Monday, September 9, 2013
Kaká: The Second Coming
Our Kaká is back. Our Ricky is back. My gosh, I love the sound of that.
On the arrival of Kaká, there were several different opinions. Most were positive; others were not so positive. I think we can all agree, however, that this man can make a difference at Milan. Kaká may not be the player that he once was but I think he can reach a level that will satisfy both of Milan’s needs (if not surpass it) and his own. I personally feel Kaká’s arrival will become beneficial to both Milan and Kaká this season.
His Career at Real Madrid.
Back in 2010, Kaká had suffered a knee injury that had affected his ability to play. His frequent injuries and loss in form had resulted in him being demoted down the pecking order. Not having enough minutes to play and constantly being benched had made matters worse for Kaká. The Brazilian obviously did not play a crucial role on the team as he would have liked and was not given much importance. I do not blame Kaká for anything. Whatever has happened to Kaká has happened for a reason.
Kaká will have a greater role at Milan.
When it comes to his critics, I understand where the skepticism comes from but I think they still need to give Kaká a chance. How Milan will choose to use Kaká will not parallel how Real Madrid used him. This time, Kaká will play a greater role at Milan.
Milan will utilize this quality player to their advantage. Because of his age, knowledge, and experience, the Brazilian will be able to guide Milan’s younger generation on (and off) the pitch. Most of these players such as El Sharaawy, Poli, and De Sciglio view Kaká as a role model. In my opinion, there is no one better to mentor these youngsters than Kaká. He has already set the standard for these players. Kaká will have the chance to become the conductor of this symphony. The leader.
One can argue that Milan contradicted it’s principles by bringing in Kaká since the club claims to be behind a youth movement. I don’t think this is the case, however. Incorporating one ‘experienced’ player does not mean the club has went against it’s ideals. Like I have said before, Kaká’s role will be more than just a player. He will also become a mentor to the other players. Who else at Milan has a better understanding of the club than Kaká? In my opinion, he has the most experience among the players on the team and still has the potential to achieve the greatness that he once had, if not more (you never know, right?).
What his critics are saying.
Some individuals believe bringing back Kaká was not a smart decision. Among these people, the word nostalgia has been thrown around frequently. They feel as though the only reason Kaká was brought back to Milan was to please their supporters. If you call this transfer just another PR or marketing scheme from the club, I honestly wouldn’t care if this was the case. Kaká’s return to Milan has added more heart, passion, and drive into the club. I’m not going to say everything will be fine and dandy from Kaká’s arrival because there are obvious aspects that need to be straightened out on the team (i.e. defense). Now that we have acquired Kaká, let’s move forward and use him to our advantage. There’s no going back, right? Nostalgic or not, I think we can all agree that the return of Kaká will positively impact Milan.
This will be a clean slate for him so I’m ready to see what’s in store for the Rossoneri.
With that being said: ladies and gentleman, this will be the start of Kaká’s return. Welcome home, Kaká.
Written by: Laxmi Patel
Follow me on Twitter: @OfficialLaxmi
On the arrival of Kaká, there were several different opinions. Most were positive; others were not so positive. I think we can all agree, however, that this man can make a difference at Milan. Kaká may not be the player that he once was but I think he can reach a level that will satisfy both of Milan’s needs (if not surpass it) and his own. I personally feel Kaká’s arrival will become beneficial to both Milan and Kaká this season.
His Career at Real Madrid.
Back in 2010, Kaká had suffered a knee injury that had affected his ability to play. His frequent injuries and loss in form had resulted in him being demoted down the pecking order. Not having enough minutes to play and constantly being benched had made matters worse for Kaká. The Brazilian obviously did not play a crucial role on the team as he would have liked and was not given much importance. I do not blame Kaká for anything. Whatever has happened to Kaká has happened for a reason.
"It was a good personal experience for me in Madrid, less so professionally. But it was a spell which helped me to grow, I matured a lot. I don’t regret the years in the Real shirt, but, seeing how things went, I did lose a little desire to play. The decision to leave was taken after speaking with Carlo Ancelotti. I didn’t play with continuity, partly because of the injuries, partly because of the competition for places." (via goal.com)All of this was a learning experience for him. Now, there is a new chapter in store for this man, and it will be a second coming with Milan.
Kaká will have a greater role at Milan.
When it comes to his critics, I understand where the skepticism comes from but I think they still need to give Kaká a chance. How Milan will choose to use Kaká will not parallel how Real Madrid used him. This time, Kaká will play a greater role at Milan.
Milan will utilize this quality player to their advantage. Because of his age, knowledge, and experience, the Brazilian will be able to guide Milan’s younger generation on (and off) the pitch. Most of these players such as El Sharaawy, Poli, and De Sciglio view Kaká as a role model. In my opinion, there is no one better to mentor these youngsters than Kaká. He has already set the standard for these players. Kaká will have the chance to become the conductor of this symphony. The leader.
One can argue that Milan contradicted it’s principles by bringing in Kaká since the club claims to be behind a youth movement. I don’t think this is the case, however. Incorporating one ‘experienced’ player does not mean the club has went against it’s ideals. Like I have said before, Kaká’s role will be more than just a player. He will also become a mentor to the other players. Who else at Milan has a better understanding of the club than Kaká? In my opinion, he has the most experience among the players on the team and still has the potential to achieve the greatness that he once had, if not more (you never know, right?).
What his critics are saying.
Some individuals believe bringing back Kaká was not a smart decision. Among these people, the word nostalgia has been thrown around frequently. They feel as though the only reason Kaká was brought back to Milan was to please their supporters. If you call this transfer just another PR or marketing scheme from the club, I honestly wouldn’t care if this was the case. Kaká’s return to Milan has added more heart, passion, and drive into the club. I’m not going to say everything will be fine and dandy from Kaká’s arrival because there are obvious aspects that need to be straightened out on the team (i.e. defense). Now that we have acquired Kaká, let’s move forward and use him to our advantage. There’s no going back, right? Nostalgic or not, I think we can all agree that the return of Kaká will positively impact Milan.
This will be a clean slate for him so I’m ready to see what’s in store for the Rossoneri.
With that being said: ladies and gentleman, this will be the start of Kaká’s return. Welcome home, Kaká.
Written by: Laxmi Patel
Follow me on Twitter: @OfficialLaxmi
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| Image via Tumblr |
Sunday, September 8, 2013
The Beautiful Game: My Story (Part 1)
I’m a girl. And I love football. But it wasn’t always this way. My love for the beautiful game started circa 2010.
I’ll admit I was never into watching sports. It just never appealed to me. I wasn’t raised in an environment where sports were a big deal. In other words, it was a foreign and unfamiliar territory. Most of the time I was focused on my schoolwork and other activities.
Three years ago happened to be an exciting part of my life. It was my last year in high school. I was a graduating senior. As cheesy as it sounds, I felt like I could take on the world. I was accepted into my first-choice university, prom was coming up, and I was acing all of my classes. The most memorable year of my life also coincided with the most important event of the year. One that makes the whole world stop. FIFA World Cup. The year I watched my first-ever football match.
I sat down at the usual table in my school’s lunchroom. But there was something different. Usually we only had a few television sets in the cafeteria, but today there were several in different corners of the room. There was no news playing on these screens either. Instead, every screen showed a stretch of vibrant green with 22 players kicking the ball around. A certain excitement was buzzing. It became a lot noisier. A large group of kids were fixated on every angle the ball moved. Hanging on every touch of this “Ronaldo” fellow. I heard a group of girls saying, “OMG he’s so hot!“ I didn’t know what to make of it.
With all the hype it was getting, I was intrigued to watch. Also, I lost count how many times I heard the words “World Cup” throughout the day. The particular match I caught a glimpse of was between Portugal and Ivory Coast. I knew nothing about the sport, but within 5 minutes I was invested into the game. The closer a player was to scoring, the more I felt myself caring. I thought a certain blonde player was pretty good. Who knew it could be so entertaining?
I had a whole month before I was going to move and in order to pass time I watched football. Even my sister, Laxmi, got involved with it. It was quality bonding time between us. During dinner we talked about tactics without even knowing what the word meant back then. One moment clearly stuck out to me. It was one of the hottest days of the year. The air conditioner was on full-blast and we were eating popsicles. Some men working on the roof were making a loud racket, but that didn’t ruin our day.
It was a showdown between USA and Algeria. Naturally, the team we were pulling for was USA. I witnessed magic when Landon Donovan’s rocket shot made it in the last minute of injury time. There was no time to react. We were jumping up and down. Screaming with unbelievable happiness. USA had booked a place in the Round of 16. Never had I felt so many emotions. Never had I felt chills. The message was clear: football was powerful and this was the effect it had on me.
Soon it became a ritual to turn on ESPN and wait for the next match to start. As soon as we woke up, we checked the times of all games being played that day. It became an obsession. I remember my mother saying, “You’re still watching soccer? Do you find this interesting? I thought it was over!“
I’ll admit I was never into watching sports. It just never appealed to me. I wasn’t raised in an environment where sports were a big deal. In other words, it was a foreign and unfamiliar territory. Most of the time I was focused on my schoolwork and other activities.
Three years ago happened to be an exciting part of my life. It was my last year in high school. I was a graduating senior. As cheesy as it sounds, I felt like I could take on the world. I was accepted into my first-choice university, prom was coming up, and I was acing all of my classes. The most memorable year of my life also coincided with the most important event of the year. One that makes the whole world stop. FIFA World Cup. The year I watched my first-ever football match.
~
I sat down at the usual table in my school’s lunchroom. But there was something different. Usually we only had a few television sets in the cafeteria, but today there were several in different corners of the room. There was no news playing on these screens either. Instead, every screen showed a stretch of vibrant green with 22 players kicking the ball around. A certain excitement was buzzing. It became a lot noisier. A large group of kids were fixated on every angle the ball moved. Hanging on every touch of this “Ronaldo” fellow. I heard a group of girls saying, “OMG he’s so hot!“ I didn’t know what to make of it.
With all the hype it was getting, I was intrigued to watch. Also, I lost count how many times I heard the words “World Cup” throughout the day. The particular match I caught a glimpse of was between Portugal and Ivory Coast. I knew nothing about the sport, but within 5 minutes I was invested into the game. The closer a player was to scoring, the more I felt myself caring. I thought a certain blonde player was pretty good. Who knew it could be so entertaining?
~
I had a whole month before I was going to move and in order to pass time I watched football. Even my sister, Laxmi, got involved with it. It was quality bonding time between us. During dinner we talked about tactics without even knowing what the word meant back then. One moment clearly stuck out to me. It was one of the hottest days of the year. The air conditioner was on full-blast and we were eating popsicles. Some men working on the roof were making a loud racket, but that didn’t ruin our day.
It was a showdown between USA and Algeria. Naturally, the team we were pulling for was USA. I witnessed magic when Landon Donovan’s rocket shot made it in the last minute of injury time. There was no time to react. We were jumping up and down. Screaming with unbelievable happiness. USA had booked a place in the Round of 16. Never had I felt so many emotions. Never had I felt chills. The message was clear: football was powerful and this was the effect it had on me.
Soon it became a ritual to turn on ESPN and wait for the next match to start. As soon as we woke up, we checked the times of all games being played that day. It became an obsession. I remember my mother saying, “You’re still watching soccer? Do you find this interesting? I thought it was over!“
~
There was nothing more interesting than Luis Suarez’s handball controversy, Felipe Melo’s own goal to sum up Brazil’s woes, France’s embarrassing crisis to end their poor run, the perplexing Jabulani ball, the annoyance of the vuvuzelas, and the amazing psychic Paul The Octopus. I have difficulty sitting through a whole movie, but 90 minutes of football was entertainment in itself.
The World Cup exposed me to a sport that I never truly appreciated. Until now. I didn’t need to know anything about football to see how much each moment, in each match meant to each player in each team. It was do or die. Grown men were crying. Disappointment was visible on every fallen individual. This competition separated men from boys. This is what drew me in.