I appreciate this may be a tad late in the day/month/year, but I had time on me hands, got all nostalgic, and thought hows about giving this a go. There were some truly Stella performances this summer and, as an England supporter, may I just add how refreshing it was to sit back and enjoy the cream of the Europe's top talent compete against one another at the highest level. Well, World Cup aside.
Here are my eleven, no doubt many of you will have your own say, and feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments section.
Iker Casillas
The Real Madrid stopper had an excellent tournament, keeping three consecutive clean sheets in the knock out stages to lead his side to their fist trophy in 44 years. A standout performance in Spain's penalty shootout victory over Italy in the quarter-final stages.
Sergio Ramos
The young full back had an outstanding tournament, bombing up and down the right flank offering both offensive and defensive excellence. After finally seeing off his predecessor Míchel Salgado, the Real Madrid man is sure to be a firm fixture in the national setup for many years to come.
Carlos Marchena
Yet another Spaniard. The Valencia Captain grew in stature as the tournament developed. Renowned for his man-marking ability, this hard-nut was not to be crossed and was integral to their solid defensive displays.
Pepe
The Euros elevated this Portugezer to new heights with his impressive displays at the heart of Luiz Felipe Scolari's back line. Solid in defence, the Real Madrid player also proved a nuisance in opposition's penalty areas, getting on the score sheet in his side's opening victory against Turkey.
Philipp Lahm
Not blessed with Crouchy-esque height, this nipper from Bayern Munich proved why Sir Alex has been casting a watchful eye over him lately. Assured on the ball, he hit the crucial injury-time winner versus Turkey at the semi-final stage. One for the future as well as today.
Andre Arshavin
Received interest from Europe's elite clubs following his outstanding attacking midfield displays. The Zenit St. Petersburg magician turned matches and heads and is largely responsible for Edwin Van der Saar's premature retirement from international football with his man of the match display in their 3-1 extra time victory over Holland.
Cesc Fabregas
Despite starting the vast majority of the games on the bench, the Arsenal prodigy appeared from the touchline to produce some mesmerising displays. Comfortable in possession of the ball, the Spanish starlet was a key component in their eventual triumph. Hit the winning penalty in the shoot-out against the Italians.
Marcos Senna
Unquestionably the unsung hero of Luis Aragonés side. This midfield general marshalled his side to glory, providing an excellent shield to an already impressive defence. The Villarreal man was crucial in dead ball situations, able to deliver the ammunition to Torres and Villa.
Wesley Sneijder
When Holland topped Group C comprising of France, Italy and Romania, much of what the Oranges did well came through the Ajax graduate. Now at Real Madrid, Sneijder demonstrated why he is regarded as one of Europe's finest playmakers, scoring key goals in their victories against Italy and France.
David Villa
Took the tournament by storm in Spain's opening fixture, putting Russia to the sword with an impressive hat-trick in their 4-1 triumph. Despite only adding one more to his tally for the competition, he terrorised opposition defences and was the perfect foil for the equally dangerous Torres, who just misses out on my eleven.
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Now finding his feet at White Hart Lane, the Russian forward hit an impressive three goals as the Russians continued to defy the odds in their route to the semi-final. With eloquent grace on the ball for one so tall, he was able to bring team-mates into the game as well as score important goals. As the Harry Redknapp revolution gathers pace, Premiership defences beware.
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Monday, 3 November 2008
The Constant Gardner
This Sunday, something beautiful happened. Lewis Hamilton became the youngest ever Formula One World Champion and, in doing so, gave the British public something to cheer about; the same which could not be said about our current crop of rugby league players carrying the flag down under. However, beauty is to the beholder, and I observed something that, although not obviously beautiful, brought a smile to my face, restored my faith in sport, and I believe eclipses Hamilton's achievement. This was the beauty that radiated from the the Reebok Stadium as Bolton ground out a 2-0 victory over Manchester City and, in particular, from one man: Ricardo Gardner.
At half time, the score stood at 0-0 in this mundane North-West derby, with the only real endeavour coming from those dishing out the pies and bovril to help keep those poor souls who turned up to this 'contest' satisfied. However, the second half proved to be a much greater spectacle, largely due to the introduction of the aforementioned Jamaican. Both of the host's goals can largely be accredited to the wide man, with him netting the first and providing the assist to Richard Dunne's own goal for the second. He sparked the contest into life and proved one thing to the millions no doubt watching the game from around the world: that you don't need the millions of a tycoon to win Premier League football matches.
Who better than to prove this point to than against Manchester City, the latest club to be bought by billionaire owners? In the 1998/99 season, Gardner was bought for a respectable £1,000,000 from the Jamaican outfit, Harbour View FC. Since then, he has gone on to clock up 292 appearances and 16 goals. Now, although his goals tally could be bettered, his service to Bolton spanning over ten years is refreshing in an age where money dictates so much, and players move to the tune of the big spenders.
He is approaching 300 appearances for a club who, at best, are seen as a stable Premier League outfit, but, more often than not, have flirted with the lower reaches of the division. Indeed, Bolton have plied their trade in what is currently known as The Championship for three of the years Gardner has stuck around. Quite conceivably, he may have asked for a transfer in this period, in the hope to better his career. However, far from in keeping with what a large number of Premier League footballers have done in recent years, Gardner has demonstrated a loyalty and a professionalism that more than merits the testimonial he will receive in the near future.
Gardner is not alone in his campaign demonstrating true allegiance to his football club. This summer, Joseba Etxeberria of Athletic Bilbao signed a contract effectively meaning he will play out his final season in professional football for free. Contracted to the Basque club since his transfer from Real Sociadad in 1994 at the age of 17, the midfield ace hopes to reach the landmark of 500 appearances for the club who only has players born in the Basque region on their books. Modestly, he remarked on signing, "I wanted to do this gesture but never did I want to set a precedent."
Both Gardner and Etxeberria are of course not alone. There are countless others who have demonstrated a dignity and an integrity whilst at a football club that have lasted less than ten years, or even beyond. Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes from Manchester United alone all fall into this category. However, they have received countless plaudits over the years which has seen United win 10 Premier Leagues, 4 FA Cups and 2 Champions League trophies. At risk of sounding like a broken record, I though I would leave these legends alone for now, and focus on a dread-locked Jamaican from Bolton. Much of his eleven seasons have been spent in the shadows, and very rarely has Gardner received the plaudits his play and loyalty deserves. Until now. Bravo Ricardo Gardner, the unsung hero of the Reebok.
At half time, the score stood at 0-0 in this mundane North-West derby, with the only real endeavour coming from those dishing out the pies and bovril to help keep those poor souls who turned up to this 'contest' satisfied. However, the second half proved to be a much greater spectacle, largely due to the introduction of the aforementioned Jamaican. Both of the host's goals can largely be accredited to the wide man, with him netting the first and providing the assist to Richard Dunne's own goal for the second. He sparked the contest into life and proved one thing to the millions no doubt watching the game from around the world: that you don't need the millions of a tycoon to win Premier League football matches.
Who better than to prove this point to than against Manchester City, the latest club to be bought by billionaire owners? In the 1998/99 season, Gardner was bought for a respectable £1,000,000 from the Jamaican outfit, Harbour View FC. Since then, he has gone on to clock up 292 appearances and 16 goals. Now, although his goals tally could be bettered, his service to Bolton spanning over ten years is refreshing in an age where money dictates so much, and players move to the tune of the big spenders.
He is approaching 300 appearances for a club who, at best, are seen as a stable Premier League outfit, but, more often than not, have flirted with the lower reaches of the division. Indeed, Bolton have plied their trade in what is currently known as The Championship for three of the years Gardner has stuck around. Quite conceivably, he may have asked for a transfer in this period, in the hope to better his career. However, far from in keeping with what a large number of Premier League footballers have done in recent years, Gardner has demonstrated a loyalty and a professionalism that more than merits the testimonial he will receive in the near future.
Gardner is not alone in his campaign demonstrating true allegiance to his football club. This summer, Joseba Etxeberria of Athletic Bilbao signed a contract effectively meaning he will play out his final season in professional football for free. Contracted to the Basque club since his transfer from Real Sociadad in 1994 at the age of 17, the midfield ace hopes to reach the landmark of 500 appearances for the club who only has players born in the Basque region on their books. Modestly, he remarked on signing, "I wanted to do this gesture but never did I want to set a precedent."
Both Gardner and Etxeberria are of course not alone. There are countless others who have demonstrated a dignity and an integrity whilst at a football club that have lasted less than ten years, or even beyond. Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes from Manchester United alone all fall into this category. However, they have received countless plaudits over the years which has seen United win 10 Premier Leagues, 4 FA Cups and 2 Champions League trophies. At risk of sounding like a broken record, I though I would leave these legends alone for now, and focus on a dread-locked Jamaican from Bolton. Much of his eleven seasons have been spent in the shadows, and very rarely has Gardner received the plaudits his play and loyalty deserves. Until now. Bravo Ricardo Gardner, the unsung hero of the Reebok.
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