28th issue-3

DT
VOL 1, Issue 28 | Saturday, August 5, 2017
Sports Tribune
World
record
move
3
Siddikur flying
Bangladesh flag high
4
Neymar: magician
and marketing gold
Bolt departure great for
6 rivals, bad for athletics

2
Saturday, August 5, 2017
DT
Week in Review
Picture of the week
This week
The Ukrainian synchronised swimming team in action during the 2017 Fina World Swimming Championship in Budapest, Hungary INTERNET
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, competing in
his seventh and final World Championship,
in London this year, will
need to produce a time similar to
the one that earned him gold at the
Rio 2016 Games to win Saturday’s
100m final.
As far as football action is concerned,
all eyes will be on France
this weekend as the top-flight football
league already got underway on
Friday night.
Meanwhile in cricket, India and
host Sri Lanka, currently doing battle
in the second and penultimate Test
match, will be looking to get the better
of each other as the third, fourth
and fifth day’s play are scheduled for
Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Host England and South Africa,
in the meantime, are engaged in a
heated battle in the fourth and final
Test and things will only get more
intense when the second, third,
fourth and fifth day’s play takes
place on Saturday, Sunday, Monday
and Tuesday respectively.
AUGUST 2
Bolt ready
to race and
retire
• Reuters
Just in the unlikely case that the
world of athletics did not know
what they will be missing once
Usain Bolt walks away in less
than two weeks, the Jamaican
superstar’s final eve-of-race news
conference rammed home the
message on Tuesday.
These events have become part
and parcel of every global championship
and though Tuesday’s
version in east London lacked the
dancing girl razzmatazz of his Rio
welcome last year, it scored heavily
on nostalgia.
As always, journalists and TV
crews, around 400 of them, from
every corner of the world packed
every available space and strained
their arms in desperation to get
their question answered by the
great man.
AUGUST 3
Australia to visit Bangladesh
• Agencies
AUGUST 1
United sign Matic from Chelsea
• Reuters
Manchester United have signed
Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic from
Premier League champion Chelsea on
a three-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were
not disclosed, but British media
reported that United paid between
40m and 50m pounds to reunite the
28-year-old midfielder with manager
Jose Mourinho.
“Nemanja is a Manchester United
player and a Jose Mourinho player.
He represents everything we want
A deal has been reached to resolve
Australian cricket’s protracted pay
dispute, paving the way for the nation’s
professional players to be re-contracted
and for this month’s scheduled Test tour
to Bangladesh to proceed as planned.
The in-principle agreement was
signed after a final round of face-toface
negotiations between Cricket
Australia CEO James Sutherland and
his Australian Cricket Association counterpart
Alistair Nicholson in Melbourne.
Details of the deal and the new fiveyear
Memorandum of Understanding
that it underpins were revealed at a
formal media announcement at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The central sticking point throughout
the stand-off has been the model
by which the players are paid.
In previous iterations of the MoU
over the past two decades, players
received a portion of CA’s gross cricket-related
revenue but the governing
body sought to modify that in the new
agreement to allow it greater flexibility
for much-needed investment in grassroots
programs and facilities.
in a footballer; loyalty, consistency,
ambition, team player,” Mourinho said
in a statement.
“I would like to thank him for his
desire to join us because without that, it
would be impossible to have him here.”
JULY 31
Moeen hat-trick as England
thrash SA
• AFP
Moeen Ali became the first bowler in
The Oval’s 100 Test-history to take
a hat-trick as England wrapped up a
crushing 239-run win in the third Test
match against South Africa on Monday.
Off-spinner Moeen ended the
south London ground’s landmark
match when, after having Dean Elgar
(136) and Kagiso Rabada caught at
first slip by Ben Stokes with the last
two balls of his 16th over, he had
Morne Morkel lbw with the first ball
of his next — although England had to
first review umpire Joel Wilson’s not
out decision.
It meant Moeen had become the
13th England bowler to take a Test
hat-trick.

Feature
3
Saturday, August 5, 2017
DT
Siddikur flying Bangladesh flag high
• Shishir Hoque
Currently it is off season for the local
golfers in Bangladesh due to the
rainy season.
The golfers are quite relaxed
during this time and visit the Kurmitola
Golf Club regularly but are
mostly involved with gym and
physical exercises.
Siddikur Rahman’s amazing
display in the recently concluded
Porsche European Open though
has brought vibration among his
compatriots.
Country’s golfing sensation Siddikur
has been a familiar name in
the Asian Tour for quite some time
now.
He has already participated in
143 international tournaments,
and clinched two Asian Tour titles,
in the last eight years.
His recent heroics in Germany
however, expanded his recognition
beyond Asia.
Siddikur sealed third spot with
a brilliant display in the European
Open following which he made a
huge climb in the official world golf
ranking, jumping 78 steps from
360th to 282nd position.
It was approximately seven
years ago in the first week of August
when Siddikur earned Bangladesh
its first ever Asian Tour title
winning the Brunei Open.
His second and last Asian Tour
title came four years ago in the
Hero Indian Open.
After that, he has made top-10
finishes in eight tournaments, including
five runners-up titles in
Singapore, Philippines, India, Mauritius
and the Bashundhara Bangladesh
Open.
The 32-year old golfer enjoyed
his first Olympics experience last
year in Brazil as he became the
country’s first sporting personality
to make it into the world’s biggest
sporting event through direct entry.
After Siddikur, the names of Zamal
Hossain Mollah and Shakhawat
Hossain Sohel come first among
the other top Bangladesh golfers.
Dhaka Tribune on Thursday discussed
with the duo regarding not
only about their career, but also
Siddikur’s latest success, future
and his contribution in the country’s
sporting arena.
The future and US Open
Zamal Hossain Mollah
“The way Siddikur is improving,
I think he can play in world golf’s
most prestigious tournament – the
US Open - next year. Following
his performance in the European
Open, he will play in more big tournaments
in Europe than before. It
will upgrade his rating and ranking.
There will be a time when he would
participate in the US Open without
qualifying hassle,” said Zamal.
Zamal started playing in the
amateur tournament in 2005, the
same year he got into the national
team, and continued till 2010 before
participating in a professional
tournament for the first time in
2010.
His first amateur tournament
was in Bhutan while he began his
professional career in the CG Open
in Mumbai seven years ago.
He won around 15 titles in different
amateur and local tournaments
but his best achievement came
in 2011 when he emerged as the
champion in the Bangladesh Open.
Siddikur finished runners-up
there.
He also became champion in the
same tournament’s amateur category
in 2009.
Zamal became an Asian Tour
member in 2012 and after that, he
was permitted to play three-four
Asian Tour events every year.
Zamal was scheduled to take
part in the ongoing Bengalore’s
Asian Tour event but due to an injury
in his broken hand, he withdrew
his name.
“It is a matter of pride for every
Bangladeshi. He is bearing the flag
of the country in the world of golf.
Europe now also knows the name
of our country and its players. As a
golfer myself, I know how difficult
it was to achieve such glory and I
feel so proud of him,” said the 28-
year old golfer.
‘No player contribute in foreign
remittance than Siddikur’
Shakhawat Hossain Sohel
Sohel has been a common name in
the country’s golfing scenario since
2000.
Sohel and Siddikur have been
playing together for a while now
and are also long-time friends.
His first tournament abroad was
in Sri Lanka 17 years ago in an amateur
event.
Taking part in more than 100
tournaments, he considered his
performance in the 2016 Bangladesh
Open as his best achievement.
He finished sixth there and first
among the Bangladeshis.
He also won an Asian Tour event
in Malaysia in 2014.
“It was a proud moment for
Bangladesh. Those who play golf
knows the significance of such
achievement. He fought against
top players in Europe and the
world. Big, big achievement. He
achieved this through his own efforts,”
said Sohel.
The 33-year old golfer continued,
“I think he earned the country
most foreign remittance. Cricketers
get better facility than golfers. Still,
I think there are no other sports or
player in Bangladesh who contributed
in remittance more than Sidikur.”
Meanwhile, in terms of earning
money, Siddikur’s best time was
in 2013 when he earned a total of
$4,95,467 from 21 tournaments, including
the Indian Open title.
He earned $1,90,389 from 18
tournaments last year.
Till the European Open, Siddikur’s
total earning this season
so far totalled $93,040 from eight
events.
His average earning since 2009
is $2,22,052 each year, according to
the Asian Tour. •

4
Saturday, August 5, 2017
DT
Brazilian magician and
marketing gold
• AFP, Paris
His pre-teen skills bewitched internet
users over a decade ago, and now
Brazil’s Neymar is set to dazzle in
the French capital with his forecast
world-record transfer to wannabe European
power Paris Saint-Germain.
Neymar’s projected move from giants
Barcelona and the elite Spanish
La Liga to continental underachieving
PSG and the low-key Ligue 1 has raised
eyebrows.
But the French club’s Qatari owners
are nothing if not ambitious, determined
to sign Neymar as part of
their drive to capture the Champions
League.
And to transform PSG into a European
super club, they had no hesitation
in making 25-year-old Neymar
the world’s most expensive player of
all-time for a fee that will more than
double the previous record paid by
Manchester United for Paul Pogba last
summer.
PSG haven’t agreed to pay such a
massive amount solely for the undoubted
attention and shirt sales that their
new recruit will garner, but for one of
the most gifted players on the planet.
And PSG will be fully expecting
him to provide 40-plus goals a season
in all competitions and to take the perennial
European also-rans all the way
to the final of the Champions League
for the first time.
Everything moves fast in football,
especially for the man who made his
professional debut for Santos as a
waif-like teenager just eight years ago
and joined Barcelona in 2013.
The apprentice megastar has had to
share the spotlight with team-mates
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the
Camp Nou, especially after injuring
himself in the 2014 World Cup.
But his inspirational display in
the thrilling climax of Barca’s sensational
6-1 Champions League last-16,
second-leg, comeback against PSG
in March would have convinced the
Ligue 1 giants that Neymar was worth
the massive investment.
His pass for Sergi Roberto’s winning
goal was one of the highest quality,
having kicked off the late flurry of
goals with a glorious free-kick.
On top of his stunning club performances,
Neymar’s reputation as one
of the game’s best players has been
enhanced by his performances in Brazilian
colours.
He has scored 52 international
goals in only 77 appearances, and led
the five-time world champions to victory
in the 2013 Confederations Cup
on home soil.
Despite some controversy over a
nasty elbow on Croatia’s Luka Modric,
he impressed at the World Cup a year
later in scoring four goals before having
his tournament ended by an injury
sustained in the quarter-final against
Colombia.
The hosts famously collapsed in
Neymar’s absence to a sensational 7-1
thrashing by Germany in the semi-finals,
but the number 10 has helped
them recover since and they were the
first South American nation to book
their spot in next year’s World Cup.
He also turned out for the Olympic
side last August, and duly scored the
winner in the penalty shoot-out as
Brazil beat Germany for gold to earn a
small measure of revenge for the humiliation
two years before.
Back at Barca he established himself
a central part of Barcelona’s
famed “MSN” trio alongside Messi
and Suarez as they stormed to the
2015 Champions League title, but he
managed only 13 league goals last season
as the Catalan giants failed to defend
the Spanish title.
Despite a slightly disappointing 12
months, the Neymar brand remains
strong.
Major sponsors have flocked to his
door for his good looks, happy-golucky
nature and huge social media
following with Nike, Gillette, Panasonic
and Volkswagen among Neymar’s
big-name brands.
“He is someone that everyone
knows, from the 70-year-old grandmother
to the five-year-old grandson,”
Erich Beting, an expert in football
marketing in Brazil, told AFP last
year.
“When you reach the status where
people want to be like you, that makes
you priceless for brands and that is
what he has managed.”
His image off the field has been
damaged by tax fraud cases in his
homeland and in Spain over the
murky deal that brought him to Barca
from Santos in 2013.
But other global stars have fallen
foul of tax authorities since, including
Messi, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo also
faces allegations of tax fraud.
Neymar is still one of the most marketable
athletes in the world, and that
is one of the biggest reasons why he
commanded a new world record for
his services.
His every move has been followed
by his near 80 million Instagram followers
as the deal edged closer. •
Neym
The biggest transfers of this season so far
Safe to say, this has been the craziest
transfer window of all time. Over to 1 billion
Euros have been spent and we’ve still got
a month left in this transfer window. Let’s
look at some of the biggest ones so far.
Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan from
Juventus: Buying the best defender in the
world from the best team in your league;
That too for 40 million Euros? Sure,
Manchester City stumped up a load of cash
to buy Tottenham right back Kyle Walker for
more money, but no transfer can top this
one, this window. A statement signing from
AC Milan who are looking to once again
challenge for top honors with new owners,
having spent close to 200 million Euros.
It’s unlikely Juventus will be able to find a
replacement for Bonucci so that 40 million
price almost seems like chump change.
James Rodriguez to Bayern Munich from
Real Madrid: It’s difficult to see why Real
Madrid would have loaned out a player the
caliber of James Rodriguez on a two-year
Supporter By Shahnoor Rabbani
loan when they could have sold him to PSG
for 60 million Euros. But safe to say that
the Bavarians have won in this deal, where
they’d have to pay a considerably less, 35
million Euros after the two-year loan if
they wanted to keep him. With just 100
million Euros spent to find replacements
for the retied Xabi Alonso and Philip Lahm,
Bayern have already gotten their team ship
shape for the next season, though they’ve
struggled in pre-season.
Alexandre Lacazette to Arsenal from
Lyon: 52.5 million Pounds seems like
a bargain when you see the amount
Chelsea spent on buying Morata and
United spent on capturing Lukaku. One
of the most prolific strikers in Ligue 1 for
the last 3 seasons, Lacazette comes with
the reputation of being a clinical striker
that Arsenal have been lacking since the
departure of Robin van Persie. The man
also creates chances and has the most
number of goals and chances created in
Europe’s top 5 leagues and is only behind
Leo Messi in that regard. He would have
gone to Atletico Madrid if they didn’t have
the transfer ban so this is a huge signing for
a team that doesn’t have the Champions
League and makes them genuine title
contenders if they can hold on to Alexis
Sanchez.
Neymar to PSG from Barcelona: This
deal, although not official might just
happen by the time the writing is published.
Neymar already has his release clause of
222 million Euros triggered and will be
joining unless La Liga’s authorities have
the last laugh. Although the dream combo
of MSN will be gone, it will allow Barca to
strengthen in midfield and in attack with
world class players. The team has been
lacking squad depth. While it will allow
Neymar to be the focal point of a team
and allow PSG to once again try and go for
glory in the Champions League. A win-win
situation overall.

ar Jr
5
Saturday, August 5, 2017
DT
The world record
transfer in numbers
As Neymar closes in on a
record-breaking £198m transfer
from Barcelona to Paris
Saint-Germain, we break down
the numbers behind the deal.
The Brazil forward has
agreed a five-year contract
with the French giants on an
annual salary of £26.8m after
tax, according to Sky sources.
The overall deal is worth
nearly £450m, including the
£198m buyout clause, £134m
in wages over five years, plus
a range of bonuses.
Neymar’s salary equates
to £515,000 per week, £73,571
per day, £3,065 per hour and
£51 per minute, making him
one of the highest paid footballers
in the world. Neymar’s
£26.8m salary breakdown
• £515,000 per week
• £73,571 per day
• £3,065 per hour
Neymar factfile
Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos
Junior
Date of birth: February 5, 1992
(age 25)
Place of birth: Mogi das Cruzes,
Brazil
Height: 1.75m (five feet, nine
inches)
Position: Left wing/forward
Senior international debut: v
USA, August 10, 2010
International caps: 77
International goals: 52
Clubs: Santos (BRA) 2009-2013,
Barcelona (ESP) 2013-2017, Paris
Saint-Germain (FRA) 2017 present
(deal still to be finalised)
Major club honours: Champions
League (2015), 2x La Liga (2015,
2016), 3x Copa Del Rey (2015,
2016, 2017), Club World Cup
(2015), Copa Libertadores (2011),
Campeonato Paulista (2010, 2011,
2012), Copa do Brasil (2010)
Major international honours:
Olympic gold medal (2016), Confederations
Cup (2013)
• £51 per minute
To put those numbers into
perspective, Neymar could
afford to buy a new top-ofthe-range
private jet worth
£50m once every 22 months
using his basic salary alone.
If he’s looking for somewhere
to live in Paris, he
could cover the costs for the
most expensive flat in the
city, which is worth £18m, in
just eight months.
Neymar will earn enough
money to buy a new Audi
sports coupe, the £85,000 car
in which he travelled to Barcelona
airport on Wednesday,
every 27 hours and 45 minutes.
He probably won’t need
any, but the 25-year-old will
earn enough to buy a pair of
Neymar signed headphones,
which retail at £500, once
every 10 minutes.
Neymar’s Barcelona
highs and lows
• AFP, Barcelona
Neymar’s anticipated world record
transfer move to Paris Saint-Germain
will bring to an end an epic four-year
spell at Barcelona. AFP Sports look at
the 25-year-old’s best and worst moments
in a Barca shirt.
Highs
Champions League winner
In their first season together Neymar,
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez
combined to be an unstoppable
force as Barca sealed only the
club’s second ever treble of La Liga,
Champions League and Copa del
Rey in 2014/15.
Neymar had a huge impact on
Barca’s Champions League run as
he scored three times against PSG
and Bayern Munich in the quarter
and semi-finals respectively before
netting in the final against Juventus
to finish as joint top scorer in
the competition with Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo.
No Messi, no problem
One argument backing Neymar’s
decision to leave Barca on top of
reportedly tripling his wages is to
move out of Messi’s shadow and
compete to become the first Ballon
d’Or winner outside of Messi and
Ronaldo for a decade.
Whilst Neymar has blossomed
playing alongside Messi, arguably
his best spell for Barca came in a
rare prolonged absence for the Argentine
with knee ligament damage
in the Autumn of 2015.
Neymar and Suarez stepped up
to the mark with the former scoring
11 times in nine matches without
Messi, capped off with a virtuoso
performance as Barca thrashed
Real Madrid 4-0 in their own backyard
at the Santiago Bernabeu.
PSG miracle
PSG’s audacious move gains a small
measure of revenge on Barca for
producing the biggest Champions
League comeback of all time back
in March from 4-0 down after a first
leg hammering in Paris to win 6-1 at
the Camp Nou with Neymar at the
heart of the action.
Neymar scored a stunning freekick
and from the penalty spot before
teeing up Sergi Roberto for a
95th minute winner as Barca struck
three times in the final seven minutes
to take his tally to seven goals
and three assists in six games
against the French giant.
Lows
Up in court
The murky transfer which brought
Neymar to Barca in the first place
in 2013 has overshadowed his entire
stay in Spain with two separate
legal cases launched into the deal.
Barca settled the first case with
the Spanish tax authorities over a
40m euro payment made to a company
owned by Neymar’s family.
But another case brought by
investment company DIS who feel
they were cheated out of their fair
share of the transfer fee as they
owned 40% of his sports rights is
still ongoing.
Neymar was called to give evidence
in a preliminary hearing on
the DIS case in February 2016 and
will be called to testify again when
the trial takes place.
Malaga meltdown
By Barca’s high standards, last
season was a disappointing one
as they missed out on the La Liga
title to Real and, despite their PSG
heroics, crashed out at the quarter-finals
of the Champions League
to Juventus. Barca lost out on the
title by just three points and were
made to pay for a costly 2-0 defeat
at Malaga in April caused in part by
a loss of temper from Neymar.
His one and only red card in a
Barca shirt was particularly avoidable
as his first booking was for
holding up play as he tied his boots.

6
Saturday, August 5, 2017
DT
Usain Bolt
Bolt departure great for rivals,
bad for athletics
• Reuters, Zurich
Usain Bolt’s rivals will, for once,
be glad to see the back of a man
who has dominated global
sprinting for the last decade
but the sport of athletics will
be far less enthusiastic about
bidding a final farewell to the
charismatic Jamaican.
Bolt has completed the
sprint double at the last three
Olympics and had he not been
disqualified ahead of the 100
metres final at Daegu in 2011,
the 30-year-old could
have matched that feat at the last
four world championships.
In an era blighted by doping
scandals, the Jamaican has almost
single-handedly kept the sport
afloat but his commanding reign
will come to an end when he retires
after next month’s world championships,
finally allowing other
sprinters a look-in.
gold medallist in 2004 and runner-up
behind Bolt in Rio last year,
told Reuters.
South Africa also
has a new generation
of stars, led
by Akani Simbine
and Thando
ed States, a traditional sprint powerhouse
but largely forgotten as a
threat for a decade since Gatlin and
Tyson Gay tested positive for illegal
drugs.
However, Christian Coleman
put himself on the map
when he ran 9.82s, the fastest time
this year, during the U.S. collegiate
championships, while Trayvon Bromell
won bronze at the world
championships two
PROFILE
Height:
6’5″ (1.95 metres)
Weight:
207 pounds (94kg)
Place of Birth:
Trelawny, Jamaica
Nationality:
Jamaican
Date of Birth:
21 August, 1986
Place of Residence:
Kingston, Jamaica
years ago aged just 20.
But whether any athlete can
come close to matching Bolt’s
dominance and charisma is a
different matter.
OLYMPIC GOLD
MEDALS
100m – 9.69s
Beijing, 2008
100m – 9.63s
London, 2012
100m – 9.81s
Rio, 2016
200m – 19.30s
Beijing, 2008
200m – 19.32s
London, 2012
200m – 19.78s
Rio, 2016
4x100m – 37.10s
Beijing, 2008 (Later canceled)
4x100m – 36.84s
London, 2012
4x100m – 37.27s
Rio, 2016
WORLD RECORDS
100m – 9.58s
Berlin, 2009
200m – 19.19s
Berlin, 2009
4x100m – 36.84s
London, 2012
In track and field,
after I left, it wasn’t
like somebody just
stepped in. It was
eight years before
Bolt came along.
In the simple matter of who will
take his place at the top of the 100
metres podium either at or after
London, Canada’s Olympic sprint
medallist Andre de Grasse appeared
to be just ahead of the pack
as the leading candidate before an
injury.
“(De Grasse) shows up when
it counts. That’s the mark of
a veteran. Even though
he has been in the
sport not too long,”
Justin Gatlin, Olympic
Roto, although
with
their national
championships
taking place in
March, peaking
twice in one season
could hinder
their hopes of
victory in London.
“It’s difficult to
be running fast in
March and having
to peak for your nationals
and still find
a away to be ready
at the middle of August,”
former 200m
world champion
Ato Boldon told
Reuters.
The door could
also open for the
Unit-
WORLD CHAMPION-
SHIP GOLD MEDALS
100m – 9.58s
Berlin, 2009
100m – 9.77s
Moscow, 2013
100m – 9.79s
Beijing, 2015
200m – 19.19s
Berlin, 2009
200m – 19.40s
Daegu, 2011
200m – 19.66s
Moscow, 2013
200m – 19.55s
Beijing, 2015
4x100m – 37.31s
Berlin, 2009
4x100m – 37.04s
Daegu, 2011
4x100m – 37.36s
Moscow, 2013
4x100m – 37.36s
Beijing, 2015
“You would
have to have someone
who is dominating,
no one is doing
that,” said Michael
Johnson, former Olympic
champion in the 200
metres and 400 metres.
“You would have to have
WORLD JUNIOR
RECORDS
200m – 19.93s
Kingston, 2002
WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION-
SHIP GOLD MEDALS
200m – 20.61s
Kingston, 2004
someone who has something special
he has in terms of personality,”
the American told Reuters.
“In track and field, after I left, it
wasn’t like somebody just stepped
in. It was eight years before Bolt
came along.
Johnson is one of those who feel
the sport needs to work harder at
promoting itself rather than waiting
for a “new Bolt” to burst on the
scene.
“I don’t think the sport should
depend on that,” he said.
“If the federations don’t
want to have to promote the
sport itself, want to just ride
the coattails of a great athlete,
yeah it’s going to be
hard.
“It’s a great sport
right here in front of all
of us, if we would just
promote that, but
that takes some
work. It’s not
that
easy.”

Feature
7
Saturday, August 5, 2017
DT
From phenom to oft-injured fringe player,
the various stages of Wilshere’s career
Jack Wilshere is back training at
Arsenal, after the leg fracture that
prematurely ended his season-long
loan at Bournemouth. Whether
he plays competitively for Arsenal
again is a subject of serious speculation,
though. The next few weeks
appear a vital juncture in the career
of a 25-year-old who once looked to
have it all.
Jewel of the Emirates
At Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park
in Sept. 2008, Wilshere, aged 16
years and 256 days, became Arsenal’s
youngest ever league debutant.
His achievements at representative
levels had given advance
notices of an Englishman with similar
capabilities to Cesc Fabregas,
who he had supplanted for that
club record.
Wenger, though compared him
to a Gunners legend of a different
vintage, someone then running
the club’s youth academy. He said:
“People tell me he is a bit like Liam
Brady, because he has good balance
and change of direction. I believe
later he will be a central midfielder
or play behind the strikers.”
Arsenal’s loan star
Rave reviews during Arsenal’s preseason
Emirates Cup tournament
in Aug. 2009 had thrown an even
sharper spotlight on a 17-year-old
Wilshere, already looking ripe to be
part of Wenger’s first team.
He was loaned to Bolton Wanderers
in January, managed by
Owen Coyle, who preached the
same style of football that Wenger
adheres to. There, he received vital
Premier League experience,
and Bolton wanted to keep him for
another season. “The fans can see
what a great young English talent
he is,” said Coyle.
The breakthrough
Coyle did not get his
wish. Wenger had
decided it was time
he unleashed Wilshere.
The teenager
performed like a midfield
general from
the start. “I’m a bit cautious with
him because you don’t want to get
praised too early,” said Wenger
after Wilshere shone during a 4-1
League Cup thrashing of Spurs in
Oct. 2010.
Arsenal’s manager could
not resist using someone
who quickly
looked like his team’s
heartbeat. A move to
Barcelona beckoned
for club captain Fabregas.
Wilshere played 49
matches in that 2010-11
season, and by its conclusion
had won a place in England
coach Fabio Capello’s
team.
Injuries begin to curse
Perhaps Wenger should have
exerted that caution, and
maybe that golden season
will remain the best we see
of Wilshere. Arsenal did
not get to soothe the loss
of Fabregas with Wilshere.
Instead, they lost both for the
2011-12 season, one which embraced
disaster, including an 8-2 loss
in August at Manchester United.
Wilshere suffered a stress fracture
of an ankle playing against
New York Red Bulls in the Emirates
Cup, and was not seen again until
Oct.2012, when, playing with his
old zest and bravery for 67 minutes,
he was man of the match
against QPR. There has been a gap
of 542 days since his previous competitive
Arsenal appearance.
A boom and bust cycle
“All I can do now is prove to them
that I can get back to the level I
was at before, to show them what
I can do,” said Wilshere after that
QPR game. And he has often since
shown glimpses of his rare talent,
though blemishes have appeared
just as often. Wilshere became a
staple of tabloid paparazzi stings;
the sight of him with cigarette in
his mouth while out partying appearing
too often.
And his on-field bravery was also
a problem, putting fragile limbs in
danger. Over the five years that followed
his 2010-11 breakthrough, he
would suffer further ankle surgery
at the end of the 2012-13 campaign,
a broken foot in March 2014 that
reduced his chances of contributing
to England’s World Cup, four
months out during 2014-15 after
a heavy challenge by Manchester
United’s Paddy McNair, and then a
fractured fibula that kept him out
for all but three Premier League
sub appearances at the conclusion
of the 2015-16 campaign.
Hodgson’s hope
Despite that strictly limited involvement,
England manager Roy
Hodgson, like Capello, always had
faith in Wilshere’s ability. Likewise,
Wenger has always shared that
same admiration.
Hodgson kept a midfield place
open in his Euro 2016 squad for
Wilshere, but it was a gamble that
flopped, amid many others made
during a hapless campaign in
France. In an awful team performance
against Slovakia, Wilshere
played 56 minutes in which he revealed
his lack of sharpness, and
was an even more ineffectual halftime
substitute in Nice, where England
suffered the catastrophe of
losing 2-1 to Iceland.
New horizons
Back at Arsenal in the summer of
2016, Wilshere found himself down
the pecking order among Wenger’s
midfield options. He asked for a
loan move to recover the rhythm
of playing regular football. Crystal
Palace thought they had their
man last August, only for Wilshere
to choose Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth
over Selhurst Park, and also
Roma, an offer which Wilshere seriously
considered.
And at Bournemouth, something
of the old Wilshere appeared,
with his passing range not dulled
by the long absences. During 27 appearances,
he also picked his battles
a little better. But then came
that injury curse again, and another
fracture, this time suffered at
Tottenham in April, where he was
jeered from the field by fans of a
club he has tormented both on and
off the field.
The future
Interest from Sampdoria was
dulled this week after Arsenal’s
pricing and Wilshere’s wages nixed
a move to Serie A. Turkish club
Antalyaspor also showed interest,
while another Premier League loan
move has been cited as a possibility,
with Palace linked once again.
Hero
MOEEN ALI
Moeen is our hero of the week after he
became the first bowler in The Oval’s
100 Test-history to take a hat-trick as
England wrapped up a crushing 239-run
win in the third Test against South Africa
on Monday. In the process, Moeen
emerged as the 13th England bowler to
take a Test hat-trick.
Quote of the Week
I am extremely happy to join Paris St Germain.
Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always
been one of the most competitive and most
ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what
most motivated me to join my new team
mates is to help the club to conquer the titles
that their fans want. From today, I will do
everything I can to help my new team mates,
to open up new horizons for my club and to
bring happiness to its millions of supporters
around the world.
- Neymar said he was looking forward to delivering trophies for
the French club.
Tweets
Darren Rovell
ESPN sports
business reporter
August 4
Only 3 NBA players
have made more
in their careers
than PSG paid for Neymar’s transfer fee
($262M): KG, Kobe & Shaq.
Alan Brazil
Football
commentator
August 4
For the price of
#Neymar you could
buy every League
One & Two club, plus Preston, Millwall,
Barnsley & Burton.