[football] walk side by side

How would you rate Cyril Slade?

陆焕

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Thank you.

It’s been a long time since I received the invitation to this question, and I always wanted to find an opportunity to say something, but maybe people are like this when facing their idols, so the more I like him, the more I write about him. It is difficult to write.

Watching the live broadcast of the UEFA Champions League final tonight, after Real Madrid won the championship, Slade knelt at the Bernabéu stadium and made a gesture of bowing his head and kissing the lawn.I was actually a little confused when I saw this, because it was so sudden.I never imagined that he would choose to retire at this time-in terms of his age, midfield position and performance in Real Madrid this year, it is definitely not a problem to play for another two years.

Until now, when I sat in front of the computer and began to write this answer, I suddenly felt relieved.

We all know that Slade is a very humble person. In this regard, he and Kaka are actually very similar, as gentle, polite, tolerant and humble.But in fact, these factors of character and quality do not damage his pride. He may not be as straightforward as Ronaldo, but in essence, he is also a proud person.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that it is not difficult to understand why Slade chose to announce his retirement on the night when Real Madrid won the championship. How could such a proud person allow himself to leave the stadium as a "loser"?

Even if his opponent is the invincible "time".

1.

Like many professional players, Slade was born in a poor family. When he was a teenager, he dropped out of school due to family financial difficulties. When he was 12 years old, he entered the Porto echelon training until he was promoted to the Porto first team. When there is no financial burden, He just returned to the classroom once again while continuing his career.

For the 16-year-old Slade, 2002 was probably a very special year in his life-in this year, he was promoted to the Porto first team, officially landed on the stage of the Portuguese Super League, and returned to the absence The campus that has been there for a long time, and most importantly, he met the most important man in his career.

Jose Mourinho.

The relationship between him and Slade is said to be a teacher, but it is actually more like a father and son.Slade lost his father at an early age and was brought up by his mother alone. Mourinho just played the role of the male elder in his life. His mother taught him humility and softness, and Mourinho made him grow into a firm, powerful man.

Without Slade, the World Cup title would only be Mourinho's distant dream.Similarly, Cyril Slade would not have become the phenomenal midfielder of this era without Mourinho's careful teaching.

Therefore, if we want to understand Slade's career, then the existence of Mourinho is an unavoidable link.

2.

"Slade is the kind of player who can keep calm at all times and convey this emotion to his teammates. He is very self-controlled, and every judgment and behavior on the court is extremely rational, which makes him rarely make mistakes. ——But at the same time, it also became his shackles."

In an interview with the media, Slade's head coach in the Portuguese U21 national team, Wen Hayes, once said to the media: "It was Mourinho who changed this-he let Slade release his own. All the talent and talent, completed the transition from an ordinary midfielder to an aura midfielder."

As for what happened later, we all know: under the careful guidance of Mourinho, Slade won his first European championship at the age of 16.

It is undeniable that in this big ear cup, Mourinho's tactics and the strength of his teammates account for a very large part. Slade's contribution may not be as much as Mourinho's, but it is equally important for Slade. Ryder's progress during Chelsea has laid a solid foundation.

If there is no release during the Porto period, naturally there will be no Chelsea period, the Blues midfielder who has amazed countless fans.

3.

Friends who know me should know that in the past years when I worked for "Football Weekly", I was mainly responsible for following up the Premier League section, so Slade's Chelsea period can be said to be my most confident A piece of evaluation.

At that time, there was always a joke in the football betting circle: when you don't know who to buy, it's right to buy Chelsea.

Although it was just a joke, it was enough to prove the strength of Mu's first blue team at that time.

Chelsea at this stage is a very strong team-they have defeated Manchester United, defeated Arsenal, and even Bayern Munich were once played around by Mourinho's tactics.The most important thing is that Chelsea in this period not only had strong players and excellent coaches, but also had an extremely friendly dressing room atmosphere.

This made Slade's first days at Chelsea smoother.

When everyone's eyes were on the arrogant Mourinho, the unstoppable Peter Pan, the powerful Warcraft and other Blues players, no one knew that at that time, Stanley was only half the main force and half the substitute. Ryder is currently buried in the Chelsea training base, tirelessly learning the strengths of his teammates, and patiently waiting for the moment of "usurpation".

Regrettably, Chelsea was strong at the time, but their Champions League journey seemed to be cursed. They lost to Liverpool in 2005, lost to Peak Dream II in 2006, and AC Milan in 2007 outrageously. Climbing to the top, Moscow in 2008 did not believe in tears...

La Liga staged Messi with five players in a row, Ronaldo's inhuman shooting record, unstoppable in the Champions League, and Kaka brazenly carrying AC Milan forward...

So far, all the young players who were compared with Slade by the media back then have reached the top of Europe one after another.

For Slade at the time, it was just the beginning of a seven-year sleepless night.

4.

In 2008, Mourinho dismissed get out of class, Slade lost his mentor who had always trusted him, and Chelsea gradually fell into unprecedented chaos.Abramovich's targeting, the new head coach's ignorance, and the fans' ignorance put Slade, who is Mourinho's direct descendant, in an extremely embarrassing situation.

If it weren't for Portugal's Euro 2008 triumph, this might have been the darkest year of Slade's career.

But from the perspective of those who came later, it was clearly not the worst years for Chelsea and Slade.

In 2009, Barcelona's Dream Three Dynasties shocked the world. Kaka and Ronaldo's shocking transfer became a major event that everyone talked about.When fans all over the world were shocked, cheered, or angry, Stamford Bridge in London, England, has been forgotten by the whole world.

Fate is cruel. It allowed the young Slade to easily taste the taste of the European champion at the age of 16, but in the following days, on that dark, cold night, he pursued in Chelsea. In the seven years of being a champion, he fell into the abyss of despair time and time again.

The author has something to say: Hello everyone, I am back ⊙▽⊙!

But I don't know if I can make up 300 chapters. 2333