He appeared as if out of thin air, conjured up for the sake of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s transfer for €5 million (4.5m + .5 in bonuses). He’s now moving on to Paris Saint-Germain, also as if through some sort of process-less wizardry, Barça earning a rumored €4 million on the deal. 2 years, 89 games, 2 goals, and 10 trophies on, Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade leaves with a good record and a series of solid performances under his belt.
At times he was instrumental, forging a solid defensive record out of Eric Abidal’s injury woes in the 2009-10 season. Yet he was also often forgotten. Once dubbed an honorary Brazilian on Twitter by a friend when taking a picture with the CL trophy alongside Dani Alves and Adriano, he’s the one that you might not be able to name if you were listing off the squad. And yet when he was on the field, there was never much doubt about his quality. Sure, he’s not the fastest guy on the planet, not the guy showing off his footskills all the time, and not the guy slamming the ball into the back of the net.
No, Maxwell was the guy doing the little things behind-the-scenes: getting in the way of passing lanes, being an outlet for a teammate in a tough spot, sweeping his hair out of his eyes while winking. Every team needs those things. And every team consistently under-appreciates them, as do the fans.
But why now? Why offload him? He appeared in 41 matches last season and even scored in the Club World Cup against Al-Sadd this season. One of the reasons is because he’s 30 and not getting any faster. That’s for sure. Another reason is the purported interested in bringing in another, younger left back to become Abidal’s understudy for a couple of years and eventually replace King Eric when he retires. The name currently on everyone’s lips regarding that position is Jordi Alba, but it could be any of several different defenders, really. It’s just rumors. Adriano also covers the LB position for the time being–in FIFA12 I sold them both to make way for Gareth Bale and Gregory van der Wiel–and is just 27. Now we get to speculate wildly, though! Neymar for LB!
MAXWELL!!!! (February 26, 2010 - Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images Europe)
Also, big apologies if my Portuguese in the title is just jibberish. I put it into Google Translator since I speak not a lick of that fine language.
It was, essentially, a day to celebrate excellence, a day in which there wasn’t a whole lot to say except “Duh.”
So Lionel Messi, in a result that should have surprised no one, won the FIFA Ballon d’Or this year, beating out one Thong Boy. I won’t get into what the Ballon really celebrates, or that I think Xavi should have won last year, and been in it with much more of a shout than a distant third place this year. Because as we know, this award celebrates goals. Continue Reading
Terrible news out of Japan today as our Guaje David Villa broke his left shinbone (tibia). At time of writing, he is at a local hospital undergoing tests. The fear is 6 months out, but it’s been confirmed to be 4-5 months. Images show his protruding bone (not for the squeamish).
[UPDATE]: Pep has confirmed Villa had a stress fracture for some time and had been playing through pain. He will fly back to Barcelona immediately for surgery.
Pep: “Villa will be out for a long time. This kind of loss makes you sick. It gives you no sense of joy.” [@fcblive]
“[the] huge effort [Villa] has been making to play for a number of months with a stress fracture in the tibia is a factor.” [Sid Lowe in The Guardian]
“The locker room is very empathetic. Villa is very dear to us.” [@fcblive]
“Signing substitute for Villa? Let’s show some respect. Someone got injured and will have surgery. We can talk about that later.” [@barcastuff]
Other updates: “Masche has some bruise and Alexis has a bit of muscle discomfort. We will do tests tomorrow to see what they are.” [@fcblive]
Video below (via allasFCB2):
Make no mistake, this is a huge blow, for everyone, but none more than David himself.
Anims Guaje.
[Update] Villa’s message on Facebook:
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your support!!! The injury is very bad news, but I’m sure I’m going to get over [it] as soon as possible. [Now I'm] focusing on playing the final in Munich (I know my mates will get me there) and on the UEFA Euro 2012. I’m going to work hard to get there. I want them to count on me! I’ll be on Spain tomorrow. A big hug!
He won’t be making the trip to Japan with the team next week, but Tito Vilanova was back with the team and should make the trip to the Bernabeu. Such fantastic news! Hopefully Mourinho doesn’t look up what a parotid gland is and then try to poke him in that.
I might just get this tattooed to my face I love it so much.
Awww x infinity plus Guardiola kicking the ball like a small child and going "shucks"
Injuries are bad, but illness is terrible and Tito’s recovery is fantastic on a lot of levels. Obviously the team needs him, though they’ve turned in some stellar performances without him, so his return is good for the squad. More importantly, it’s good for Tito (and his family) that he’s healthy and able to get back to work.
And what work there is to do. El Clásico awaiteth, after all.
[All pictures via the official site, by Miguel Ruiz]
