Leaving Andalucia: Jesus Navas and the gamble of the summer

Whilst that alone may not be enough to strike you as unusual enough to warrant mentioning, consider this; Huelva province is only 57 miles away from Seville. It is in the same region as Seville and the trip there takes exactly one hour. In English terms, that is like being home sick for Coventry when you are in Nottingham.

That is merely one of many examples of the effect home sickness has had on Navas’ career. When he was first selected for the Spanish national under-21 team nearly a decade ago, he lasted only a few days at the training camp before a severe bout of homesickness hit him and he cut his stay short, returning to Seville.

Then when the youngster received his first call-up to the full national team, a huge honour to any professional footballer, Navas was so panicked and depressed by the prospect that he immediately announced his retirement from international football; before he’d even earned his first cap.

Navas’ progression as a footballer was also suffering on the domestic stage because of his condition. In 2006 Chelsea, who were on the cusp of becoming a major player in European football behind Roman Abramovich’s vast fortune, came calling for the young Spaniard’s services. A deal had been agreed between the Blues and Sevilla, and the move was all but finalised. However, the London club’s attempt to lure him to England ultimately failed, as Navas himself rejected Chelsea’s offer. His condition was so serious that he couldn’t contemplate leaving home. It held him captive in a city and at a club in which he had already progressed as far as he was ever going to.

In light of the obviously negative effect that home-sickness has had on Navas’ career, the Spaniard has been determined to put his struggles behind him. In August 2009, he announced his desire to overcome his condition in order to stake his claim in the Spanish national squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In a slightly surprising but welcome move, he made himself available for selection, stating that “To play for your country is the greatest thing and I hope to be able to, too. I have to be calm and make my decision. I have to continue taking the right steps.“

The statement must have been music to the ears of Spanish football fans, who had long admired the right winger in their domestic La Liga but had been denied the chance to see him in the famous red and blue strip of the national team.

After making himself available, Navas was promptly selected for the squad by Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who dismissed claims that Navas’ condition made him a risky selection. With the faith of his coach behind him, Navas went on to prove himself admirably in South Africa, spending 6 weeks with the national squad and contributing from the bench in what would be a World Cup-winning campaign.

Following that success, which was without question the biggest step to combat the condition that he had made to-date, Navas went on to compete in Poland and Austria for Euro 2012, where he once again was a part of a championship-winning Spain side. Right now, Navas is in Brazil for the Confederations Cup, showing once again his comfort in travelling with the Spanish national squad and seemingly putting to rest the doubts about his ability to leave home.

With his fear of international football well and truly conquered, Navas believes that now is the time for him to take that next step to advance his domestic career; to leave his home town of Seville behind and set up new residence in England as part of Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City squad, 7 years after rejecting Chelsea.

If he is ready, Navas can become a sensation in the EPL. Manchester City fans should be relishing the prospect of seeing him grace the right flank of Eastlands, combining the blistering pace and direct dribbling that made him such a star for Sevilla. He is a fantastic, exciting football player who has long deserved his chance to shine on the biggest stage and craft a new legacy for himself as part of one of the biggest football clubs in the world.

Any optimism of what could be, however, is tempered by a lingering doubt that doesn’t quite seem to go away no matter how hard you shake your head.