Zidane and Ronaldo to the U.S?
Maybe it was to expected that rumours like these were starting to pop up in the newspapers. But being the naive fool i am, i did not see it coming. And it will take me some time and effort to get used to the idea that Zizou will be playing in the U.S for a club named the New York Red Bulls. An article about the rumour can be found here.Despite the fact that it was also mentioned in one of the best Dutch newspapers, i don't believe it is going to happen. Why play low level football in a country that will be all over him for the very last action he made on the pitch? I envision a very unpleasant depth interview in Harpo, and an even more unpleasant talk at the Dr. Phils show (WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!). Whatever his role in the U.S. would be, it would not be an anounymous one. And i think he wants to be just that most of all.
Zinedine, if you are considering to make a career move to the other side of the ocean, don't do it. Why not pick up golf, fishing, maybe origami? Just lay low for ten years and win another world cup as the coach of France, together with Henry. Please don't end your career in country where they gave the noble name football to a game where you have to throw around a cigar shaped object.
For Ronaldo it is a total different thing. Since the world cup, i really don't care where he is going. But i guess he will be trying his luck at lesser clubs in Spain and Italy before considering to be a "star" in New York city. I wonder if Real Madrid ever earned back the 48 million euro's they spent on him in 2002.
And the U.S? They will rise in the football ranks with or without Ronaldo or Zidane. Already there are 16 million kids play for a club in the States. That number will only rise with the influx of more Mexican immigrants. I would not be surprised if they will be a serious contender for the world title in the next couple of decades. If it will not change the game too much, i will welcome that.
posted by dollev @ 4:13 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
welcome to the blog dolf...
its also rumoured that beckham wants to end his career in the US - its like the pasture where old horses go to die. very sad.
i think zidane should, like you say, lay low, enjoy retirement, and come back as the next 'special one', only without the big mourinho ego.
rinaldo? i really don't give 2 shits where he goes either.
i don't think the US will rise to any footie power within the next couple of decades though. regardless of how many kids are playing footie, there's more dreaming about basketballs, baseballs and pigskin.
oh ya, and the great 'american dream'
Thanks for the warm welcome Gio!
Maybe your are right about the chances of the US. Some Americans Don't believe in it either. So they counter-attack with a ridicilous argument instead:
http://www.tshirthell.com/store/product.php?productid=698
So MLS wants to recreate the New York Cosmos? I can't see it happening. If Zidane still wants to play I'm sure he could find a team in Europe that would pay him (if only for marketing potential). I could see Ronaldo coming over eventually, but right now he still commands more money than a US club would be likely to afford.
I don't see the US becoming a football power any time soon. They will probably stay around 10-20 in the world rankings (good job FIFA on the new ranking system - far less absurd). Kids who are talented athletes see gridiron or basketball as being a path to fame and fortune. "Soccer" is seen as a kids game. Perhaps someday MLS will gain the stature of the NBA/NFL/MLB, but I doubt it. The biggest problem I see is that MLS will always been seen as a second tier league in the sport and the US is used to attracting the best talent from around the world to play in its leagues. If there was a basketball league that was acknowledged as superior to the NBA would people still watch? Think how many Canadians ignore the CFL because it's not "as good" as the NFL (I'm looking at you Toronto).
good points all. i read an interview with henry last year, and the magazine is gone now (but i think it was champions), where even he said (and this is a very old paraphrase so i could be totally off, but it is the way i remember it) that he's going to the u.s. to play mls when his career is over.
it struck me because he said something about his career being over.
the reasons he gave were threefold: lifestyle, money and basketball (it's his favourite sport and all his teams are in the u.s.). while i can't see zidane going -- if you were an arab man would anywhere in the u.s. be beckoning you? -- i have no doubt ronaldo will be there, with becks and henry following in years to come.
i thinkg it's a stupid thing for them to do, but the possibility of being ambassadors for football, to have a hand in making football big in the u.s., to follow in the footsteps of best and beckenbaur and pele will just be too tempting. and it may not even be these three, but i think it will happen.
i could see this as the starting 11 for the new york cosmic red bulls:
jurgen klinsman (c), kasey keller (g), roberto carlos, sol campbell (crazy man will have to go somewhere), marquez, heinze / landon donavon, ballack, essien, beckham / henry, ronaldo
bench: tim howard, freddie adu, jonathon woodgate, peter crouch, pavel nedved
p.s. let's not forget, even though he's not on a level with the players we're talking about, that shaka hislop, the longtime premiership keeper who was a hero last month for trinidad & tobago, just moved to fc dallas in the mls. the appeal is there.
p.p.s. even cruyff came to the states. he and best played for the l.a. aztecs. and the mls is definitely more appealing than the old league.
The biggest sunday amateur club in the Netherlands is Turkeyemspor. This club was founded by Turkish immigrants in 1988. It is one one of the many clubs over here that have Turkish, Morrocan, etc, backgrounds. And these clubs are founded because was a deep need for people to experience their own culture.
With the growing numbers of Mexican immigrants i think the same could happen in the US. The big difference would be that these clubs could even get further in the ranks.
Then it is not unthinkable that that will result in a succesfull team on the World Championships. That might result in more interest throughout the U.S. If the Americans think they can beat the Europeans at their own game, they will leap to the chance.
For example: in 1986 Greg Lemond won the first tour. Even without Armstrong it is an American who leads the pack.
It is just a little theory. we will see what happen.
And yes, the MLS is way more interesting to play than the Middle East or Japan. And the MLS seems to stick with the FIFA rulebook, that helps also.
The biggest sunday amateur club in the Netherlands is Turkeyemspor. This club was founded by Turkish immigrants in 1988. It is one one of the many clubs over here that have Turkish, Morrocan, etc, backgrounds. And these clubs are founded because was a deep need for people to experience their own culture.
With the growing numbers of Mexican immigrants i think the same could happen in the US. The big difference would be that these clubs could even get further in the ranks.
Then it is not unthinkable that that will result in a succesfull team on the World Championships. That might result in more interest throughout the U.S. If the Americans think they can beat the Europeans at their own game, they will leap to the chance.
For example: in 1986 Greg Lemond won the first tour. Even without Armstrong it is an American who leads the pack.
It is just a little theory. we will see what happen.
And yes, the MLS is way more interesting to play than the Middle East or Japan. And the MLS seems to stick with the FIFA rulebook, that helps also.
part of what you're saying is already coming to pass with chivas usa. mexico's biggest team is chivas guadalajara, and the owners decided to expand into the mls, using the mls as a lower division farm team to some extent. already, even though they are terrible, they are getting higher gate numbers than their arena sharing adversaries, the l.a. galaxy, drawing on the huge mexican population of los angeles as their fan base. i think this will continue to grow, as you say.
hey viva azzuri...are you looking as forward to euro qualifiers as i am? two world cup final rematches on the immediate horizon (although i doubt france will be able to put up a decent fight until world cup qualifiers). regardless, it should be a good two games.
p.s. sorry to divert attention from the main post. back to dolf's fascinating prophecies.
"Viva Azzuri! (sorry but bragging rights for now, as we are the world champs)"
Why apologize? Your team are the world champions! Shoving that in our faces in the next four years is part of the whole deal.
In a way we all are feeling a little bit blue, that should have a bonding effect. ;)
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