Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The archetypal player

By Paul Frederickson

The dream player: scouts look for him, managers crave him and supporters rarely see them in the kit of their beloved team. If you could put the player together, what attributes would they have to have? Let us, like Dr. Frankenstein, put our football monster together!
The foundations of a strong building will determine its strength. Therefore we will start with the feet. Left foot must be Roberto Carlos. Surely the left footed shots from Carlos were fired from a hidden rocket. Have a look at the free kick below!


The right foot, based on the years of tantalising crosses and beautiful free kicks would be from David Beckham. A plethora of glorious examples can be found on Manchester United, Real Madrid and England highlights packages.


The legs require the combined qualities of strength and subtlety. What better example than Ronaldhino at his best. His twisting, jigging and very fast legs could be compared to a combination of the Road Runner in a Matrix movie.
The torso also requires core strength and flexibility. For this body component I have selected Carlos Tevez. The combination of a low centre of gravity, Argentinian skills and flexibility allow Tevez to jink through defences whilst contorting his body into unthinkable positions. The best and worst part of Duncan Ferguson in his controversial career was his Head. The brooding Scotsman had an array of attacking skills but it was his heading ability that would be the envy of any footballer.

Holding of opponents requires core strength and strong arms. The player who most embodies this strength in Ghana's Junior Agogo.

The Brain could belong to any number of managers and luminaries of the game. For the way he changed football and its philosophy one man stands alone, the Dutchman Johan Cryuff. Some would say the godfather of the Dutch 'total football' philosophy. This transpired under his stewardship to the Barcelona club and academy and is now known simply as the 'Barca way'!



Alternatively, every team can dream, break their collective banks and sign Lionel Messi! Which players would you piece together and why?