Carlos Tevez has always wanted to be loved, but he doesn’t exactly make it easy. After seven years in England the emotional Argentinian has played for three clubs, picked up a hat-trick of league titles, and adorned the Premier League with a combination of skill, tenacity and explosive goalscoring ability that few players in the country can match. It says something however that most fans’ abiding memories of Tevez will be unpleasant ones. Only at West Ham is he still unambiguously adored, and only then because he didn’t stay long enough for things to turn sour. His barnstorming performances in the back half of the 2006/2007 season were a thing of wonder, with his goals and innate will to win almost single-handedly dragging the club out of the relegation zone. He capped it all with a goal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR_gevPHKbU)
at Manchester Utd on the final day which officially secured the Hammers’ safety and left East London a club legend after less than a year there.
The Man Utd fans had liked what they’d seen in that match and he was loved there too at first. After joining on a two year loan, he finished his first season at Old Trafford with a League and Champions League medal and the unquestioning worship of fans who thrilled to his attacking interplay with Wayne Rooney (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e1i1b5aeXI)
and Cristiano Ronaldo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUWCOI7fMUM) , a trio they christened “The Holy Trinity”.
His second season at Utd was to prove less happy. So much so that he caused a rare fan revolt against Sir Alex Ferguson. As Utd secured their 18th league title with a tepid nil-nil draw against Arsenal, a chorus of boos were directed at the home bench when Tevez was substituted on the 67th minute. Having not exactly taken to the subtler charms of new signing Dimitar Berbatov, whose languid playing style made him more or less the anti-Tevez, the Utd support greeted the final whistle with chants of “Argentina” and “Fergie sign him up”. While the manager publicly backed the player, Tevez bemoaned what he perceived as his poor treatment in a series of interviews and the club and his advisers were unable to reach a deal. Carlos, ever dramatic, did the unthinkable and signed for City.
Like a spurned lover, the Utd faithful feigned indifference. Ah, but he was never that good anyway was he? City on the other hand could hardly believe their luck, here was one of most exciting stars in the league, a jewel in the crown of a glittering Utd attack, and he’d rejected the old enemy for the noisy neighbours. They reacted with unrestrained glee and and the infamous “Welcome to Manchester” billboard. Small time, the Utd fans said.
Tevez made an thrilling start to his career with City, finishing that season with both the Fan’s and Player’s Player of the year award and being made club captain by manager Roberto Mancini. The City fans swooned, this time it would be a love that lasted forever. By Christmas 2010 though the old demons were stirring, and Tevez submitted a transfer request. There was a list of familiar complaints – homesickness, an breakdown in relations with senior figures at the club – but City refused to budge and the player eventually reaffirmed his commitment to the cause.
Then in 2011, the Bayern Munich incident. With City two nil down against the German club, there were angry scenes on the sidelines when Tevez allegedly refused to come on as a substitute. An incandescent Roberto Mancini claimed he would never play for the club again and the player was placed on gardening leave while City searched for a suitor to take him off their hands. With no takers, Tevez returned after three months and issued a grovelling apology. Across Manchester Alex Ferguson gloated, and the striker’s absence seemed to have already done the damage to City’s league tilt but on the most dramatic final day of the season ever he helped them to secure their first title in four decades. Even in victory Tevez managed to antagonise, gleefully waving a cardboard sign with the legend “RIP Fergie” at the club’s opentop parade. Another apology followed.
He would stay one more season at City, and there would still be great performances and goals, but it’s difficult to argue that he’s been worth the trouble. With an unconfirmed transfer fee of £47m and millions more frittered away on lost wages the sense was that Tevez’s turbulent affair with City had to come to an end. He joins a Juventus side whose fans will be hoping that this unhappy wanderer is finally ready to settle down, but it might not be too long before Tevez is breaking hearts once again.
Good luck Carlos. Let’s try to stay friends.
Fuzzy Lamentations 