Prawn Sandwiches You Say? No Atmosphere You Say?

An electric night at Old Trafford as Manchester United reach the European Cup final for the third time in their history, beating FC Barcelona 1-0 courtesy of a special goal from Paul Scholes in front of a deafening crowd. United will meet either Chelsea or arch-rivals Liverpool in Moscow, at the Luzhniki Stadium on May 21st 2008, in what will be the first all-English final in European Cup history.

Good Player Guide #5 - Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli

(Inter Milan / Italy)

Affectionately dubbed ‘Super Mario’ by the Interisti, Mario Balotelli Barwuah, 17, has burst onto the scene this season with some astonishingly mature performances that have belied his relative youth. After starring in the Viareggio tournament (a cup competition for Italian clubs’ youth outfits, personal highlights of which included a dramatic bicycle kick winner against Cisco Roma) the young Italian was given a fleeting Serie A debut against Cagliari in December 2007. Three days later he was thrust into action in the Coppa Italia against Reggina, with manager Roberto Mancini keen to rest some of Inter’s stars ahead of the Derby della Maddonina (Milan derby). Balotelli rewarded his manager’s faith with a couple of goals and a performance that had Inter fans rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of their very own prodigious striking talent to vie with Alexandre Pato at city rivals AC Milan.

When further opportunities presented themselves to Balotelli, again in the Coppa Italia, he proved he could mix it with the big boys of Italian football and announced himself to the wider public with another fantastic double against Juventus. As Inter’s season derailed somewhat following draws with Genoa, Lazio and a home defeat to Juventus, Balotelli was handed a starting place away to Atalanta in April. 74 minutes in and with Inter hanging on to a 1-0 lead courtesy of Patrick Vieira, the Nerazzurri's new whizzkid pounced to score his first goal in Serie A. Timing his run to perfection, he latched onto a flick by Dejan Stankovic, rounded the goalkeeper with a sublime fake and slotted into the net.

The following week, Fiorentina were the visitors to the San Siro and once again it was Balotelli making the headlines. This time it was Julio Cruz who played the through ball but the ending was much the same. The exquisite timing of Balotelli’s diagonal run, coupled with his cool finish left everyone who saw it in no doubt that this young man can make it right to the very top.

At over 6ft 2in, ‘Super Mario’ has the brawn (so often lacking in players his age) to go with the obvious technical ability he possesses. He is strong on the ball and his ability to make clever diagonal runs behind the defence coupled with an extremely composed attitude in front of goal has already drawn comparisons with Thierry Henry.

Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo, Sicily, of Ghanaian parents but was fostered from the age of three by an Italian family in Brescia, Northern Italy. Owing to legal complications he is yet to gain Italian citizenship, although he will be offered the opportunity to do so later this year when he turns eighteen on August 12th. Nevertheless, Balotelli considers himself Italian and has declined approaches by Ghana representatives to play for their national team, instead opting to await the inevitable call up to the Azzurri once he is officially eligible. He has already been called up for the Italian u15 and u17 teams but was unable to play due to the situation regarding his citizenship.

With Roberto Mancini stating that Balotelli is “not even at 50 per cent of his potential”, we can expect big things from the powerful young striker in the near future.

H.N. is a contributor to Just-Football, specialising in Italian football.

Romario - Man of 1000 Goals

He scored tap-ins. He scored one on ones. He scored from long range. He scored volleys, chips and headers. He scored flicks. He scored the outrageous, the routine and the sublime. Left foot, right foot, outside of the foot and toe pokes. Be they in World Cups, European Cups or youth tournaments, over an illustrious career that has spanned some 23 years 'O Baixinho' (The Shorty) otherwise known as Romário has scored them all.

Seller of a million cough sweets, (just imagine all the sore throats of Brazilian commentators constantly screaming ‘Goooooooooool’ over the years) he is even rumoured to have scored as many times off the pitch as on it. However, all good things must come to an end and on Monday the cheeky Brazilian maestro decided to call time on his playing career at 42 years of age. The announcement was made with uncharacteristically little fanfare for a man who throughout his career has seemed unable to do anything without a certain degree of flamboyance and style. It was at a DVD launch that Romário simply announced, "Officially I'm not playing any more. I've stopped. My time is up. Everything has been a lot of fun," and for a player whose thousandth goal caused such furore in Brazil that the game in which he scored it for Vasco da Gama against Sporting Recife had to be stopped for twenty minutes to allow fans to celebrate, his final statement was relatively low-key.

Despite the unceremonious retirement, Romário de Souza Faria’s time in football has been anything but low profile. An assassin in the penalty area gifted with exemplary technique and a wonderful turn of pace, he made his professional debut playing for Vasco da Gama back in 1985, and went on to play for PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and Valencia, as well as experiencing three further stints at Vasco, where he is considered one of the club’s finest ever footballers even though he also played for their bitter Rio de Janeiro rivals Flamengo and Fluminense. His goal ratio remained consistently excellent wherever he went, averaging almost a goal a game at PSV for example (163 goals in 165 appearances), and even as a 39-year old back at Vasco in 2005 he defied critics who claimed he was too slow and old by becoming the league’s top scorer for a third time.

Internationally Romário is recognised as one of the greatest strikers ever to emerge from Brazil because of this incredible goal scoring record (56 goals in 73 appearances for the Seleção) and he was instrumental in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup triumph, a year in which he was also named World Player of the Year.

Over the years Romário has also never been far away from controversy be it over drugs, the nature of his 1000 goals or his penchant for fast living. A sucker for the high life, he was known to detest training, even going so far as to say that he played better football after a night out on the razz. A party animal who regularly fell out with coaches and missed training to spend time in the company of beauty queens, it is Sir Bobby Robson, his coach at PSV who perhaps described Romário best when he called him, ‘the most difficult character I have ever had to work with…[but] also one of the most wonderful footballers I have ever encountered.’

In the football world, the one they call 'O Baixinho' will be missed as much for his sheer unpredictability as for his on-field genius.

Debating a Foregone Conclusion - The PFA Awards 2008

The nominations for the 2008 PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year have been announced this week, and while in some respects debate on the subject is pointless (Cristiano Ronaldo is surely a shoe-in to retain his Player of the Year crown, if not both awards) one or two omissions and inclusions can readily be subjected to scrutiny. Firstly a look at the nominees in both categories:

PFA Player of the Year:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
David James (Portsmouth)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

PFA Young Player of the Year:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Micah Richards (Manchester City)

Now of course, some inclusions you simply cannot argue. It will be a travesty if Ronaldo, with 27 league goals in as many games all from the wing, does not win the main award. His performances have consistently lit up the Premiership, he has scored all manner of excellent goals from thunderous free-kicks to delicate backheels, and he has terrorised defences on a regular basis. In fact over the course of the 2007/2008 campaign thus far he has failed to score against only two sides, Manchester City and Chelsea. As far as Ronaldo is concerned the only real question concerns whether or not the Portuguese wonderkid should be crowned World Player of the Year, and given the lack of real outstanding performers around Europe this year (Messi has been injured, Kaka not at his best, Ronaldinho nowhere to be seen) it is becoming difficult to begrudge the 23-year old even that honour.

Of those nominated the closest competitor would have to be Fernando Torres, who has excelled in his first season in England, scoring 21 league goals. The Spaniard has taken little time in justifying his hefty price tag at Liverpool, and has already cemented his position as one of the league’s most fearsome strikers thanks to his blistering pace and ruthlessness in front of goal. He would be a worthy runner-up for the main award and may even win the Young Player of the Year award as a consolation, though logically if Ronaldo wins one it would not make sense not to award him both.

It is also pleasing to see David James’ excellent season recognised. While he has been prone to the odd error in the past he is clearly England’s best goalkeeper at this moment in time, and his performances for Portsmouth have seen the South coast outfit amass the third highest number of clean sheets in the league this year. He has also been instrumental in helping Pompey reach the FA Cup final. And though Emmanuel Adebayor has faded in the second half of the season, his 19 goals have kept Arsenal’s title race alive and erased memories of a certain Mr. Henry.

However, beyond these candidates the line becomes slightly more blurred. Does Steven Gerrard really merit nomination for such a prestigious award when he captains a side that has once again underachieved in the league? Cesc Fabregas is Arsenal’s star player in terms of profile, but though his first half of the season was excellent has he really done enough to be considered the Player of the Year ahead of the likes of Mathieu Flamini and even Bacary Sagna? The names might be less fashionable but if this is a prize judged on excellence and, importantly, consistency then can Fabregas really be adjudged to have outperformed that outstanding pair? This season Flamini has evolved from a bit part player filling in gaps where needed, be it at left back or in midfield, to an indispensable member of Arsene Wenger’s first team and one that would leave a major gap in the squad were Juventus to succeed in luring him to Serie A in the summer. Sagna has defended exceptionally and, like Torres, deserves credit for adapting so well in his first season in the Premier League.

The most notable omission for the main award has to be Rio Ferdinand, unfairly overlooked in what has been an exceptional season for the Manchester United centre back. Ferdinand has been the lynchpin of a miserly United defence that has conceded just 17 goals in 33 games so far, and his outstanding performances have contributed to an exceptional tally of 20 clean sheets, five behind the Premiership record currently held by Chelsea. John Terry actually won the award the year the Blues achieved that feat, so for Ferdinand not to even be considered this time around beggars belief. Patrice Evra too is a model of consistency and excellence.

With Gerrard nominated, other players can rightly feel aggrieved at not being shortlisted no matter what the criteria. If the Liverpool midfielder was elected for his contribution in terms of goals and assists (10 of each in the league) then Wayne Rooney (11 goals, 11 assists) and Dimitar Berbatov (14 goals, 11 assists) can both feel hard done by. As captain of Liverpool, Gerrard drives his side on with an energy and a determination that is certainly admirable, but if the Player of the Year award is handed to players on the grounds of their all round influence on a team then Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott, Joe Cole and even perhaps David Bentley might be feeling slightly miffed upon seeing the lineup.

Time for a re-vamp?

As far as Young Player of the Year goes, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor’s places are certainly justified. But based on the overwhelming uniformity of the two categories this season does the criterion over what constitutes a ‘young player’ need rethinking? Or are players like Ronaldo, Fabregas and Torres, with years of top-flight experience between them still worth shoehorning into such a group?

The current age limit is set at 23. If I may indulge for a moment here; say the limit was reduced to 21, and the award was rejigged to gear it more towards players in their breakthrough season. This could be done by limiting it to those who have previously made less than a certain amount of Premiership appearances, say a maximum of 20 games. Under these conditions the Young Player of the Year award for this season would yield a list like so:

Nicklas Bendtner
Craig Gardner
Danny Guthrie
Giles Barnes
Ryan Babel
Lucas
Michael Johnson
Joe Hart
Gelson Fernandes
Anderson
Nani
David Wheater

If the shortlist was then reduced to six of these players, would it not produce in essence a truer list? Because this way, technically, the honour then becomes a reward for the best emerging rookie of the season. (And for what its worth, Anderson, David Wheater and Joe Hart would make my shortlist under these circumstances).

What do you think? Have your say below.

Check out this new online sports betting site if you want to know the odds for the 2008/9 PFA player of the year awards. Put your money where your mouth is if you think Cristiano Ronaldo is a foregone conclusion. They also have the latest premiership bet odds as well as news and reviews of the upcoming season including all football betting info.

Good Player Guide #4 - Razak Omotoyossi

Razak Omotoyossi

(Helsingborgs IF / Benin)

Realistically Benin were never going to make it out of an African Cup of Nations 2008 group that included Nigeria, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and, as expected, this ultimately proved the case. Despite finishing bottom of Group B with no points on the board however, the team played with a tenacity and a lust for attacking football that was heart-warming to watch, and this enthusiasm was no more so evident than in the efforts of their attacking talisman and most gifted player Razak Omotoyossi.

An inventive striker with a keen eye for goal, Omotoyossi has impressed many with his exploits for Swedish club Helsingborgs IF thus far, scoring 23 goals in 41 appearances, and his game has developed remarkably in the company of strike partner Henrik Larsson, with whom he enjoys a good understanding.

Of Nigerian descent, Omotoyossi was born in Lagos and began his career playing for Sunshine Stars FC of the Nigerian Premier League. However the relationship with his country of birth soured when, in 2003, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) slapped the striker with a five year ban for allegedly assaulting a referee – an accusation he vehemently denied. "Another player attacked the referee and even though there was video evidence to prove that, the NFA said I had to serve the ban," he stated in his defence. With the future looking bleak in his native land and the NFA proving steadfast in their decision to uphold the sanctions despite the player’s appeals, Omotoyossi eventually made the decision to decamp to Benin where he set about resurrecting his embryonic career.

In Benin he was quick to show his promise, dazzling opponents with electrifying pace and wonderful technique, and within a year he made the decision to switch citizenship to his adopted homeland, even starring for them in the 2005 World Youth Championships. This attracted Moldovan side FC Sherriff Tirasapol, where Omotoyossi spent one season before moving on to the Swedish Allsvenskan to join Helsingborgs IF.

Recently, on the back of an encouraging Cup of Nations and a thrilling spell in Sweden, the promising twenty-two year old has come to the attention of several clubs around Europe and back in January he turned down a move to Dutch Eredivisie outfit FC Groningen for financial reasons, describing footballers as being like ‘prostitutes.’ With the likes of Reading, Portsmouth and PSV Eindhoven rumoured to be monitoring the situation very closely however, it seems just a matter of time before this strong, energetic frontman gets the chance to star in one of Europe’s higher profile leagues.

Photo, Shoot - 9.4.2008 - Fernando Torres, Liverpool's Number 9

Fernando Torres leaves Manuel Almunia stranded with a brilliant strike that helps fire Liverpool into their third Champions League semi-final in four seasons. The reds conquer Arsenal 4-2 in an enthralling game, winning 5-3 on aggregate. Action Images / Carl Recine