For Halftown
In England they say that one of the reasons why your choice is accumulated disappointments because their players do not come out to play in other leagues. English football has a reputation for not leaving the warmth of the Premier, and failing miserably each time he crosses the English Channel.
The surprise is that, except for Shearer, Lampard and Gerrard, the major English players the last two decades have played in the continent . Most of them have done so with good results, both in France (Waddle) and Germany (Keegan), or Italy (Gazza, Platt). Maybe it's the climate, touch football or the smell of garlic, but the fact is that no Englishman has been able to feel important in Spain, and almost all have returned home with their tails between their legs.
The first to arrive-a bass drum, cymbals and book-was Gary Lineker. English soccer star striker of the 80 numbers in the club Lineker discuss a striker with a goal that fell on a team in full rebuilding , unable to overshadow the Madrid of the Fifth. Then there was Cruyff, who in one of his fits of creativity the band decided heeled, first attached to the lime, then the other side of the line, why the English did not take long to flee in disarray in the heat of White Hart Lane .
Shortly after two Englishmen landed at Atocha low profile: Dalian Atkinson and Kevin Richardson, the first black player of the Real. They came to play with Irish John Aldridge, and just endured a year, Richardson gray Bandarra Atkinson. To make matters worse, Real lost grazing in the two cases.
Spice Boys
The next landing was Steve McManaman. Member of the generation of Spice boys from Anfield with Fowler, David James and Stan Collymore, Macca was free after completing the contract with Liverpool, forcing Lorenzo Sanz to pay a tab megacrack was not. Just played ninety games in four seasons, but won two European Cups under his arm. went out the back door toward the City pre-oil revenue in 2003, victim of what he described in his autobiography as Disneyfication of Madrid.
And Macca's replacement was the quintessential Galaxy: David Beckham. Barca, who had bespoken his move to United, had to stop reaching for a Plan B called Ronaldinho. While the Brazilian soccer bored pin-based drinks as Barca, Becks and Lady took four years in getting your first and last major title in white Madrid: Capello league in 2007.
With Beckham unable to learn the Castilian, Florentino made a new attempt with English football, Florentino galactic decided that 2004 would be Michael Owen. The Golden Ball unlikeliest of history spent a year in Concha Espina, scoring 13 league goals without being a permanent fixture, and nobody missed him when he escaped, at the end of the season, en route to Newcastle.
few years earlier, another former Liverpool had decided to make the leap to Spain. The striker Stan Collymore, who once was the most expensive player in English history, landed at Oviedo on the last day of the winter 2001 market. Signed a year and a half, and after five weeks announced his retirement from football ... at age 30. If instead the Oviedo had hired a real striker, perhaps today would not be playing derby with Sporting B.
The last to arrive-and-out, was another former Anfield, Jermaine Pennant, who spent a year in cotton in Zaragoza, and arriving late to the (few) training that could be done. The last day last August he was transferred Stoke City English. In view of the results of either club, Pennant came out ahead with the change.
"England expects every man to do his duty." The phrase "said Horacio Nelson before Trafalgar, but serves to illustrate the English experiences of English players. Players who have completed their mission without much fanfare, always far from the level which is the real star.
