Miccoli and the 3rd Person

By: Greg | June 13th, 2007

cran Confirming the inevitable, new Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri has said that striker Fabrizio Miccoli will be coming back to the club after a second loan spell with Benfica. This is a big blow for Benfica as Miccoli had endeared himself to the fans and scored five goals in Benfica’s final five games, including two game-winners.

I like Fabrizio (yeah, we’re on a first-name basis) simply because he plays with heart and has a nose for the goal. He seemed to really enjoy playing for Benfica and assured the fans that if he were to play anywhere else it would only be for the club that loaned him to the Portuguese giants. Miccoli’s departure signals Benfica’s (unwilling) exportation of young, goal scoring talent out of Portugal, an event which is fresh on the heels of Nani and Anderson’s exits.

tang **Tangent alert!!** Yesterday I blabbed about superlatives and hyperbolic statements that annoy me. Well, while I was reading Ranieri’s comments regarding Miccoli I noticed something about how people involved with a club (particularly managers) always seems to refer to the club in the 3rd person. This appears to be a phenomenon that is uniquely European. In the US, when a player begins referring to the team not as ‘we’ but as ‘they’ it’s generally accepted that there’s been a falling out, ie: ‘It’s really up to the Yankees at this point where I end up.’

However, with football clubs in Europe I’ve noticed the managers saying things like what Ranieri said, such as:“I am counting on Miccoli for next season as all big players interest Juventus.” In the next breath he continues with: “We have signed Iaquinta from Udinese and Miccoli is a striker that obviously interests us. His time spent in Portugal helped him during a phase when Juventus did not require his services, but now they do.” Note how he refers to Juventus twice as if they’re a separate entity with “they.” In the second quote he starts with “we” but ends with saying “they” without changing what he’s referring to (the club).

I read these types of quotes and think they sound awful pompous. It’s probably just my American interpretation of the language but when people (this is especially prevalent in athletes here) start referring to themselves in the third person, it smacks of arrogance. While he’s not saying “Claudio wants Miccoli to come back” it still comes across as a bit weird to me.

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