Míster Balón

La decisión del Real Madrid de prescindir de Robben uno de los mejores jugadores de su plantilla, el único que por calidad podía discutir con las nuevas incorporaciones de Cristiano Ronaldo y Kaká, es un error por mucho que algunos sectores de la prensa muy próximos al presidente Florentino Pérez hayan querido defender la operación. Es llamativo que un diario del prestigio de Marca ocultara una encuesta en su web en la que el 88% de los internautas se manifestaba en contra de la venta del holandés y, en cambio, calificara como "buena" la operación en su portada. Es raro ver a un diario deportivo significarse tanto por una venta tan polémica como esa, como si en su propia redacción no hubiera periodistas de acuerdo con la mayoría de los internautas. Arjen Robben es posiblemente el futbolista más desequilibrante en el uno contra uno de todo el concierto europeo. En esa faceta ni Ronaldo ni Ribery, sólo el argentino Messi puede competir con el holandés en esa faceta. Su calidad está fuera de toda duda, su técnica con detalles en el golpeo a lo Zidane también. Sobre su individualismo habría mucho que hablar porque quizá sea más individualista errar decenas de pases que provocar cientas de ocasiones de gol como hace el nuevo jugador del Bayern. Los dos goles que metió en el debut con su equipo en la Bundesliga son buena prueba de ello. El argumento que algunos han querido dar es el de sus frecuentes lesiones, algo cierto, producto de su velocidad sideral e inalcanzable. Este problema le impide jugar tres partidos seguidos completos, pero en una plantilla como la del Real Madrid eso no es ningún problema. No hay que olvidar que el holandés es un jugador con una calidad sin igual para abrir los partidos. Mucho me temo que detrás de su marcha estén las maniobras de Valdano, quien bien pronto se ha prestado a intentar devaluarle. La última cuestión que se baraja es la económica, la necesidad de cuadrar el descomunal desembolso económico. Bien, eso justifica las ventas pero no todas las ventas. Hace dos semanas el Real sorprendentemente desechó una oferta de 15 millones por Gago. De haberse hecho, una gran operación por un jugador que no ha demostrado el nivel suficiente para liderar el centro del campo blanco. Al final, Valdano prefirió perder 11 millones con la venta de Robben, fichado hace dos años por 36 millones y vendido por 25. Arjen Robben uno de los grandes del fútbol mundial ha volado a Munich inexplicablemente.

El canterano brasileño de uno de los mejores Barça de la época vive su mejor momento futbolístico en el Inter de Milán. Contratado este verano, a cambio de 13 millones de euros, procedente del Génova, el centrocampista ha resucitado a sus 28 años después de que muchos dieran su carrera deportiva por finiquitada. En su etapa azulgrana fue tachado de indolente y de estar poco motivado a pesar de sus grandes condiciones. Las lesiones que le llevaron a perderse varios tramos de Liga en distintas temporadas hicieron el resto. Fue traspasado al Atlético de Madrid por sólo 2 millones de euros, pero al cabo de la primera temporada los colchoneros decidieron cortarle y marchó al Génova, uno de los equipos menores del Calcio. Allí coincidió con Diego Milito en la pasada temporada y tras un gran año ambos han fichado por la escuadra blanquinegra. La vida le ha dado una segunda oportunidad, la de poder ser quien siempre debió en base a sus condiciones de medio centro defensivo con gran técnica y posicionamiento en el campo, así como calidad y visión de juego. Motta es un líder que nunca ha querido serlo, tal vez ahora ha comenzado a tomarse en serio a si mismo.

45. Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting Lisbon)
The Nigerian attacking midfield player with an eye for goal will not be 18 until March yet has already been dubbed the next Jay-Jay Okocha.
44. David McGoldrick (Southampton)
The 21-year-old striker has nine goals this term for the Saints and is tipped to go marching on to bigger things for his all-round ability.
43. Patrik Ingelsten (Heerenveen)
The 26-year-old Swede, converted from winger to striker, is short but pacy and was the top scorer in his native country before signing for Heerenveen last month.
42. Victor Moses (Crystal Palace)
The archetype of raw talent, this Nigeria-born winger or striker is a Palace academy product with explosive pace, and has represented England at youth level.
41. Daniel Opare (Real Madrid)
The 18-year-old right back was called up into the full Ghana side soon after his 17th birthday after starring in the 2007 under-17 World Cup. Real beat out a host of clubs for his signature a year ago and he is expected to break into the first-team soon.
40. Lee Chung-yong (FC Seoul)
The fiery 20-year-old winger is South Korea’s top young talent and a member of the national team. A move to Europe has been mooted.

39. Joao Miranda (Sao Paulo)
AC Milan and Fiorentina are reportedly interested in capturing the tall 24-year-old centre back, formerly with Sochaux in France.
38. Mark Beevers (Sheffield Wednesday)
The 19-year-old centre back has been linked with a move to the top-flight this month after a series of mature-beyond-his-age displays for the club he joined as a trainee.
37. Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen)
The 20-year-old left-footed playmaker fell out with his previous club, Schalke 04, but has blossomed at Bremen and Europe’s leading clubs are said to be monitoring his progress.
36. Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United)
Newcastle, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are believed to be tracking this 20-year-old right back, who only made his Blades first-team debut last August.
35. Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar)
The 21-year-old goalkeeper represented Argentina in Beijing last summer and his reputation is growing, with his club top of the Dutch league at the time of writing.
34. Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus)
Pint-sized playmaker who scored a superb goal for Italy against Honduras in last year’s Olympics, the 21-year-old was reportedly an Arsenal target last year. Hasn’t seen much playing time this season, however.

33. Dan Gosling (Everton)
Signed from Plymouth Argyle last January, the midfield player – 19 in February – had to wait until Boxing Day for his debut and scored against Sunderland two days later. His manager, David Moyes, has been impressed and vowed to give him more opportunities.
32. Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)
Poland’s brightest talent, the predatory 20-year-old striker has already made his debut for the international side and the hype is building.
31. Jose Baxter (Everton)
The speedy Bootle-born 16-year-old striker could have an impact in 2009-10, and will be nurtured carefully by Moyes, who certainly did a good job bringing Wayne Rooney through the ranks.
30. Jay Simpson (Arsenal)
Prolific and pacy Gunners youth team striker who scored twice on his senior debut against Wigan in the Carling Cup in November and has looked in impressive since joining West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the 2008-09 season.
29. Jack Collison (West Ham United)
Born in England but a Wales international through his grandfather, this 20-year-old product of the famed West Ham academy has broken into the first-team and not looked out of place.
28. Fabian Delph (Leeds United)
Top-flight vultures are circling Elland Road ready to lavish big money on the 18-year-old midfield prodigy who has dynamic physical attributes and a maturity beyond his years.

27. Mounir El Hamdaoui (AZ Alkmaar)
Spurs have been short of strikers, eh? Well they signed this 24-year-old Rotterdam born forward in 2004 but never played him, loaning him to Derby County, where injury struck. Free of injury this term, he is showing what he can do, with 15 goals making him the Dutch league’s top scorer at the time of writing.
26. Mark Noble (West Ham United) This East Ender has progressed through the England youth ranks and has already made 61 starts. Tenacious and skilful, he should continue to improve this year and grab games by the scruff of the neck.
25. Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)
Premier League clubs are tracking the progress of the tall forward, who is enjoying a breakthrough season: top scorer in Ligue 1 before the winter break with 12 goals in 19 games.
24. Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse Arnhem)
Arsenal have been linked with a £3 million swoop for the 22-year-old goalkeeper who has emerged as a future candidate for Holland’s number one shirt.
23. Guillaume Hoarau (Paris Saint-Germain)
A tall and strong target man, the 24-year-old is in his first season at the top level but has already proved he has what it takes and is expected to challenge for a place in the national side.
22. Kieran Westwood (Coventry City)
Signed from Carlisle United last summer for £450,000, the 24-year-old goalkeeper is already said to be worth ten times that amount and his manager, Chris Coleman, rates him as the best ‘keeper outside the Premier League.

21. Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa)
The new Gabriel Agbonlahor (even though the old one’s just got here)? This tall, tricky, 17-year-old local youth product has been tried out in the cups this season and looked the part, as he has done at junior level for England.
20. Thiago Silva (free agent, joining AC Milan in June)
The 24-year-old, converted to centre back after being a utility man, left Fluminese last year. Rebuilt his career after failing to make an impact in previous European spells and will be at the San Siro next season after appearing at the Olympics as an overage player.
function slideshowPopUp(url)
19. Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan)
This 18-year-old Italy under-21 striker, born in Sicily to Ghanaian parents, made his Inter first-team debut at the end of 2007 and is highly-rated though has struggled for action under Jose Mourinho.
18. Angel Di Maria (Benfica)
An Arsenal target in 2007, the 20-year-old Argentina midfield player with a headline-friendly name scored the winner in the Olympic final last year and is one of Chelsea’s key transfer targets for the summer.
17. Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough)
Surprisingly linked with Real Madrid last month – he’s not quite ready for them yet - the 21-year-old has the potential to be Teesside’s new wing wizard if and when Stewart Downing moves on.
16. Diego Buonanotte (River Plate)
The tiny 20-year-old attacking midfield player with excellent dribbling ability featured in Argentina’s Olympic gold medal-winning side last year and has become a key figure at his club.

15. Sofiane Feghouli (Grenoble)
Dubbed the “new Zidane”, along with half the teenage midfield players in France, the 19-year-old Parisian has apparently come to the notice of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.
14. Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)
The Argentina forward is reportedly interesting Chelsea but his club this month said they are determined to hang on to the 23-year-old, who is viewed in Naples as one of the club’s brightest stars since Diego Maradona.
13. Steve Mandanda (Marseilles)
The Kinshasha-born goalkeeper had an unsuccessful trial at Aston Villa in 2007, but since he became first-choice at the Stade Velodrome he has gone from strength to strength and is now between the posts for France.
12. Marek Hamsik (Napoli)
A Slovakia international, the 20-year-old goalscoring midfield player moved from Slovan Bratislava to Brescia in 2004, then to Napoli in 2007 and is highly popular. When his watch was stolen last month, fans tracked down the thieves and recovered it.
11. Carlos Eduardo (Hoffenheim)
European scouts had kept tabs on this Gremio left-sided midfield player as a teenager, but it was to little Hoffenheim that he moved for €8 million in 2007. He is now 21 and Hoffenheim are shock contenders for the Bundesliga title.
10. Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)
A Turin-born Juve youth product long hailed as one of Italy’s brightest talents, the 22-year-old has shown this season that he is capable of dominating central midfield.

9. Fabio Da Silva (Manchester United)
His twin Rafael, has already caught the eye at right back this season and the word from Old Trafford is that Fabio, 18, is just as exciting – though he is yet to make his United debut given Patrice Evra’s excellence at left back.
8. Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)
Strong, quick and a good finisher, the New Jersey-born striker is the hottest property to come out of Major League Soccer since Freddy Adu. Altidore made a big-money move to Spain last summer.
7. John Fleck (Rangers)
The nephew of the former striker, Robert Fleck, he became the youngest player to feature in a Scottish Cup final last May and is a 17-year-old attacker with prodigious talent who has generated plenty of buzz.
6. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Of all Arsenal’s adolescents, this Stevenage-born 17-year-old midfield player is perhaps the most exciting, and he has already featured in two Champions League games this season.
5. Douglas Costa (Gremio)
The new Ronaldinho? The new Anderson? Either way, this skilful 18-year-old midfield player attracted the attention of Manchester United and Real Madrid last autumn despite making just a handful of appearances. His buy-out clause is 21 million GBP.
4. Radamel Falcao Garcia (River Plate)
The 22-year-old Colombia striker, named after the former Brazil star, Falcao, is quick, lethal and two-footed and leading European sides are eyeing up this potential star.
3. David Silva (Valencia)
A Liverpool and Barcelona target last summer after he starred for Spain at Euro 2008, the diminutive winger, just turned 23, has fabulous skills and a determined character.
2. Karim Benzema (Lyons)
Lyons placed a 100 million Euro price-tag on this academy product to deter the hordes of bigger clubs eyeing up the 21-year-old France striker, who has few weaknesses in his game and is a bona fide superstar in the making.
1. Hernanes (Sao Paulo)
Perhaps the most-hyped South American prospect of last year, the hugely-talented 23-year-old Brazilian is an attacking midfield playmaker, leading to inevitable Kaka comparisons. How long before he moves to Europe?

Llega Xabi Alonso al Real Madrid a cambio de 30 millones de euros para el Liverpool. Viene el tolosarra con cinco años de retraso y casi por el triple del precio acordado en 2004. Doce millones de euros por un jugador de 22 años frente a los treinta pagados ahora por un futbolista cinco años más viejo. Da lo mismo, Xabi o un jugador de su perfil (todavía no entiendo que el Real Madrid no se haya lanzado antes a por Cesc) es esencial en este equipo carente de un director de juego desde la marcha de Fernando Redondo. Zidane era otra cosa. El hijo de Periko Alonso es un especialista en la conducción de equipos como lo ha demostrado en el Liverpool y en la selección nacional. El nuevo centrocampista puede presumir de tener una extraordinaria visión de juego y una capacidad de pase que sobresale en el centro largo, así como en el disparo de larga y media distancia. Asimismo, es un jugador elegante implicado en el juego defensivo, donde nunca se esconde. Un profesional con todas sus letras, serio y disciplinado tácticamente, que pone todas sus virtudes al servicio del equipo. Xabi Alonso posiblemente por valores y saber estar dentro y fuera del campo es un futbolista que, en este caso sí (no como en otros), verdaderamente ha nacido para jugar en el Real Madrid.

El Real Madrid ha llegado a un acuerdo con Michel Salgado para la rescisión de su contrato del que le quedaba esta próxima temporada para terminar. Y dicen que el acuerdo consiste en pagarle los 4 millones de euros que tenía de ficha a cambio de abandonar la plantilla. No le veo por ningún lado la bondad a este acuerdo ruinoso... y tampoco me explico como es posible que alguien del club firmara a este lateral esa larguísima renovación en 2004 (con Florentino en su primera etapa), por mucho Chelsea que estuviera interesado en contratarle. Han sido 20 millones del ala en la cuenta del ya ex jugador madridista por cinco años, de los cuales sólo mantuvo la titularidad en la primera de ellas. Después llegó Sergio Ramos y sus aportaciones se han limitado a entrenar y a salir de refresco cuando el lateral sevillano acumulaba tarjetas. Tampoco ningún club se interesó por él en estos años debido a su costosisima ficha y a su bajo rendimiento. Que el Madrid se atara a Salgado todos estos años y dejara marchar a Roberto Carlos es para ponerse a llorar. Lo dicho, 20 millones en 4 años a cambio de muy poco... Y luego nos metemos con Drenthe.