Football features

A FEW days after the passing of Jack Charlton, he was followed into the pearly gates by one of his old adversaries.
Silvio Marzolini, who died on Friday at the age of 79, was Argentina’s left back in that stormy Wembley World Cup quarter final in 1966, when visiting captain Antonio Rattin was sent off and a late Geoff Hurst goal sent England through to a last four clash with Portugal.

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Silvio Marzolini passed away last week at 79Credit: Twitter@Augustocesar22
Blonde, elegant and talented, Marzolini was chosen as the best left back of the tournament – a highpoint of an international career that lasted for much of the decade.
His last caps came as Argentina failed to make it to Mexico 70. Some of his first came in the 1962 World Cup in Chile, when Argentina were eliminated in the group phase after suffering a 3-1 defeat to England.
This time there was only one Charlton in the England line up. Jack’s international career would not get underway for another three years.
But younger brother Bobby was already one of the outstanding players of an England side that ended up losing to eventual champions Brazil in the quarter finals.

Amazingly, Marzolini and Bobby Charlton could even have become club mates – on the other side of the Atlantic.
During the World Cup in Chile, Charlton received a backdoor approach from Buenos Aires giants Boca Juniors.
He mentioned that his wife was pregnant with their first child – and was told that this would be no problem.
Boca could arrange for the child to be born in the British Embassy, so that it would be qualified to play for England.

Bobby Charlton had no interest in leaving Manchester United.
The main incentive to join Boca would have been financial – this was a time when the big clubs in Argentina paid much higher wages than players received in England.

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Marzolini was a Boca Junior legendCredit: Twitter@Augustocesar22

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Bobby Charlton could have been Marzolini’s team-mate at BocaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And this in turn explains why Silvio Marzolini was such a Boca legend. He had reached the pinnacle, in sporting and financial terms, and with nothing to lure him away he played for Boca between 1960 and 1972.
He later returned to coach the club, and was in charge during Diego Maradona’s brief but memorable and victorious time there in the early 1980s.
These days, of course, a player with the pedigree of Silvio Marzolini would be lured to Europe at an early age.
Argentina’s current left back, Nicolas Tagliafico, plays for Ajax in Holland, and has been linked in the last few days with a move to Chelsea and Manchester City.

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Nicolas Tagliafico has similarities to MarzoliniCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Tagliafico is not quite in the same class as Marzolini. The 1960s left back was better balanced. But there is something of the old player in the new.
They share an upright elegance. This is more than a coincidence. Marzolini’s last job in football was with the youth ranks of the Banfield club, in the sprawl of greater Buenos Aires.
One of the players he developed was Nicolas Tagliafico, who paid tribute to him on his death last week.

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SERIE A is still proving to be a difficult league for Premier League stars to prosper in.
If the latest reports are to be believed, former Tottenham ace Christian Eriksen could find himself surplus to requirements after a disastrous spell with Inter Milan.

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Christian Eriksen is a shadow of the player he was at Spurs at InterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And the Danish playmaker isn’t the first footballer who has flopped in Italy, but been a consistent performer on our shores.
These guys were just the same.
THIERRY HENRY
Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer, Henry enjoyed his best years playing in North London.
But before he graced the Premier League with such finesse and skill, the French World Cup winner had trouble finding his feet at Juventus.

With much expected from him after a £10.5million move from Monaco, where he shone, Henry scored just three times in 19 games.
He played at wing-back, wide midfield, but was never utilised right until Arsene Wenger turned him into one of the greatest forwards of his generation.

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Thierry Henry struggled to make his name at JuventusCredit: AP:Associated Press
DENNIS BERGKAMP
Another Gunners hero, the non-flying Dutchman was recognised as one of Europe’s best players in the early 90s at Ajax.
So it was no surprise he moved to Inter Milan and Serie A, which was then seen as the greatest league in the world for £7.1million from Ajax in 1993.

However, the move was a disaster for Bergkamp, who was played out of position.
Instead of the deeper role that he became known for, he was a target man and expected to be a goalscorer.
One media publication, who had a regular feature called ‘Donkey of the Week’ that shone the spotlight on the worst Serie A performer, even changed the name of that award to ‘Bergkamp of the Week’.
74 games and 22 goals later he was off to Arsenal for £7.5million in 1995.

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Dennis Bergkamp lost his mojo at Inter MilanCredit: Getty Images – Getty
PHILIPPE COUTINHO
At Liverpool Coutinho became one of the most feared midfielders in the country.
His goals and vision often stole the show, earning him a £142million move to Barcelona.
But, when Rafael Benitez brought him to Anfield for the sum of just £8.5million, he wasn’t exactly highly thought of in Italy.
He struggled to break into Inter’s team, and in 2012 was loaned to Espanyol, where he played under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
By 2013, he was at Liverpool – and the rest is history.

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Philippe Coutinho was deemed surplus to requirements at InterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
DES WALKER
For Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and England, Des Walker was a rock at the back.
A solid reader of the game, he could head the ball, he was a clean tackler, quick, and a difficult customer to come up against.
In Serie A, however, where defence is king – Walker’s attributes suddenly got lost.
It might’ve been because the £1.5million Sampdoria signing was played at full back by manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
After one season and thirty games, Walker returned to England in 1993.

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Des Walker’s days at Sampdoria were a disasterCredit: Popperfoto – Getty
JOE HART
Now with the opportunity to resurrect his career in Scotland with Celtic, it all went wrong for Hart when Pep Guardiola became Manchester City manager.
Frozen out by the Spanish boss, who wanted a goalie who was better with his feet, the England stopper was loaned out to Torino.
First, Hart had the indignity of having his name spelled wrong on the team-sheet.
Then, he conceded one of the most comical goals ever after a team-mate’s pass landed in a puddle leading to an Empoli goal.
It’s easy to forget that Hart has 75 England caps, is still only 33, and before he was discarded by City he was recognised as one of Europe’s finest young goalkeepers.

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Joe Hart’s loan spell at Torino was filled with calamities Credit: Getty Images – Getty
AARON RAMSEY
The Welsh midfielder, on a whopping £400,000-per-week, has flopped in his first year at Juventus.
Injuries and loss of form have seen Ramsey playing 31 times for the Turin club, scoring just four goals.
At Arsenal, he was a legend – renowned for his swashbuckling runs into the box and scoring goals.
He managed 64 strikes for the Gunners during his career, and has been touted for a return to the Premier League with Manchester United.
Die-hard Gooner Piers Morgan also recently had a pop at him – suggesting that Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t have been impressed that Juventus signed Ramsey in the summer.

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Aaron Ramsey has failed to justify his £400,000-per-week wages at JuventusCredit: Getty Images – Getty
IAN RUSH
Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer with an incredible 346 goals in two spells with the club, Rush played for Juventus in-between.
But the 1987-88 season was awful for the Welsh striker, who struggled to unlock tight Italian defences.

Normally used to scoring 30-plus goals a season, Rush managed just seven league goals in 29 games.
Although he was “homesick at times,” Rush claims moving to Italy was one of the best things he ever did.
After his spell abroad, Rush never did hit the 30-goal landmark in a season again.

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In his one season in Italy Ian Rush managed just seven Serie A goals for JuventusCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

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THIS lot are taking the spot mick.
When most teams are awarded penalties, their designated taker will often plant the ball down on the penalty spot and hammer it home.

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Sergio Ramos passes the ball to Benzema in their failed penalty passCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Ramos and Benzema celebrate after their retaken penalty is scoredCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But sometimes you’ll get the odd show-off who might try and be clever with their effort from 12-yards.
The penalty pass is the ultimate mickey-take, and more challenging than it looks.
Just ask Real Madrid pair Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, who recorded an epic fail against Villarreal.
Their attempt was ruled out after Benzema was accused of encroaching. Luckily enough, the referee ordered a retake which they scored from and their blushes were spared.

But not everyone has been so lucky…
ROBERT PIRES AND THIERRY HENRY
The two ‘Invincibles’ and Arsenal legends made a total mess of their clever penalty when they tried to pull it off.
It happened in a game against Manchester City in 2005, and is remembered as one of the worst penalties ever taken in the Premier League.
Pires was supposed to pass the ball to Henry, but he messed up the pass and the pair were left with egg on their face.

“It was Thierry Henry’s idea and of course it was my mistake, because I missed the ball,” Pires later told SportBible.
“I regret the pass but not the penalty. It was a good idea, the people need to watch something new and the penalty between me and Thierry was a new thing.
“Sometimes in football, I know it was a big mistake, but sometimes you need some fantasy on the field. For me it was a good fantasy but unfortunately I missed the pass but it was a good idea.”
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Thiery Henry and Robert Pires famously messed up a penalty passCredit: Peter Tarry

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The two Arsenal stars were left with egg on their faces when it went wrongCredit: Reuters
LIONEL MESSI AND LUIS SUAREZ
It was 2016, a time when Barcelona were often accused of disrespecting opponents by showboating while boasting a front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
They were the Harlem Globetrotters of football, so why not attempt a tricky penalty pass.
And Messi and Suarez managed to pull it off – with the Argentinian passing to the Uruguayan to sidefoot home.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was one off 300 La Liga goals as he stepped up, but he preferred to lay the ball on a tee for Suarez to score his hat-trick.
Later, Neymar claimed that the pass was actually meant for him.
“It was for me, we had practiced it in training!” he said. “Leo and myself had practiced but Luis was closer and he scored it.”
“Our friendship is the most important thing. It doesn’t matter who scores the goals just that we win the games.”
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Lionel Messi tees up Luis Suarez for the spotCredit: Reuters

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Neymar, trailing behind Suarez, claimed the pass was meant for himCredit: Reuters
JOHAN CRUYFF AND JESPER OLSEN
The Ajax team of the 1970s and 1980s played ‘Total Football’, in part thanks to the terrific Cruyff – arguably the player of his generation.
And in a game against Helmond Sport in 1982, Cruyff and team-mate Jesper Olsen enjoyed a one-two with their penalty pass.
Cruyff put the ball on the spot, before rolling it to Olsen who drew the keeper out and squared it back to the Dutch master to slot the ball home into the empty net.
“We had training in September and he mentioned it, that we could do it in a game and we trained it a few times that weekend,” Olsen told FourFourTwo.
“And then we did not talk about it until we actually did it in that game in December. Again, it was just how he was. Always thinking about how he could do things differently.
“Trying to show that this could be done and he was one of those players that just tried new things.”
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Johan Cruyff and Jesper Olsen of Ajax score with a penalty passCredit: Sky

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Cruyff scores in an empty netCredit: Sky
MIKE TREBILCOCK AND JOHN NEWMAN
The first ever pass penalty in England was actually attempted by Plymouth Argyle.
It happened in 1964, when Mike Trebilcock and John Newman attempted the feat against Manchester City.
Trebilcock laid the ball off to Newman who beat the keeper to the ball and lashed home.
Later, Trebilcock revealed it was the brainchild of maverick manager Malcolm Allison.
He revealed: “I was playing for Plymouth Argyle at the time, and Big Malcolm Allison was the manager. It was one of his mad ideas.”
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Mike Trebilcock of Plymouth Argyle lines up to take a penalty kick against Manchester City
RIK COPPENS AND ANDRE PITERS
The pioneers of the penalty pass were Belgium pair Coppens and Piters.
In 1957, in a game against Iceland, they had the in-genius idea to try something different.

And it must’ve been where Cruyff and Olsen got the inspiration from.
Coppens nudged the ball forward, Piters ran onto it, but rather than score he returned the ball to his team-mate.
All that was left for Coppens to do was stroke the ball into an empty net as Icelandic keeper Bjorgvin Hermannsson looked on in despair.
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Belgium football legend Rik Coppens was the pioneer of the pass penaltyCredit: RTBF.BE

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Coppens slots the ball into an empty netCredit: RTBF.BE More