On the day that Hargreaves was criticizing the United medical staff, here is what Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was > saying about his new signing:
“I remember him very well when he played for United and Bayern. He was an incredible midfielder. United paid £17 million for him and he is 30 years old. On top form he is one of the best midfielders in Europe.”
Hargreaves in top form? That would make things really interesting. In a season where City look closer to competing with United, this could be one helluva of comeback story to watch.
Who knows? Maybe City can do something with Hargreaves’ that United couldn’t? I like how calm Mancini is about the plan for Hargreaves. I like that Mancini is going to gradually let the player recover before pronouncing him a member of the eleven.
I can’t believe how quickly – at 0:35 of the video – they were able to burn those numbers on. I guess the big clubs can these days do almost anything in house. Cool.
Yes – and get it now – unless you’re a Manchester United fan. Does anyone recall the Fernando Torres shirt burning episode in the streets of Liverpool when the once beloved striker asked to be sold to Chelsea?
Well – could Hargreaves’ situation get worse? I mean this guy has not only left for a hated rival but has done so within the same city. And he has a home in the same city. Is his United jersey all that will be burnt?
I’m certainly not trying to inflame : ) things with this cheeky post.
I’m actually really hoping that on both sides of the Manchester football divide, cooler heads will prevail.
If anyone can take the heat of leaving United for City, it’s the famously determined Hargreaves.
Owen Hargreaves is known for many things. He is known for getting cut from a Canadian team and then moving all the way to Germany to try-out with – and make it with – the great Bayern Munich. He is known for winning a Champions League with Bayern and then joining the even greater Manchester United to win another Champions League. He is known for being England’s best player at the 2006 World Cup. And he is now known as the United player who moved to City.
I’ve always been a big backer of Hargreaves. I really admire how he did whatever he could to get the most out of his talent. This is a guy who has always believed in himself, a guy who always competed as hard as he could, a guy who wouldn’t accept the limits put on him, a guy who always delivered.
Remember, this is a guy who was told he wasn’t good enough by Canada (a Third World soccer country) and promptly went on to play for two of the biggest clubs of all-time and win trophies.
The guy is very determined. You have to be determined to endure two knee reconstructions, a calf tear, a hamstring tear and ruined shoulder, over three years, and still want to compete. That’s determination, players.
While you’ll see in the video that Hargreaves has a lame reason (that he already had a home in Manchester) for signing for United’s hated cross-town rivals, you can see from that very notion that Hargreaves will not let anything – including the ire of Sir Alex Ferguson and inevitable abuse of Red Devils fans – get in the way of his talent.
As mentioned, he’s always believed that he had big talent. Not talent at the level of West Brom – who also tried to sign him this summer after United released him – but talent at the level of the new, big-money Man City, who the interviewer calls one of the best clubs in Europe.
As Hargreaves says in the video, he’s always wanted “to measure myself with the best.”
That’s why he initially left Canada – a move I have long applauded: he correctly believed that to become the best, he needed to be among the best.
So, while I don’t agree with this current move – I think it’s arguably more disloyal than leaving his neglectful country (Sir Alex was never neglectful) – I’ll closely be following its outcome.
Despite my criticisms, Hargreaves’ story is one of the best and most inspiring for young players to follow – if they want to see what it actually takes to make it or just simply make the very most out of their talent.
