Football: Leaving at the Wrong Time

Loyalty is not in fashion in the world of football. In the last ten year, the players that played during their entire career in one team are very few. Big football players tend to leave their clubs when the first signs of crisis strike or when >30,000,000 euro are put on the table. Such players join team after team to "pursue their dreams." Funny enough, two of those players that never left their youth team are Paolo Maldini and Ryan Giggs.

Paolo Maldini and Ryan Giggs

Image Copyrights: AC Milan BG

Those two have between them won the following major trophies:

UEFA Champions League/European Champion Club Cup:  7 times (2 for Ryan with Manchester United, 5 for Paolo with AC Milan)

Domestic Titles: 19 times! (12 for Ryan in England, 7 for Paolo in Italy)

UEFA Supercups: 6 times (5 for Paolo and 1 for Ryan)

Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club World Cups: 5 times (2 for Ryan and 3 for Paolo)

Domestic Cups: 9 (4 FA Cups for Giggs, 4 League Cups for Giggs, and 1 Italian Cup for Maldini)

Domestic Supercups: 13 (8 for Giggs, 5 for Maldini)

It can be easily said that while some other players have careers, those two have history! However, this post is not about those that are loyal. It is about those that are not. It is about the players that left in the worst possible moment (worst for them, not for the team they left). This is a list of very unlucky players and their misfortunes.

Michael Owen

Image Copyrights: BBC 

After years of waiting for Liverpool to win the title, in 2004 Michael Owen decided it was enough. He joined Real Madrid, known as Los Galacticos back then. In the team, he became a part of a very interesting collection of Golden Ball winners. Ronaldo had two Ballon D'Ors, Zinedine Zidane had one, Figo had one, and Michael Owen had one - five in total. Yet, this did not help them win any major trophies in 2004/2005. Michael left for Newcastle in the summer of 2005 still without a domestic title. He would go on to win one only in 2011 with Liverpool's archrivals Manchester United. The precious 19th title that made Manchester the most successful team in the domestic league, just ahead of Liverpool. What is the problem with Owen leaving then (considering that Liverpool are still without a title)? The problems is that in May 2005 Liverpool won the Champions League. In a remarkable game against Milan (which I still remember in my nightmares), Liverpool managed to win on penalties their fifth European Champions trophy. A win that also allowed them to keep the cup forever (it is given for three consecutive or five total European crowns). In the mean time, Michael was struggling in the domestic league in Spain and Real could not advance beyond the round of 16 in the CL. Sorry, Micky. Bad timing! 

Image Copyrights: Cabronos 

Andriy Shevchenko

Image Copyrights: Football Pictures

For seven years, Shevchenko was the King of Milan. The fans, the president, and the vice president adored him. It was the spring of 2006 and Milan were trophyless for 2 years (since winning the domestic title in 2004). They suffered a painful loss to Liverpool in the 2005 CL final in Istanbul and then lost against Barcelona in the 2006 semi-final. The Calciopoli scandal was looming large. And then rumors started to appear that Roman Abramovich, the extremely rich president of Chelsea, wanted to buy the Ukrainian star of Milan. At this point Shevchenko was filling in for Paolo Maldini as team captain. So it came as a complete shock for the "tifosi rossoneri" when their idol said basta and decided to move to Chelsea. The explanation was that he wanted to learn English! The result was that Milan won the Champions League again the year after than in Athens (May 2007), while Chelsea failed to retain the domestic title in England and their star coach Maurinho was fired. The coach was fired but not before he managed to turn Sheva into a shadow of his former self. Sheva had already won the Champions League but it would have been nice to win it twice, wouldn't it?

Image Copyrights: Football Pictures 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic'

Image Copyrights: The Offside

It is hard to say how a player that is on a series of 8 domestic titles in a row can be unlucky but it can happen. Actually it can happen (twice!). Back in the summer 2009 Zlaran Ibrahimovic' lost hope that Internazionale could possibly win the Champions League and decided to join the "Best Team in the World" - aka 2009 title holders Barcelona. The Catalan club had Messi and two European titles in the last four years. But it was not meant to be for Zlatan. Barcelona did win the domestic title and cup but they lost CL semi-final against Zlatan's old team - Inter. The nerazzuri went on to win the final and Zlatan was left without an European champions trophy and in a serious fight with Barca's coach Pep Guardiola. 

Image Copyrights: Guardian

The result from the feud was that Zlatan once again switched teams in the summer of 2010. Ever the football nomad, the Swede joined AC Milan, completing a "hat-trick of shame" in Italy (playing for JuventusZlatan (to have a chance at winning the CL due to his unlucky team changes), if only I did not know better - Zlatan is the heart and engine of the rossoneri. If there is some (small) chance that Milan defeats Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, it will be because of Zlatan. Go ahead, Nomad. Keep dreaming!

Image Copyrights: Backpage Football

The Conclusion: Do not run for the door immediately! There is a light ahead of every (football) crisis.

If you like this post, check also Football: Where were you moments?.

Football: Where Were You Moments?

For every sports fan, there are those moments that you always remember. The moments that made you cry, the moments that made you fall in love, the moments that made you fill alive. You can never exactly explain why you care so much, why you think about them years later as if they were yesterday. These are main:

1998 World Cup: Argentine vs England

Most people remember this round of 16 game with Beck's red card. I don't! I recall only Michael Owen's goal. That goal, that very moment made me fall in love with football. I had seen other games before but I never cared about them. Michael's goal made me care. I cried when England lost on penalties because it was too much to bear. Such beauty and such a loss. I have never stopped loving football ever since and I will never forget that goal because the first cut is the deepest. Every time I look back I know exactly how I felt that night and I sense it all over again. I know Michael is not the same player anymore, not for the last 10 years, but this one goal is so brilliant that it defines an entire career. Thank you, Michael for making me dream!

2003 Champions League: Milan vs Ajax

It was in the quarterfinal of the Champions League. Milan had not won it since 1994. Pippo Inzaghi had a great season in the league that year but this is probably his most important goal/assist (it is not clear if Thomason's touch at the end was before or after the goal line). That night Milan were on the bring of going out if the tournament. After 0-0 in Amsterdam, minutes before the end the result was 2-2 and Ajax were about to advance on away goals. Before this goal scored in the last possible minute to help the rossoneri stay in the CL. It just had to be Pippo - no other forward burns in the game as much as him.

2003 Champions League Final: Milan vs Juventus

Milan was playing against arch rival Juventus in the first (and only) all Italian final in the league of champions. A disallowed goal at the beginning and a heavy evenly matched 120 fight meant that the final would be decided on penalties. Dida did a good job to save three before Shevchenko stepped up for the fifth penalty for Milan. The result was 2-2. Andriy had to score - and he did. I still remember this look of complete determination in his eyes. I knew that no matter what he will score that penalty and give Milan the European Champions crown for the sixth time. Simply magical! It's not Sheva's best goal but it was definitely his most important one.

2006 World Cup Final: Italy vs France

I really hate penalties (mostly because of England-Argentine). It is so strange that this other great moment was also during penalty shootout. Fabio Grosso was the Italian to take the fifth and last penalty for the Squadra Azzura in 2006. After their lost on penalties in 1994, the Italians were determined to never let it happen again. So before Grosso all four players scored for Italy. I did not see Grosso's penalty live - I saw many replays after that. It was just too much to bare so I looked away and then I heard the noise - Grosso SCORED, Italy WON. I am not an Italian but I do not think I could feel more love and happiness than I did in this moment. This is how I imagine nirvana - complete and absolute calmness - the moment when all your dreams come true and you know that you cannot possibly want anything more.

There have been so many other great and happy moments in football for me but those are the ones that I go back to whenever I fell let down or disappointed, whenever I have doubts. I know that my feelings towards these moments will never change. I will never be lost.