Tuesday 6 January 2009

Not Pretty Enough!

The face of Carlos Tevez seemed to be everywhere when I made a visit to Argentina in July 2003. After playing a major role in Boca's 5th Copa Libertadores triumph I felt sure it'd only be a short while before the 19 year old would be in La Liga or Serie A. It took longer than I expected but Carlito made it to Europe in 2006 after winning over the hearts of Corinthians supporters (not easy for an Argentine) by surprisingly joining West Ham United in England. After securing the Hammers survival in the Premier League he finally made it to a club whose stature matched his own talents and ambitions: Manchester Utd.

I'm a massive fan of Tevez, I love the way he plays the game - his energy and fighting spirit and his honesty on the pitch. Combine this with his not inconsiderable skill and he's a perfect fit with Man United. Compared to some of team mates at Old Trafford he's almost tolerated by other fans in England too which is no mean feat. His current loan deal is due to end this summer and as yet the he hasn't been offered a permanent contract at Old Trafford. Throughout his spell at Old Trafford Tevez has been a model pro and very dignified given his contractual situation, compare this to Ronaldo's antics last summer. Newspaper reports in England over the weekend suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson has made an offer to Tevez which the player refutes and as such he has been openly critical of Sir in the Argentine media.

I fail to understand why Man United are stalling on this - is Tevez not pretty enough for them? Last minute goals at Blackburn and Spurs last season helped secure them the Championship - if he moves on will Berbatov run until his lungs bleed? If as has been suggested the lack of offer is due to the current economic situation but the club still managed to find £17m to sign 2 relatively untested Serbian players this week.

Not many players have publicly questioned or disagreed with Sir and stayed at Manchester United, the notable exception being the spoilt child Ronaldo. Real Madrid could secure the services of the 3 times South American Footballer of the Year which would be a sad loss for English football.
Hasta luego!