made the third spot and expresses his gratitude to his team-mates at Liverpool and in the national side: ‘Their support has been both significant and essential and their contribution is one of the reasons that I can enjoy this event today.’ He knows that 2008 has been a fantastic year. ‘This has been my best year as a professional player, different from what I was used to. I arrived at a great club,’ he explained, ‘that gave me the opportunity to play at the highest level, to play in the Champions League and to learn from some of the best in the world.’ As a smart pupil who went on to get good marks at school, he says the prize is simply a motivation to do better.
On 12 January, 2009, the story repeats itself. On the stage of the Zurich Opera House there are five people seated in the front row, waiting for Pelé to open the envelope containing the name of the successor to Kaká, FIFA World Player of the Year 2007. Brazil’s former Number 10 is more emotional than the candidates themselves. He has some difficulty in opening the secret envelope. Once he has succeeded – and before revealing the winner’s name to the television
cameras – he remembers that, when he presented the prize the previous year to his compatriot, Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos Leite (aka Kaká), he assured Ronaldo in Portuguese, ‘Next year, you will be the winner.’
And, sure enough, Cristiano Ronaldo is FIFA World Player 2008, picking up his fifth crown of the season. In-between one trophy and another, the Number 7 was also in the Manchester United side that won the FIFA Club World Cup on 21 December in Yokohama, Japan, beating Ecuadorian side, Quito (holders of the 2008 Copa Libertadores) 1-0. Cristiano, according to the votes cast by 155 national team managers and captains, got 935 votes. Since the previous year, he has gone from third to top spot. Runner-up for the second year in succession is Lionel Messi with 678 votes. Third is Fernando Torres on 203 points. El Niño confirms his
Ballon d’Or
position in front of Kaká (183 votes) and Xavi (155). Casillas is eighth. ‘It’s really important to be here,’ declares Torres, formally dressed in white shirt, black jacket and tie. ‘I wasn’t expecting it. I had just changed my team and country but I adapted to English football really quickly. After that, I began to score goals and that made it all much easier. After not winning a trophy with Liverpool, which was what I really wanted – because they have given me so much and I wanted to give them something back in return – the trophy arrived with the national side. Something probably even more unexpected. After a long time, Spain is once again one of the best. And me scoring in the final. I’m here because of that. But without all the efforts of my team-mates, I wouldn’t have this recognition,’ says the modest blond lad. And for the Spanish fans, he adds: ‘It’s really good that two players from our country are amongst the finalists. Let’s hope it’s the beginning of a phase in which our footballers are always present.’ A great night, he says, the first in his career in Zurich. To him, his third place behind two world
stars seems fair because ‘Messi is the best in the world and Cristiano Ronaldo is the one who’s had the best year. But my aim is to improve season on season. I don’t look back. I want to do things well so that when the 2009 (awards) come round I can once again be one of the candidates.’ He is asked if one day he will win one of these two trophies and he modestly replies: ‘To win one it’s clear that there’ve got to be a lot of favourable circumstances. There are times when a player has a great season but doesn’t win any trophies and that affects him. What’s important is to be one of the candidates for many years. Look at Gerrard, he’s always been in the top ten but has never won the prize and he deserves it. But he goes on giving his best.’
Conversation with England manager Fabio Capello
His name is on the entry phone. After pressing the button you are let into the hallway of a nineteenth-century villa, where a lift takes you to the fourth floor. The narrow compartment door slides open and there on the other side is Fabio Capello, sporting a geometrically patterned sweater, blue shirt and designer glasses. The England manager invites the visitor into his sitting room. At the end is a huge window looking out on a beautiful private garden with ancient trees and, shining through the mist, an immaculate lawn and tennis court – a silent, tranquil and elegant location right in the centre of London. A computer and various documents sit on top of a long table – the ex-manager of Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid had brought work home from his FA office.
During the next two days he will be performing a spectator marathon, watching all four games involving Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, ahead of their appearances in the quarter-finals of the (2008–09) Champions League. There is still some time before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but the England coach must always keep a close eye on the European tournaments and the Premier League, as well as the players who will make up the basic structure of the team that will probably represent
his last campaign in the dugout. This is a manager who doesn’t beat about the bush, so it’s best to get straight to the point.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo is a very good, very dangerous and very technical player with great pace. Messi is a genius, no one in the world today has his talent. He can do extraordinary things. As for Torres, let’s say that last year he burst onto the scene and did very well. The 2007–08 season was his coming-of-age. Here in England he’s succeeded in doing what he failed to do in La Liga – score goals. In Spain, everyone acknowledged his tremendous skills and pace but in front of goal he lacked coolness and ability. Obviously the change of climate has served him well – and how! Here, he’s become a truly impressive goal-scorer via his ability to put the ball in the back of the net by every means possible.’
‘That’s something I’ve asked myself too. Probably he needed to leave Madrid. He needed more responsibility.’
‘Here he’s feeling more responsibility because of what they paid for him. And perhaps this has produced the step-up in quality. Psychologically, it’s helped him. At least that’s what I believe.’
‘Yes, Torres has the sort of speed and pace that often wrong-foots English central defenders – they are a bit slower and
have more experience in coping with high balls than a passing game. And one should also say that here, like all the other foreign players, he’s learned to play with few interruptions and with more physical contact. So to sum up, it’s not only his technique but also his running, understanding and physical condition.’
‘Undoubtedly. For him to be playing alongside Gerrard, the standard-bearer of Liverpool, has given him a real enthusiasm.’
‘The certain knowledge of having someone up front that can create alarm. You know that, at any moment, with even just a half-chance, he can create a goal. He’s got great pace, he’s not afraid, he has good technique, is strong and smart. These are the skills of a good striker.’
‘That’s right but it’s not just Liverpool that plays like that. Now when I hear people talking about formations, it makes me laugh. I say that the modern formation is 9 + 1. There are nine who defend, leaving just one upfront. Then you need to see how many of them have the technical ability to move up into attack. That’s the true game plan. Everything else is just baloney.’
‘Yes, Torres and the Spanish players are very well integrated. First, because there is a Spanish manager and second, the players all play for the national side. They are top-class.
Reina is a great goalkeeper and now he’s been there four years, having been signed when he was 23. Arbeloa is a superb player. Riera – I had thought about as a possible signing for Madrid (when manager of Real Madrid). And with Xabi Alonso there’s no debate. They are all footballers with great technical ability, which, in league matches where pressurising, running and strength are crucial, allows them to shine.’
‘He and Gerrard are indisputably the Reds’ two heroes. In my opinion, that has given Torres self-confidence, which he didn’t have 100 per cent in a team like Atlético Madrid because he was born there, he grew up there and was pampered by the club. In short, at Madrid he felt young, with no responsibility, while at Liverpool the responsibility has made him mature rapidly.’
‘I don’t know. I believe that all the great teams have a special chemistry. You feel it, you breathe it, and they can transmit it to you. You live it. And in a club like Liverpool there is a “passing on of the baton”. The older players hand it on to the younger ones and make sure they understand how this process works. Another important and attractive element of the game is the crowd and the support they give you throughout the match. At Anfield, the fans are very generous with players who give their all. When you come onto the pitch and you hear them singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, you feel something extra and a special responsibility on your shoulders towards all these people who really do, in effect, never leave you alone.’
‘Let’s not talk about that. We have excellent English strikers. I don’t want to talk about England.’
‘As I was saying, at Liverpool he’s matured and he’s brought this maturity into the national side where he’s achieved a lot and, above all, scored the winning goal in the final. After the fantastic season he’d enjoyed with the Reds and the spate of goals he’d scored, it was certain he was going to be one of the stars of Euro 2008. And for me Spain were, on paper, the team with the best players and one of the four favourites, together with Germany, France and Italy.
‘They play together really well. Torres is the centre forward, while Villa moves off him. He has very good movement off the ball, with excellent technical and shooting skills.’
‘Yes but we don’t talk about that.’
‘His potential was obvious but it was still a work in progress. He hadn’t yet transformed from the chrysalis into a butterfly.’
‘Ah,
el tramposo
, the “cheat” controversy – I remember it well. In the second half, after making contact with Sergio Ramos, Torres fell in the penalty area and rolled around as if he’d been elbowed – so much so that the referee sent off my defender. For me, I don’t like it when a player goes in for diving in order to deceive the referee and gain an advantage for his team. At the press conference after the match, I wanted to make a point about this but I didn’t know exactly which word to use. My press officer suggested
tramposo
(“cheat”) and the whole thing became a soap opera in the Spanish media. Here, I wouldn’t have had any hesitation in saying “diver”. Anyway, it’s an old controversy and closed in the best possible way.’
‘In one way, he reminds me a lot of Altafini.’ ( José João Altafini, a Brazilian-Italian striker who burst onto the international stage at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, scoring three goals in two matches. He then moved to Italy, playing for Milan, Napoli and Juventus, before finishing his career in Switzerland with Chiasso and Mendrisiostar. He also played for the Italian national team in the 1962 World Cup).
‘Because José had this speed and this ability of not being in a game and then playing a crucial role. I would say that Altafini was smarter with his shooting. In front of the posts, when he took up a particular position, it was a certain goal.
It meant the ball was, effectively, already back in the middle of the pitch for the kick-off. But I’m talking about an Altafini who was by then 30 years old. Torres is still very young – so we must wait.’
‘No, no. Van Basten moved differently, he had other technical skills, another way of reading the game. Torres is quicker than Van Basten, he likes playing deep, while Van Basten was looking more to link-up with the midfield. No, they’re two different players.’
‘As always after the European and World Cup tournaments, players are injured. Everyone pays for it and the after-effects drag on for months. There’s nothing you can do about it and in the end you pay the price for all that euphoria. After such an important victory, it’s often the mental approach that suffers. What’s certain is that this year he’s not the same and hasn’t been able to do what he was doing before.’
At this point in the conversation ‘Don Fabio’ (as he is known in Spain) went off on a tangent, analysing the Champions League and the headlines of the Spanish sporting press, which portrayed him as the solution to crisis situations when results were negative and difficult to manage. Later, there was time to look at and appreciate the eye-catching paintings and sculptures that decorated the sitting room. Fabio Capello is an enthusiastic art collector. Perhaps the final question was somewhat prosaic but it was impossible to resist.
[He gave the question much more thought than any other during the entire interview. Then he said decisively:] ‘A Hartung.’
The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes Hans Hartung (born 21 September 1904, at Leipzig in Germany, died 7 December 1989, at Antibes in France) as: ‘a French painter of German origins, one of the leading European exponents of a completely abstract style of painting. He became particularly well known for his carefully composed, almost calligraphic arrangements of black lines on coloured backgrounds.’
The catalogue of one of his recent exhibitions is entitled ‘In the Beginning There Was Lightning’.