The unknown soldier

He’s been described as the silent hero and the unknown soldier but that is hardly the issue here. What matters is the fact is he has rarely been recognised or appreciated for the work that he does. Some of you may already know who I’m talking about but most of you won’t – and that just proves my point straightaway.

Let me stop beating around the bush. I’m writing this for the ‘defensive midfielder’ (DM) – the forgotten man of modern day football. Ask any young fan who his 10 favourite footballers are, and chances are that you won’t find the name of a DM in the list. Well, let’s not pin the blame onto the kids, we are all equally responsible. Today we look out for the flash and the bling. That’s what makes a good footballer in our world. It’s the Messis, Ronaldos and Neymars who gather the plaudits and not the ones who work silently and so bravely in the shadows.

The DM is the guy who contributes so much to the team yet gets so less respect. He is a tough, no-nonsense tackler who breaks up opposition attacks, covers for his mates at the back and also often dictates the pace of the game. He can be rightly labelled the lynchpin of the team. The best DMs playing in the best leagues can cover up to 10 km a match doing what they do best – be the motor, the engine that drives the team. Yet at the end of the day, it’s that bloke who taps the ball in who gets the credit or maybe that lanky keeper who saves the penalty in the dying seconds of the game. No disrespect to either of them, I’m just asking for a fair distribution of the plaudits.

The injustice is out there for all to see : Since the FIFA World Player Of The Year award was set up, no DM has won it. It’s almost the same story with regards to the Ballon D’Or. Apart from Josef Masopust, you won’t find a holding midfielder in the list. All that despite the fact the no succesful team in recent history can deny the contribution of a DM.

I’m sure this is well-documented but this issue has been clawing my insides to get out. I just can’t stand it when DMs go unnoticed. Maybe it’s a wider reflection of what and how we value in our lives. As the saying goes, you never know the value of something until you lose it. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez learned that the hard way.

Back in the first Galáctico era at the Bernabéu, Claude Makelele was a crucial player in the Los Blancos’ lineup. Since moving there from Celta Vigo, he had blossomed into one of the best DMs in the world. But believe it or not, he was underpaid, earning only a fraction of what the likes of Zidane, Beckham, Figo and Ronaldo did. One report suggested that Becks earned five times Makelele’s salary. Some of us may now tend to rant about the amount of money Makelele would still get, but again, that’s hardly the issue. It’s the massive undervaluation of one of the most important players in the team that prickles me. In the end, Makelele left for Chelsea, and President Perez had this to say :

We will not miss Makélelé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn’t a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélelé to be forgotten.

History is witness to the fact that for the next 4 years, Los Galacticos huffed and puffed but failed to win a trophy. Meanwhile, Makelele became the anchorman as Chelsea started filling their trophy cabinet. The younger players Perez had predicted would replace him never came. So much for irony. Of course, I don’t mean to say that the players themselves don’t value their DMs. They really do. Some of the comments that followed Makelele’s departure show that.

Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?

– Zidane, after Beckham was bought

I think Claude has this kind of gift – he’s been the best player in the team for years but people just don’t notice him, don’t notice what he does. But you ask anyone at Real Madrid during the years we were talking about and they will tell you he was the best player at Real. We all knew, the players all knew he was the most important. The loss of Makélelé was the beginning of the end for Los Galacticos… You can see that it was also the beginning of a new dawn for Chelsea. He was the base, the key and I think he is the same to Chelsea now.

- Fernando Hierro

It’s just that people who don’t understand football – fans like us and presidents like Perez who can’t see the shine in these cogs called DMs.

I could go on and on but let me stop by bringing to your attention one more player who may further illustrate my point.

Sergio Busquets is more famous in fan circles for being the fodder for memes – the stuff of legend for trolls. Despite the fact that our most memorable image of him is that of a certain peek-a-boo incident, there are hoards of managers today who will vouch for him. There are bosses willing to give a leg to get him in their teams. To them, he is a vital member of the current Barcelona team. Some may even go as far as saying he is the most important player to the team, bar Leo Messi. To those of us who shake their heads and are now preparing to hound Busquets, I say this : please watch him while Barca plays. He is the first line of defense, sweeping up the danger and is the starting point of Barca’s attacking play, distributing the ball effectively to his mates up front. He has mastered the short simple pass which Barca is so fond of. Love him or hate him, but that’s the truth.

You're not going anywhere buddy. This is my turf.

You’re not going anywhere buddy. This is my turf.

So what now? I propose a radical change of the way we percieve DMs. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. They may appear to be ruthless tacklers or not glamorous by today’s standards, but that tells nothing about their value. The kids who aspire to be tomorrow’s stars should be able to find their calling in defensive midfield too. That’s part of my dream : in a few years’ time, I want the Makeleles, Busquets, Cambiassos, Carricks et al to be seen in the same light as the Messis, Ronaldos and the rest of the gang. May that dream come true.

(If you are reminded of DMs who did not come under the spotlight despite all their hard work, please do mention them in the comments section)

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