|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Take note, Anelka Matthaeus offers lesson on how to be a footballer
Posted: Monday March 13, 2000 07:27 PM
Nicolas Anelka would be well-served to cast his eyes towards the United States, take out a notepad and jot down a few Lothar Matthaeus tidbits... then scurry away and see just how hard a struggle he'd have to write a thesis on: "How to Behave as a Professional Footballer." Right now, it appears, his eyes are wide shut, his pad full of empty sheets, his pencil lead broken and his thesis a long way from ever making the light of day. While Matthaeus graciously met the press with a smile on his first day of practice with his new MLS team, the New York-New Jersey Metrostars, Anelka was slapped with a 45-day suspension by Spanish giants Real Madrid for missing three successive days of training. Legendary sweeper Matthaeus is 10 days short of his 39th birthday and has achieved almost every major goal in the game. He's a World Cup winner and, with a total of 144, is the recipient of more international caps than any other player in history. Matthaeus is a gentleman of the game, who will deservedly be honored with an official farewell in Germany in May, before bowing out of international soccer at Euro 2000 this summer. He's not all sweetness and light. Nor has he always been a media darling (not every day at least) in spells with such glamour clubs as Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. But more often than not, Matthaeus has carried himself in a truly professional manner and done his best to carry out his duties on and off the field in a capacity befitting one of the world's major sporting icons. His career has lasted more than two decades as a result. With the notable exception of former German teammate Jurgen Klinsmann, Matthaeus has the total respect of his fellow professionals. U.S. international Tab Ramos, his new Metrostars colleague stateside, said: "American soccer is lucky to have him here. We need to do whatever we can so this is a good experience for him." Such players hold Matthaeus in great reverence. But he didn't earn such acclaim and respect overnight. It took years upon years of toil. Now contrast him with Anelka, the sulking French baby of the football world. At almost half the age of Matthaeus, he's managed to alienate the club that shot him to prominence, the team that paid a record amount for him and the French coach. And that's just for starters. After missing France's World Cup win in 1998, Anelka was considered good enough soon after to make his way into the championship-winning team. London club Arsenal helped him there. His goals helped the Gunners to the English title.
But then came the complaints that the British press weren't kind to him and he had to get away. A protracted and ugly transfer saga followed. Lazio was in the running -- then out. Real Madrid came along willing to pay $35 million to save him from his supposed Arsenal hell. Word had it that his brothers and managers considered Anelka worthy of much more money and an even greater European football power. But it was only a matter of weeks before he was harping on about the Spanish media, now saying THEY were too harsh to him. If they didn't let up, he'd leave. That was the threat. Coach John Toshack was fired as Real foundered. Anelka didn't score one solitary goal to help bail him out and, by the end of Toshack's reign, had been banished to the sub's bench. A brief renaissance came at the Club World Championship as he scored three times. However, he was also injured and sidelined for several weeks. He finally scored his first league goal on his return. That's the only one to date. And yet Anelka had the audacity to skip training for three successive days at Real, complaining (yes, that word again) that the club wasn't playing to his talents. Real is bigger than any one player and thus suspended him for 45 days, which'll cost him some $400,000 in salary. His image as a spoiled, pouting brat is reinforced. At least when he pulled this stunt with Arsenal he had some goals and a French international shirt to back him. Now he's a little low on ammunition. It makes me seethe to the point of asking: How dare he? What does he think he's given the game and its fans in the last three seasons or so to make such ridiculous demands? I'd get rid of him in a shot if I were a member of the Real Madrid board. His behavior is demoralizing and distracting for his colleagues in a crucial week of Champions League action. I'm not sure another club would want to touch him having established these troublesome traits at the age of 19 and 20. Then there's Matthaeus, setting out on his new challenge in America... embracing a new language, new fans and new media followers, but delivering the same, old, reliable form on the pitch and professional face off it. Anelka has so much to learn, but I fear lacks the ability to absorb the lessons of a genuinely class act. Phil Jones is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
