CARLOS TEVEZ AND A DISCUSSION ON WORTH

Driving home today from school I found myself in a discussion with my brother about a player who elicits from me a wide range of emotions. Carlos Tevez, Judas to one half of Manchester and Legend to the other half, comes across as a money driven, agent-manipulated modern star who cares only for himself.  For these reasons I maintain a certain disdain for him. This is in stark contrast to my feelings for Carlitos simply as a player; he is perhaps the hardest working superstar in the modern era, and on his day he can be the most technical, ambitious, and driven player on the pitch. He still plays like a hungry boy from the slums of Buenos Aires, which is refreshing to behold in a time where pampered superstars often lose interest in the very craft that made them famous (see: Ronaldinho). That he combines this tenacity with such a standoffish and often disgraceful attitude for his clubs, though, makes him difficult to like...

However, as my brother so eloquently put it, Tevez is not a team cancer. Never have these eyes stumbled upon an article where a teammate of señor Tevez bemoaned his attitude or his play on the pitch. On the contrary, I distinctly remember this article from a few years back (http://soccernetlive.com/2007/10/27/rooney-and-tevez-destroy-middlesbrough/) wherein Wayne Rooney details how "brilliant" it was to play along side Tevez. Furthermore, just in the past year current teammate David Silva admitted his admiration for Tevez, saying that he is "one of the best he has ever played with". That Silva plays for World Cup winning Spain further lends credence to Tevez being a fantastic teammate. (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=845392&sec=england&cc=5901)

What Carlos Tevez is, though, is a club cancer. The transfer saga that Tevez became embroiled in during the lead up to his Old Trafford departure was one of the ugliest of its kind in recent memory. That he decided to trade United Red for City Blue showed a lack of class and tact, regardless of Tevez's feelings of  'betrayal' by his former employers. Moreover, at this very moment, Tevez is pining for a release from Manchester City, despite his success in the past year and despite vocal support from both Roberto Mancini and his fellow teammates.

(note the names of each video)

Tevez's recent cries for a new club bring us to the question of worth alluded to in the title of this piece. What exactly is this man worth in today's market? If Goal.com is to be believed, Real Madrid are willing to ship 28 million Euros and either Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema to bring Carlitos to the Bernabeu. Lest we forget that Benzema scored 26 goals in all competitions last season despite often being relegated to Real's bench, and that as recently as 2009-2010, Higuain (who is only 23 years old) netted 27 goals in La Liga alone.

Essentially, what Real Madrid is actually offering for Tevez's services is around the 55-60 million Euro mark. This, we should not forget, for a man that has never lasted more than 3 years at a club in his entire career.  Though on the other hand, isn't he exactly what Real need? Despite an embarrassment of riches in attacking prowess currently at Madrid, Real simply lack a tenacity about their play. Furthermore, what Tevez would provide is the perfect foil to Cristiano Ronaldo's selfish, yet unquestionably effective, play. An attacking force of Ronaldo-Tevez-Özil is infinitely more imposing than anything Real can currently display simply because of the sheer unpredictability that could arise during every attack launched by this hypothetical Madrid side. With Benzema and Higuain, you know what is coming: a shift to a side and a shot whenever possible. The same cannot be said about Carlos Tevez, who as well as having the capacity to score 25-30 goals a season, will also contribute double-digit assists with his still underrated passing ability.

So what is Tevez worth? 55-60 million Euros might not seem too outrageous for a team hellbent on removing Barcelona as Spain's finest footballing outfit.

*thanks goose