There Is Only One Sinnacle

One of this summers most drawn out transfer rumors finally became a reality when Ricardo Quaresma left Porto behind to link up with fellow countryman Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan. After a successful stint at Porto as the main attraction for defending three time Portuguese champions but there comes a point in ones career where Quaresma career progression would stall if he remained. Inter moves into the picture and Quaresma is off to Serie A.

The timing was right for Quaresma to test himself aboard. Critics have made mention of his one year move to Barcelona which can’t be viewed as a success. Quaresma couldn’t handle the culture shock and questions where raised about his maturity. When Ricardo Quaresma was coming through the fable Sporting Clube de Portugal youth ranks that have produced the likes of Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo it was Quaresma and not team mate Cristiano Ronaldo that was originally pegged for stardom. After being treated with kid gloves all his life at Sporting he found moving to Barcelona a hard adjustment. With the Spanish giants it isn’t about potential it’s about results. Filled with world class players around him Quaresma was just another face in the crown and couldn’t handle the transition. In the end Frank Rijkaard often clashed with the budding young talent and after one year sent him on his year back to Portugal as a make weight in the Deco transfer.

There are six players in today’s game that I would play big money to see live.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Kaka/Ronaldinho
3. Lionel Messi
4. Frank Ribery
5. Ricardo Quaresma

The player is that good with the ball at his feet. What Quaresma needs to learn much in the way that Ronaldo discovered in England is to stop dribbling the ball five times where ohh’s and awww’s are created with the first four dribbles but a turnover occurring on the 5th. Quaresma needs to become effective with only one or two touches on the ball. Instead of trying to beat a whole team only beat one defender and pass it with the advantage gain. This lesson Quaresma will need to learn quickly under the special one himself Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho had this to say once about Joe Cole when the two were together at Chelsea. “I think he has two faces – one beautiful one and one that I don’t like. He must keep one of them and change the other one”? That was in reference to Joe Cole indifference playing defense. Even then Joe Cole would look like Franco Baresi compared to Ricardo Quaresma. Defending is another area that Quaresma will need to commit to if he is to stay on Mourinho’s good side.

In order to become a success at Inter Milan. He’ll need to believe in Mourinho team concept. It’s all about the team, all the time. In Porto he was the face, he was the superstar, his wishes soon became demands. That will no longer fly with his teammates and especially his coach. For years he was pegged as a world class talent. Now that he is playing for a world class team Quaresma will need to rise up and justify his expensive price tag not to mention his explosive potential.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 1:48 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.