The news of Ashley Cole’s move to AS Roma on a free transfer will, in future, be looked upon as a watershed moment of recent times.
For all of the talk and hype of the ‘golden generation’, seldom few English players have ventured overseas in the last twenty years. Of the handful that have gone abroad, only a few have plied their trade in a ‘top’ European League. This in itself is bizarre, when one considers the relaxation of employment law in the EU, freedom of contract and the huge contrast between English players and their foreign counterparts who think nothing of moving around the world with minimum fuss and frequently maximise their earnings here in England.
We have to look back to the early to mid-noughties to see the last examples of English footballers succeeding at the highest level abroad. David Beckham, and Steve McManaman before him, were both key components in Real Madrid teams that won trophies with the pair crucially involved, at different times. Not only were the midfielders a success on the pitch, they also embraced the cultural aspects of living overseas, and both are entitled to boast immense popularity at the Bernabeu, on and off the field.
One could also argue the case of ex-Bayern Munich man Owen Hargreaves. However, despite being English, he had never played in the Premier League prior to playing for Bayern, so was a complete unknown to most of us, due to his predominantly German upbringing.
It hasn’t always been like this, of course. I can remember as a child in the 1980’s, being bought a replica Barcelona red and blue striped home shirt by my father, with the number 10 on the back and the word ‘Lineker’ emblazoned above the 10. Gary Lineker, England’s goal scorer ‘extraordinaire’ was a real legend at Camp Nou between 1986 and 1989, where he scored 42 goals in 103 games for Barca. Ditto Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle, who would star in the French Ligue 1 around the same time, for Monaco and Marseille respectively.
The 1990 Italia World Cup would make global stars out of Paul Gascoigne, David Platt and Des Walker. In the aftermath of England’s run to the semi finals, the trio would all go on to play their football in Italy. Gascoigne went to Lazio, Platt to Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria, Walker to Sampdoria. Of the three, only Platt could lay claim to a successful career in Serie A.
Why Italy? Well, back in the early 90’s, the Italian league mirrored the English Premier League of now. Glittered with foreign superstars, Serie “A” was the place to play. Contracts were lucrative and all of the top players craved a piece of the action. AC Milan boasted Dutch legends Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit, Napoli had arguably the greatest player of all time, Diego Maradona, and Inter Milan could claim the stand out Germans of this era within their ranks – Lothar Matthaus, Jurgen Klinsmann and Andreas Brehme.
So, why have the top foreign clubs ignored the various “stars of the English golden generation” in recent times? The English players have been both either too expensive to sign, are largely not seen as good enough, or adaptable enough to play in these leagues. Due to the huge amounts of TV money and foreign owners in England, these players also know that it is not in their own personal interests to try their luck abroad, hence making it far more attractive to just stay at home.
In their prime, they are seldom likely to take a pay cut to further their career overseas. Let’s be realistic, and this is their prerogative to be fair. The Barcelona’s, Real Madrid’s, Paris St Germain’s and the like all have the wealth to entice top English players – but choose not to, and that is because they don’t represent good value for money, and largely adopt the wrong attitude in an era when more than ever, cash is king.
One of Cole’s successors as the future England left back is the classic example. Luke Shaw – a player very similar in ability to Cole was only ever going to stay in this country when recently transferred. Sixty first team appearances for Southampton, three full England caps and a hell of a lot of promise do not make a £34 million footballer, if you are a European powerhouse.
For Manchester United though, although this deal is a hugely expensive one, it’s a necessity given the competition for the player at home, and given new rules regarding the number of home grown players required in their squad. But yet again it represents an indication of the continual over hyping and over inflation still surrounding English players, in spite of the England team’s continual failings.
Which is why Cole’s move to the Stadio Olimpico will open the floodgates for more senior English free agents to follow. In search of one final payday? In this case, not likely. Cole has reportedly taken a 75% pay cut from his previous Chelsea deal, so this isn’t a money motivated move for the left back. For other future ex-pats, it might be though.
I think and hope he will thrive in Italy. He is still only 33, and should have gone to the World Cup with England. He’s arguably the greatest ever England left back – he is that good, and I would definitely expect Cole to be seen as a trail blazer with this move.
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