At Real Madrid they like to make a major signing every year. They call their new superstars galacticos.
These men have included, in recent years, French World Cup winner Zine-dane Zidane, Luis Figo of Portugal, the brilliant Brazilian Ronaldo and, last year, England’s David Beckham. Roberto Carlos claims to be a galactico too; Steve McManaman barely registered as a falling star between stints at Liverpool and Manchester City.
But the point is this: Real coach Carlos Queiroz, formerly of Portugal, South Africa and number two at Manchester United, is starting to search for his latest money-is-no-object galactico.
At Real they only go for the biggest of the big. This year, Queiroz says, it’s United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy or, and he said this with particular relish, ‘Thierry Henry, who is a man at the peak of his game. He has everything.â€
Well, bugger me. Recently voted the second-best player in the world by Fifa’s experts, just behind Zidane, we all know he’s great.
Anyone who has visited Highbury in the past four years knows just what he means to the people of north London.Yet here’s Mr Bloody Queiroz breaking every rule in the book and reaching out a hand (bearing a huge cheque) to our beloved Thierry.
Arsène Wenger is furious. Sir Alex Ferguson taught Queiroz quite a bit in his short time at Old Trafford.
It isn’t right, it isn’t fair, but it’s clever. All the big glamour clubs do it. Tell a player he’s wanted, then let the agents go to work.
Remember the Beckham saga last year? Is Beck going to Real? No say United, No say Real, No says Ferguson, No says Becks. No, no, no, no, no, yes.
And off he went. Huge transfer, huge wage packet. Given that Henry has just become the second quickest man ever to score 100 Premiership goals, we will miss him dearly if he goes.
He got two against Southampton on Wednesday and provides the greatest light in our limited British firmament. Van Nistelrooy? He’s never scored from outside the box. Did you see Henry’s effort against Manchester City? I did. The man’s a phenomenon.
Why join all those other glittering stars at the Bernabeu? Haven’t they got enough already?
Sadly I fear they have not. The galacticos are treated like gods, they dine separately and live cosseted life styles, away from the average Spanish pros.
Henry will love it … and all we Arsenal fans can do is hope he departs with a bang, starting with Chelsea in the FA Cup at Highbury in the weekend’s biggest tie. If he can get a couple more there, we might just see Arsenal move a step closer to the treble of League, Cup and Champions League.
Unlikely I know. But a persuasive argument for staying put as Arsenal move from humble Highbury to lavish Ashburton Grove.
Ah, we can dream.
I think Chelsea might shade Sunday’s game, Arsenal haven’t looked all that fluent of late and Claudio Ranieri knows the FA Cup is his most realistic option, with Chelsea’s billionaire Roman Ab-ramovich insisting on silverware in his first season (at a cost of £127-million, he deserves something).
The weekend promises much else besides the Highbury humdinger.
How about the Manchester derby: United, falling behind in the championship race after the shock 3-2 defeat against Boro on Wednesday, must surely beat City, but remember Kevin Keegan’s men came back from 3-0 down to dump Spurs in the previous round. And United let a 3-0 goal slip against Everton on Saturday, before winning 4-3.
I back City, who lost to Liverpool on Wednesday, but then I’m bonkers.
How about West Ham visiting Fulham with their decaying first division side, recently forced to sell goalkeeper David James and striker Jermaine Defoe?
It’s got to be Fulham, but they’re hardly roaring lately after the midweek defeat against Aston Villa.
Sunderland and Birmingham don’t really excite me, though Steve Bruce’s Blues should be singing after beating Everton 3-0, Burnley should cruise past Millwall, who had two players pulling knives on each other at training last month.
Tranmere have a better recent cup pedigree than Welsh hopefuls Swan-sea, but it’s been a long time since the FA Cup went to Wales (1927, Cardiff).
Sunday sees Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier desperate to overcome the journeymen of Portsmouth and we’ve got the unglamorous prospect of Sheffield United taking on Colchester.
Sorry, I’ve lost the will to live, let alone predict the result of that one.
I just hope whoever wins it gets a lucrative draw in round five.