The Plight of the Brazilian Superstar Striker

January 6th, 2008 | by: chris | Comments(10)

Way back in the summer 2006 of the Selecao were the prohibitive favorites to take home one of sport’s most coveted mantle pieces. It was a little bit of a Tiger Wood complex, in fact. There was Brazil and then there was “The Field”. Any time an interview was taken it was less “who do you think will win?” and more “do you think anyone can dethrone the juggernaut that is Brazil?”.

Spearheading this thought was the vaunted Brazilian attack. Their defining system which has been slacking jaws for years upon years relied on superstar after superstar after superstar up at the top of their formation. The 2006 version included Ronaldo, Adriano, Robinho, Ronaldinho and Fred. All of whom, at the time, could have walked onto any squad in the world. (Maybe not Fred, but he was close and very underrated.)

* – We’re eliminating Kaka from the discussion because we’re still not sure what position he plays. Ask some (like Adriano Galliani and Carlo Ancelotti) and they’ll say striker. Ask more and they’ll say midfielder. Ask others and they’ll say he plays a free flowing role with little definition on the pitch other than “be awesome”. So we’re going to steal a definition from the good people at the NFL Draft and label him “position: athlete”.

Flash forward to 2008 and only one of those players could be said is living up to his potential. 4 have either been transferred recently or are supposedly on the transfer list. Or, in Dinho’s case, has gone from “no way” to “we’re listening to offers. How much? Serious? Holy shyte, we’ll sleep on it.”

And of the 5 it is Robinho who has had the most success this year. Actually, he’s only one of two playing with any regularity. So how did this happen? How did this Medusa-like attack, one whose mere sight and aura was enough to send defenders crying to their mommies, become partly a laughing stock and almost wholly ineffective?

The story heading in, aside from the World Cup itself, was Ronaldo, and the story was two fold. On one hand he was approaching Gerd Muller’s WC record of 15 career goals, and would soon become the most prolific striker in tournament history. On the other hand he was being called fat and lazy by fans, and his form for Real Madrid wasn’t exactly reminiscent of the early 20’s Ronnie who used to slice through back lines like a Hatori Hanzo sword.

Not even a year later, the legend was forced to buyout his own contract because one of the richest men in the world wouldn’t pay a transfer fee…and Real Madrid was only too happy to view his #9 in their rear view mirror. Now? No one knows. He needs Dr. House, or something, because after he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (hence the “fatness”), he started snowballing downhill, as opposed to uphill. He has probably seen his last days in Milan, and the list of teams ready to take on The Rotund One are much less glamorous than his talent should dictate. At 30, it’s really looking like the Ronaldo of old is long gone, and the Grim Reaper is knocking on the door, looking for his career.

On the same token, and same continent at the moment, is bad boy Adriano, who is now playing for Sao Paolo after being frozen out of the other half of Milan for being fat and drunk. So what does he go and do? Go home for alcohol treatment and overall rehabilitation for his depression (read: Prozac ass injections) and then get caught doing sober things like drinking beer. Luckily he’s 25 and still has much of his professional playing career ahead of him – not to mention talent. There’s hope. Though Massimo Moratti may do well to hire a team of psychiatrists and AA sponsors to hover around him 24/7 to get things back on track.

Fred has been just as unlucky as he’s been a baby (literally). The least known and probably most underrated of all the strikers who made the trip to Deutschland, Fred has gone from being a big club player to trying to get back on track….again. Fred scored 24 goals in 48 games for Lyon before this season (that’s one every other game, in case you were wondering and can’t do first grade math), but has seen his playing time plummet due to the arrival of Karim Benzema, among other things. Now, after being lusted after by the lot of G14 and being considered one of the next great Brazilian talents, he’s being rumored to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Betis. Two “mid-level” clubs in the scope of their respective leagues, nevermind Europe. Down. Fall.

Robinho has looked every bit the stud he’s supposed to be, but hasn’t been able to shy away from the tabloid fodder, a la Adriano. He and Julio Baptista were late returning to Madrid from national action back home because they “forgot” when the Real game was. Uh huh. This after attending a party which also landed him in boiling water earlier in the year. A party which must have been epic due to his need for 40 condoms. Well, the party may have been lame, and the girl Robinho was taking home may have just needed some serious precautions. Let’s just say we reeeeeeeeeeeeeally question his decision making. (We here at the WCB do not condone taking home girls who require 40 layers. 7 max.)

Ronaldinho is the enigma. He is undoubtedly one of the most gifted players walking the earth. But he did nothing to earn such high praise in Germany, and we have seen him go from someone considered the best player on the planet to bench material in Barcelona. Criticism has come from all corners, and it’s being said his nightlife has become a real problem and one of the major reasons for his downfall. And this is not the first time. Back in his PSG days he was criticized by then manager Luis Fernandez for spending less time on his Parisian footy and more on his Parisian partying.

If you say he needs to get out of Barca, you may he half right. But considering the fact that this trait of hard partying has followed him since his PSG days, maybe the problem is more with Ronaldinho. After being hyped as easily the best player in the world going into WC 2006, most would be hard pressed to put him in the top 3. Really, the guy is only 27 – entering his prime – and there’s nothing to say anything will change in London, Milan, or wherever else he may wind up. (Or even if he stays in Barcelona.)

What do all 5 seemingly have in common? Off the field issues. It’s not the play that’s limiting their talent. It’s themselves. And all too often, it appears partying is the main culprit.

Last time I checked, the hours and physical nature aligned with professional sports aren’t exactly conducive to all night partying sessions. Or much partying whatsoever. This even applies if your name is Ronaldinho and have talent which can leave the entire world drooling. And while Ronaldo and Fred don’t appear to be the hard partying types, they certainly don’t appear to be suffering from a lack of talent; once again, it’s off the field.

Robinho has seemingly escaped this curse, but he is also a few years younger than Adriano, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. So if Robinho is reading this very page (or any other Brazilian superstud phenom): stay home often, don’t party hard, eat well, don’t drink (at least not to excess) and see a therapist every now and again. You know, just to keep things running smoothly. Basically, do what most other professional athletes do diligently. Do this and you’ll turn out to be a phenom…for the long run. Otherwise, you run the risk of being a “shoulda been” by the time you approach your late 20’s while the world watches your immense talent come to an early demise.