malouda

[Herbie von Smalls]

(worrying) article from Saturday's Financial Times, by Simon Kuper:

 

 

..TX.-

One freezing January four years ago, I trekked to Brittany to witness

a French peculiarity: a village of 8,000 people with a football

stadium that could fit twice as many. The village, Guingamp, which on

the map occupied much the same spot as Asterix's cartoon village,

somehow had a team in France's highest division. They even had a pair

of promising players, called Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda.

..TX.-

That evening Guingamp were receiving Le Havre. Practically every

villager walked to the stadium, evoking French wartime scenes of

entire towns taking to the road. The crowd of 12,728 (approximately

13 of them from Le Havre) was impressive considering it was so cold

that no sane human could have wanted to be outdoors. Malouda played

terribly. Guingamp lost 1-2. They looked like a village team.

..TX.-

Tomorrow Malouda, now 27, should make his official debut for Chelsea

alongside Drogba in the Community Shield match against Manchester

United at Wembley Stadium. This is the story of how a boy from the

edge of the earth erased his personality to become the perfect

professional.

..TX.-

Malouda grew up in French Guyana, on South America's northern tip, a

skinny little brown kid nicknamed Foufoup. He puttered about on his

motorcycle, studied hard at school, always got home by 7.30pm, and

was preparing to be a professional footballer. His Dad was a local

coach who, after each match, would be waiting by the field with an

analysis. "Florent, you gave 12 crosses, four of them bad. You keep

the ball too long before shooting. Your four goals . . . "

..TX.-

Malouda arrived in mainland France aged 15. A year later he was

playing in the French second division. Rather like an MBA student, he

had a career plan. "He was always a serious boy," explains his

mother. "He left home knowing he would become a player in the French

team." He joined Guingamp at 20, Lyon at 23, and at 24 made his debut

for France.

..TX.-

One summer afternoon in 2005, I watched him train with the national

team in the forest of Rambouillet. He was a new boy in a side with

hierarchies as strict as the court of Louis XIV but that day, during

a dispute in a game of musical chairs, Malouda threw a mock karate

kick at the king himself, Zinedine Zidane. Then the French split into

sides for tennis football. Patrick Vieira, dauphin to Zidane, was one

team's captain. Yet when a quarrel erupted over the score, Malouda

took on Vieira. Foufoup understood hierarchies but he also knew his

own worth and just how far he was permitted to go. The next summer he

was France's best player for much of the World Cup final, yet

accepted a lecture in the tunnel at half-time from his hierarchical

superior, Thierry Henry.

..TX.-

By then he was the complete footballer. Malouda has no weaknesses. He

can dribble, tackle, run, score and cross with either foot. He can

play in most positions. A stringy 5ft 10in tall, he looks as if he

designed his own body to play football. Like most of Lyon's players,

he is fit enough to play two games consecutively. (Instead of buying

Malouda, Chelsea could have cut out the middleman and signed Lyon's

fitness coach Robert Duverne.)

..TX.-

Everybody in France admires Malouda. Last season he was voted the

league's best player. Yet hardly anyone loves or hates him. He is the

footballer as robot, a purveyor of statements such as: "What matters

is the team." As he told the newspaper L'Equipe: "Since my arrival in

metropolitan France, I've erased certain traits of my character to

avoid being rejected by the system, to the point where I get

reproached for nonchalance even though I'm an electric battery."

..TX.-

A French journalist explained to me the difference between Malouda

and France's dopey working class hero, winger Franck Ribe{'}ry. "If

Ribe{'}ry rode the Tour de France and was caught taking drugs,

everyone would forgive him. With Malouda, everyone would say, 'You

see, that explains it'."

..TX.-

This summer, Malouda's career plan indicated a move to a mega-club.

Several showed an interest, including Real Madrid, but Malouda was

determined to join Chelsea. He knew that Real absent-mindedly buy

dozens of players who are often forgotten until they get discovered

months later screaming inside cupboards. He also presumably knew

that, as a Stakhanovite athlete, he was made for Chelsea.

..TX.-

The only hitch was that the Londoners - in recent years football's

biggest spenders - appeared almost out of cash. In 2005, when Chelsea

paid Lyon {GBP}24.4m for Michael Essien, they still followed the

"reassuringly expensive" philosophy of shopping. This summer they

spent weeks fishing behind sofas for bits of change, struggling to

reach Lyon's minimum price of {GBP}13.5m for Malouda. Lyon reveal

that Chelsea's general manager, Peter Kenyon, even flew to Moscow to

touch the club's multibillionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, for more

cash.

..TX.-

Malouda will be worth it. That day in Guingamp, a club director told

me: "From time to time we have a little fantasy - a Brazilian player

comes or Szarmach, the Pole who played three World Cups." With

hindsight, having Malouda and Drogba in the village team wasn't a bad

fantasy either.

[Hassony]

10 words or less?

[Herbie von Smalls]

10 words or less?

he's bloody good, with little or no weaknesses.

[Hassony]

he's bloody good, with little or no weaknesses.

why hasn't a big team snapped him then?

[Herbie von Smalls]

why hasn't a big team snapped him then?

'cos the lyon chairman's a c*** for big fees and only chelsea are prepared to indulge him?

[CarraLegend]

(worrying) article from Saturday's Financial Times, by Simon Kuper:

 

Wheres the "worrying" bit?

[Herbie von Smalls]

Wheres the "worrying" bit?

title rivals sign player who could make them more of a threat, perhaps?

[Sion]

haha

 

when Malouda was going to sign for us, he's was average and a worrying signing, now he's a worrying threat :lol

[Herbie von Smalls]

haha

 

when Malouda was going to sign for us, he's was average and a worrying signing, now he's a worrying threat :lol

yes, everybody shared that opinion.

[CarraLegend]

title rivals sign player who could make them more of a threat, perhaps?

 

Whats worrying about that then?

 

Football club sign football player, who'da thought it eh? Did you expect them to sign no one or something?

Edited August 3, 2007 by CarraLegend

[muleskinner]

title rivals sign player who could make them more of a threat, perhaps?

 

Title rivals sign player who didn't want to sign for LFC perhaps?

[Zoob]

Wheres the "worrying" bit?

 

"I've erased certain traits of my character to avoid being rejected by the system, to the point where I get

reproached for nonchalance even though I'm an electric battery"

 

I found that pretty worrying.

[Herbie von Smalls]

Whats worrying about that then?

 

Football club sign football player, who'da thought it eh? Did you expect them to sign no one or something?

i'd rather they'd signed kevin kilbane, than someone who's likely to make them even more of a threat to our title aspirations.

 

is that wrong of me?

[Crazy Horse]

They're not title rivals. They have a realistic chance of winning it, we don't.

 

(just call that anti-mockers if the sentiment is bothersome).

[CarraLegend]

i'd rather they'd signed kevin kilbane, than someone who's likely to make them even more of a threat to our title aspirations.

 

Well obviously but thats never going to happen each Summer is it signing him and James Beattie and co.

 

Just find it a bit odd that you "worry" when another club signs a good player, transfer windows must be hell for you with a variety of different clubs signing quality players.

[Stevie H]

haha

 

when Malouda was going to sign for us, he's was average and a worrying signing, now he's a worrying threat :lol

not at all. malouda and ribery were the best available wide players this summer.

[Kahnee]

not at all. malouda and ribery were the best available wide players this summer.

 

But neither are Portuguese

[floyd]

not at all. malouda and ribery were the best available wide players this summer.

And potentially the best of all is on Rafa's radar, Samir Nasri.

Sure Maldini mentioned, Rafa tried to get him when we tried to thrash out the original deal with Papa Smurf, to take Cisse to Marseille

[Herbie von Smalls]

Well obviously but thats never going to happen each Summer is it signing him and James Beattie and co.

 

Just find it a bit odd that you "worry" when another club signs a good player, transfer windows must be hell for you with a variety of different clubs signing quality players.

 

you successfully bring tedium to new lows time after time

[Hightown Phil]

title rivals sign player who could make them more of a threat, perhaps?

 

Robben is better.

[Shirohana]

Malouda Explains Liverpool Snub (Here)

 

Chelsea's main summer signing Florent Malouda has explained why he chose the Blues ahead of Liverpool, while has vowed to play a big part in his new side's first team plans this season.

 

The Frenchman arrived from Lyon for £13m last month after a lengthy decision over which Premiership side to join, but he decided against Liverpool as he didn't feel wanted by everyone at the club.

 

Malouda explained: "I had a lot of options but for me I chose Chelsea not only because of Didier [Drogba] but because from the moment he played here I used to watch Chelsea games and it's a team I really appreciate.

 

"I didn't meet Rafa. I spoke with him many times. I hesitate because I have a lot of respect for Rafa Benitez, the way he speaks to me I know he appreciates me. He knows me from all my career not only for what I did in Lyon. He knows what I have done.

 

"But in Liverpool I didn't feel everyone in the club was like Rafa Benitez and wanted me. That's why I chose Chelsea."

 

Malouda, who is close friends and former team-mate of Drogba, insisted that he has come to Stamford Bridge to play every game and not be another expensive bench warmer.

He said: "I'm here to play every game.

 

"It was the same when I arrived in Lyon. There were a lot of people, international players, world champions, ahead of me and they told me the same thing.

 

"But in every club I have been at I have proved that I can play every game. It's on the pitch where you have to do it. At Chelsea I will show on the pitch that I can do it.

 

"I have known Didier a long time. We played together for two years at Guingamp. When we played together, I got to know the other side of the player, the outside. I got to know his family and he met my family.

 

"From that moment we started to be close as friends. We supported each other in good times and also in bad moments. We have the same vision of life.

 

"I think he has got a lot stronger. When he started in France they always said he can't play a 'war' match and last the whole game.

 

"But now even if he plays alone up front in attack he is always a danger for the entire match. He is a big problem for defences.

 

"And now last season he scored a lot of goals, it was impressive. A player like that, even when the team doesn't play well, can score a goal any time.

 

"We have the same vision of football. I know which balls he likes to touch. Everybody knows the way he plays with his head but I know he also likes to touch the ball with his feet. And I know how to serve it for him.

 

"For me, when you have a striker like him in front of you all the defenders are on him. For a player like me it creates more space and I try to take benefit."

 

 

Have to brush up on his English then...

Edited August 5, 2007 by Naboo

[CarraLegend]

 

you successfully bring tedium to new lows time after time

 

Ah well, "worry" along, they're linked with Alves a lot now, that'll probably make you suicidal seeing as you get so worked up over their signings.

[Sion]

"I didn't meet Rafa. I spoke with him many times. I hesitate because I have a lot of respect for Rafa Benitez, the way he speaks to me I know he appreciates me. He knows me from all my career not only for what I did in Lyon. He knows what I have done.

 

"But in Liverpool I didn't feel everyone in the club was like Rafa Benitez and wanted me.

 

sounds like he was reading the transfer speculation thread around the time the rumours of his move to us were circulating.

[Guest JV]

f***ing media whore

[pipnasty]

Robben is better....

 

....at whinging.

 

 

He is a fantastic footballer but his attitude stinks.