Being a sports fan is an exercise in
uneasiness, because there nothing that I can do to affect what I am
watching or hearing. The same anxiousness took me when the news of
Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, Fillipo Inzaghi and Clarence
Seedorf leaving the San Siro hit me. The 4 were part of a Milan I
grew up watching, admiring and someday hopefully meeting and of
course playing with (I did make the same team on my XBox), and to try
and imagine them turning out for another team was a bitter pill to
swallow. Seeing Andrea Pirlo at Turin has been pain enough.
Nesta, Gattuso, Seedorf and Inzaghi
walking out together at the San Siro and lining up before the scores
gathered at the San Siro had become such a familiar sight. The
quadrant represented the cornucopia of talent, albeit totally
different ones, in the Milan side. Nesta undoubtedly was the
brickwall; Gattuso, the destroyer; Seedorf, the conductor and Pippo,
the collector.
The playing field somehow transformed
into something totally different for the players.
Nesta was always on the battlefield,
fighting off waves upon waves of attackers, keeping them at bay with
grace and skill that belies the general notion about a defender.
Gattuso was in the hunting ground, never losing sight of his target.
Running tirelessly, always closing down, always in your face; ready
to pounce once the target is close. Seedorf walks into an arena that
is waiting to be awed. He twists, turns, dances and often makes the
opposition dance. He chips with delectable touches, finds friends
with unmatchable vision and cannons the opposition away with
surprising power. He is there to entrall and so he does. Inzaghi goes
into a museum. His collection is on display. There are the ones that
are priceless, ones that only add to the tally, ones that seem ugly
and many that leave you breathless, but there is always place for
more......
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| Today? Today, we fight! |
The Brick-wall: Will there ever be a
more graceful and effective defender?
He may have announced himself to the
world after breaking Paul Gascoigne's leg in training, but when he
announced his intentions to leave Milan, he left as a legend, one
that made football, and more importantly defending seem like an art.
Sandro Nesta on the battlefield was
always a sight to behold. The Italian has always made defending look
graceful and sometimes, I dare say, easy.
Nesta has often been asked to do the
impossible. Often done the impossible. He has had to do with weak
counterparts, been brazenly exposed to world-class attacks, wrested
with hopes of a million fans to save the day and more often that not
come out on top. A classy tuck of his hair behind his ear and the
brick-wall is back to what he's doing best – thwarting attacks.
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| Hunt them down.. one by one |
The Destroyer: Spirit over skill
Gennaro Gattuso, throughout his time
with the Rossoneri, was surrounded by players who were far more
talented than him. He created his niche with hard-work, spirit and
work-rate that was second to none. In a team that was not too keen on
retracting if the ball was lost to the opposition, Gattuso was often
left to do the dirty work and during his hey days there were few
better than him in that and fewer still in the opposition who could
get past the Italian.
In an era during which fans are easily
won by a couple of step-overs, lightening quick passing, nutmegging
opponents or scoring screamers, Rino made his own with an undying
spirit and loyalty towards the national and club side. He can quickly
be branded cantankerous because he wears his heart on his sleeve, but
it is this trait that left fans tear-eyed when Rino played at the San
Siro one last time.
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| More sound on this side please... |
The Conductor: Red wine
Clarence Seedorf has come a long way
from the player he was when Milan promptly splashed the cash to lure
him from Inter Milan. He may have one of the more decorated cabinets
amongst players, but he has often painted a picture of hunger and the
need to accomplish much more. It comes as no wonder then that the
Dutch midfield maestro, apart from plying his trade in a top club was
also technical Serie C club AC
Monza, owner of ON
Management(a sports management company), as well as president of
Champions for Children and co owner of Fingers, a small chain of
Japanese restaurants in Milan. Seedorf, has been the man for many
occasions for Milan. The midfield man hasn't the legs, heart or
strength that many others can boast of, but his vision and sense of
timing is second to none.
When
younger, Seedorf ran harder, tackled harder and hit the ball harder,
but with age he learnt, like many Milan players before him, how to
work less and be more effective. He peaked when needed to, rose to
the occasion when called upon but was happy to stay away from the
spotlight when someone else was doing his job.
His
expertise and experience will be sorely missed, especially when Milan
take on top-class opposition.
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| Go wild, we scored... |
The Collector: Lightening in a
bottle
A Pippo Inzaghi goal celebration is a
reflection of how valuable the goal is, no matter how fortunate. The
scenes of Pippo running, arms flaying wildly, screaming were special
not because they were rare. Hell, they came by the truckload, season
of the season, they were special because it made everyone realize a
goal is not small achievement, it is a cause for the entire team and
its fan base to celebrate, it often meant victory.
Saying the legendary Italian striker
had an eye for goal would be a huge understatement, Inzaghi had an
appetite for goal like none other. His predatory instincts in the box
were second to none. He had none of the qualities many would
associate with world-class strikers: strength, speed, dribbling, eye
for the spectacular – None. But he had one trait in abundance –
Being at the right place at the right time and he used that to the
hilt, raking up goals upon goals, trophies upon trophies and fans
upon fans.
Good or bad, ugly or beautiful, timely
or not, needed or just a consolation; a collector would never pass an
opportunity to add to his tally.
