One-Man Samba Show Likely Cancelled for Today
By: Greg | March 28th, 2007
It seems as though Cristiano Ronaldo will not be featured in today’s clash between Portugal and Serbia. He apparently twisted his left foot during training and was seen with ice on his ankle and heel. Crissy probably hurt himself doing some of his trademark farting around with the ball.
Now I may find myself alone in this camp, but I’m pitching my tent firmly in the ground when I say this: his dribbling is NOT what makes him the superb winger he has grown in to being. Ronaldo’s proverbial “money in the bank” lies with his sublime service ability and cracking free kicks. While the dribbling may look flashy and get him by a defender or two, without the service and free kicks he lacks that all important commodity in football when it comes to wingers: GOALS. As any manager will tell you, when you score more goals than the other team, you win the game.
When I consider the emphasis that some give to his dribbling skill and moves on the ball in general, I’m reminded of a certain Brazilian player called Denilson (not THIS Denilson) who was capped for Brazil during the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. This guy had moves that were as sick if not sicker than Ronaldo’s. However, he largely lacked the killer instinct on the end of his runs to produce those aforementioned all important things we call goals. He’d come into the game around the 65th minute for the Brazilians and dance around a few defenders only to fall over his own two feet or end up sans ball on the end of one of his sublime runs. As a result, Denilson now toils in relative anonymity in the Premier League… The SAUDI ARABIAN Premier League.
My little rant on overvaluing dribbling aside, Portugal ought to be fine today against Serbia given the recent emergence of players such as Joao Moutinho and Nani.
And before the cultural whistle blowers come out of the woodwork and strike, I assure you that I’m WELL AWARE that samba is a Brazilian form of music and dance and that Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese form of footballer. It just fit the witty, alliterative title I conjured up for the piece.
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