A few years ago I had a conversation with the legendary Aurelio Pereira that marked me a lot. And who is Aurelio Pereira, many of you are wondering? The man who made two Ballons of Gold and one of Silver. He was my discoverer in the quarry of Sporting de Lisboa, as well as Luis Figo Y Cristiano Ronaldo, among many other cracks. If the award of the “Golden Eye” existed there would be no doubt that it would be for him.
I remember that talk perfectly because every time I turn on the TV and watch current football, it is inevitable to think about his words. I asked him who would be the next crack to inherit the dribble throne. Answered me: “Paulo I'm sorry to tell you that today there are no street footballers like you. Today's kids are PlayStation players. They spend more time playing with their hands than with their feet ”.
I tell you this story because recently the great Alvaro de Benito (Football missed a great left foot!) He invited me to participate in a video on his YouTube channel analyzing this situation about the danger of extinction of the dribbler. Another great crack also participated, Gustavo Lopez. I send a big hug to both of you. I recommend all readers to watch the video.
I fear that Aurelio Pereira is absolutely right. There is no longer the pure 10 as were Maradona, Zico, Baggio, Giannini… The same happens with the big wingers facing the rival. It is clear that there are two factors for this disappearance. On the one hand the change of habits of the kids. It is undeniable that they have lost a lot of street and a lot of relationship with the ball in their free time. Apart from pachangas with my friends, I spent hours playing at home, with obstacle challenges, touches against the wall, etc. Even as an adult, having already won the Champions League, I continued to do so in my spare time.
The other factor is tactical change. The boys grow up with the “touch and go”, with their attitude domesticated by the blackboard. The solidity of the block is prioritized over individuality. The absence of error is valued more than daring. It is impossible for you to get all the dribbles, the success rate is statistically very low. But the few times they do come out is when real danger is generated. In my time, offensive players also had to be aware of defending, but it was not a priority. If every time I caught the ball, I had to be worried that I might lose it, would I have attacked in the same way?
Times change and modern football in general is like that. I want to be optimistic and I think it is inevitable that sooner or later things will change. The more rigorous and tactical the teams are at the collective level, the more important the appearance of unpredictable players will be that generate chaos, that disorganize the defenses, create spaces, face one against one. Rebels that dislodge the slate to which the rival coach dedicated so many hours.
As Mundo Deportivo read by many culés, I ask them a question from a Barça player that I have always liked, Ousmane Dembelé, and that Álvaro comments at the end in his video. When a Barça game ends and the statistics of the Frenchman come out, who out of 8 attempts lost the ball 5 times, what do they give more importance to: the 5 lost balls or the 3 dangerous chances that he generated? I will always stay with the magic.