Courage is a term thrown about recklessly with regards to sport. One may attribute this to the role sport fills in our lives; an argument can be made that in the absense of armed conflict, games played on a court, pitch or field fulfill a primitive urge to compete, and to be victorious. The tribalism that accompanies sport is a by-product of this, and helps to explain the mania of supporters who feel intrinsically tied to a club by geography, heritage or social standing. This is why such words as 'courage', and 'heroic' are tied so often with athletic feats, as sport brings out an energy and passion that is perhaps only rivaled, albeit to a far greater degree, by war. We may say that 'battles' are fought on the pitch between rival clubs, but as fans we know this to be hyperbole, an overdramatization of something that has greater importance to us than perhaps it should.
Having said that, I contend that there is indeed something courageous about certain events that occur on a soccer field. I do not wish to cheapen the term, but today when I watched 20-year old Ross Barkley again and again receive a ball, and then dribble with a certain abandon and panache', that word 'courage' came to mind. It takes courage to drive your team on, to put yourself in the spotlight of a match because you want, crave the ball at your feet, and the attention of defenders. It takes a strong will to keep doing this even as these runs end in failure, a spurned chance or a misplaced pass. At a very base level, I find in Ross Barkley a courage that I cannot help but admire; a fearlessness of youth that I hope is not spoiled by the passing of time, but fear will be.
Willing dribblers of the ball have been celebrated throughout the history of the game, perhaps moreso in England than anywhere else. In a country whose national team has been plagued by a long-ball, 'up-and-at-them' style for a half-century, players who buck this trend via incisive dribbling are celebrated. Paul Gascoine's status as England's talisman during the 1990's encapsulates this dribbler-worship perfectly, and for good reason. His fearlessness on the ball and willingness to drive his team on was something akin to the 'continental flair' displayed by Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane and Michael Laudrup. Gascoine's lifestyle off the pitch echoed his mercurial style of play, and unfortunately would lead to his downfall as his partying and opulence began to wear heavily on his aging legs.
Having said that, I contend that there is indeed something courageous about certain events that occur on a soccer field. I do not wish to cheapen the term, but today when I watched 20-year old Ross Barkley again and again receive a ball, and then dribble with a certain abandon and panache', that word 'courage' came to mind. It takes courage to drive your team on, to put yourself in the spotlight of a match because you want, crave the ball at your feet, and the attention of defenders. It takes a strong will to keep doing this even as these runs end in failure, a spurned chance or a misplaced pass. At a very base level, I find in Ross Barkley a courage that I cannot help but admire; a fearlessness of youth that I hope is not spoiled by the passing of time, but fear will be.
Willing dribblers of the ball have been celebrated throughout the history of the game, perhaps moreso in England than anywhere else. In a country whose national team has been plagued by a long-ball, 'up-and-at-them' style for a half-century, players who buck this trend via incisive dribbling are celebrated. Paul Gascoine's status as England's talisman during the 1990's encapsulates this dribbler-worship perfectly, and for good reason. His fearlessness on the ball and willingness to drive his team on was something akin to the 'continental flair' displayed by Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane and Michael Laudrup. Gascoine's lifestyle off the pitch echoed his mercurial style of play, and unfortunately would lead to his downfall as his partying and opulence began to wear heavily on his aging legs.
With respect to aging, I would contend that there is no greater enemy to a brilliant dribbler than the passing of time. To qualify this, we need only to look as far as Everton's previous prodigal son. When Wayne Rooney burst onto the global football scene as a 16-year old wünderkind, what stood out about his play was the fearlessness and arrogance of his dribbling. His debut goal against Arsenal was a tribute to this freedom of expression, a timeless goal often earmarked as one of the finest of his career. But even though his career has gone from strength to strength, and he now finds himself as one of the Premier League's all-time leading goal scorers, what has abandoned his play are the dribbles of his youth. Perhaps a certain freedom has gone with it too. The same could be said for the styles of Steven Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Kaka; more than simply losing a step of pace, time has stripped these legends of the game of the frivolity of youth, that carefree mentality that lends itself so nicely with direct, forceful dribbling.
Perhaps this is why I find myself currently in awe of Ross Barkley's play, also in the blue of Everton. I know it is fleeting. Today the commentators for the Everton-Swansea match, after watching Barkley's 84th minute freekick find the top-right corner of the net, discussed Barkley's chances of making the Englad squad for the 2014 World Cup. They made mention of how his style of play is unrivaled by any of England's current crop, and how he may be exactly what Roy Hodgson needs to break out of his current 4-4-2-based strategy. And they are patently correct; his dynamism and technique would make England a much better side, perhaps one that might surprise Italy or Uruguay with a geniune midfield threat.
But for me, I want to see him in Brazil because in four years time, the fearlessness that has been provided to Barkley by the precociousness of youth may have left him. He currently finds himself the beating heart of an Everton side that is helping to contribute to the finest Premier League title race in decades, with a freedom of expression aided by Roberto Martinez' progressive tactics. I want to see this Ross Barkley, not one that may be eroded by unrealistic media hype or by joining a 'bigger' club, playing on the world's stage.
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