At age 22, Zinedine Zidane was playing in the Intertoto Cup with Bordeaux. At that same age, Éric Cantona had just got a move from Auxerre to Marseille. Rivaldo had just moved from Corinthians to cross-town rivals Palmeiras in São Paulo.
With the money involved in today’s game and globalized scouting networks, such players would already have been with one of the European giants before they had the chance to establish themselves in their local teams. It’s hardly a surprise when the major European clubs get linked with and buy an obscure teenager in South America, who is tagged as the “new Messi” or “Ronaldinho’s heir.”
But potential doesn’t always translate to development. Equally still, little promise can develop exponentially.
Zidane, Cantona, and Rivaldo’s cases show that it’s not how much you achieve in your early 20’s that defines the rest of your career. These players all stayed in familiar surroundings before making the step up to a major European club. It was only until their mid-to-late 20’s that these players became giant names in world football.
Of course, there are always precocious youngsters who make the grade early on. Perhaps because their game relies on speed, like the two Ronaldo’s or Messi. Perhaps because their physique develops more quickly, like Rooney.
But early spark doesn’t always illuminate the rest of a career. Nicky Butt anchored the midfield for Manchester United in the 95/96 season with Roy Keane and that partnership always came out on top in physical battles. Paul Scholes, who had a much smaller frame than Butt and was frequently deployed further up the pitch, was sparingly used. Today, Nicky Butt plays for Newcastle United, Paul Scholes for Manchester United.
Lucas Leiva is 22 and is already at Liverpool. It is presumptuous to say he will be as successful as Scholes, Zidane, Rivaldo, Cantona, or even Nicky Butt. But to say he won’t turn out to be fine player is equally unfair. He has been thrust on the biggest stage earlier than some of the greatest midfielders of their generations. He has already played in a Champions League quarterfinal, captained Brazil’s U-20 team, finished runner-up in the league with Liverpool, and been capped for the senior Brazil national team.
For us to label him as a flop is premature. A player doesn’t have to progress at Messi’s rate to become a world class player. Lucas deserves time and Liverpool fans should wish the best for him, however much he may struggle now or in the coming years. He is only 22 and already plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world. He is certainly on the right track.
Alfredo di Stéfano was 27 when he crossed the Atlantic to join Real Madrid. When he was voted European Footballer of the Year for the second time, he was 33. The next year, he won the last of five consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Where was he before joining Real Madrid? Colombian football.
Even the greatest need time to develop at their own rate. So does Lucas.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
At age 22, Lionel Messi is an Olympic gold medalist, 2 time CL winner, first time Spanish treble winner, etc
just had to throw that in there har har har
please don’t just go throwing in stats about Lionel Messi, who i would like to add to my delight found himself useless and frustrated last Saturday against a brilliant Brazil side, almost reenacting his lame performance against Chelsea in the Champions League semis.
ps. you should consider changing the manner in which you laugh, if i may suggest to you: hahaha or ajajaja would be more respectable
…..MJ Park i enjoyed you’re article, and despite having little respect for Leiva let alone Liverpool you have convinced me not change the channel every time he looses possession, and i thank you for that because there is no much on tv these days…
There’s giving him time to progress but when he has the touch of a rapist and the tackling finesse of a moose it’s hard to see how he’s going to improve.
Good article. Thank you!
I am not the biggest fan of Lucas, but not because of him; I believe Rafa could have found a better player for that position if he hadn’t tried to flex his muscle with Alonso.
Anyway, agreed if all these managers have seen something in him then they have to get it out of him on game day and he has to do the same. You see flashes right? So working with Gerrard and Masch he can learn a lot and develop!
Thank you MJ P.
“Liverpool fans should wish the best for him”
Yea I wish him the best playing for another team. He can take Babel with him….
I think I can safely speak for supporters of every team (sans Liverpool) in the Prem: I hope he stays at Liverpool his entire career.
At age 22, Lionel Messi is an Olympic gold medalist, 2 time CL winner, first time Spanish treble winner, etc
At the same age, Johan Neeskens was a 3-time European Cup winner, and had scored a goal in a World Cup final.
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Where was [Di Stefano] before joining Real Madrid? Colombian football.
Well, you have to remember the context. Di Stefano came out of the River Plate youth system, then took a big-money offer to play in Colombia’s outlaw league.
Lucas is a decent player and was our best during preseason, people think he is crap because he is being compared to alonso for christ sake, people say he cant tackle etc. maybe becuz hes an attacking midfielder being played out of postion and on top of that all the liverpool fans are on his back
MJ! I like your insight on the premature affirmations on young players such as Lucas. Just as you said, with money going around so fast in the soccer world, both fans and club administrators (coach included) look for talents that develop just as fast, on the lookout for instantaneous results. Also, at this rate, the soccer career span for a player will probably be significantly shortened. Players such as Maldini, on their mid 30s, gradually disappear as they are taken as professionals at the end, or even past, their career peak.
Like many a Liverpool supporter, I’ve scratched my head more than once at Mr. Lucas’s exploits on the pitch; either flashes of brilliance with no end product or lethargic, inaccurate passes, and loss of possession, the same with Mr. Babel. I do agree with you that in this era of instant gratification, many Liverpool fans forget that these two players are still very young. Probably because they didn’t come out of the Liverpool youth system (Like Manchester) or were one of Wenger’s babes, hence – they’re not given the patience by the media or fans. However, football is a young man’s game; most fans will accept inconsistency with youth, as long as there are signs of improvement (Walcott, Agbonlahor). I can’t remember when last these two players had a smashing match or a decent run of form. Babel needs to play more but based his disappointing first start I can see why Benitez thinks differently – he probably should be loaned out. Lucas must prove to himself and to the Club that he is at least; becoming a better player. He is Brazilian and it’s a World Cup season so I’m hopeful.
Lucas is the worst player we have got at Anfield. Stats dont lie. The central midfield is the key place especially for a top european club and he fails miserably at it (just like my spelling). Over 80 appearances he’s made (better players have made less) He should be playing a lot better than he is. To be fair he is playing better than last year and he’s still crap. He doesn’t dominate games even the much lesser ones (remember Preston North End and how the game changed for the worst when he went on in the second half).
Lets swap him for the beach ball that played at Sunderland.