End of the season

The european club season has come to end (by the end of this week). Some of my views on the season. Feel free to comment.

Players of the Season

Ricardo Kaka:

No guessing why he is the player of the season. Kaka guided AC-Milan to victory and was decisive in every knock-out game of the Champions League. Additionally, with all the strikers of Milan hitting a dry patch the burden fell on the shoulders of Ricky. He was outstanding in Europe without doubt- one of the best performances by a player in CL over the last 10 years.


Cristiano Ronaldo:

At the beginning of the season too much dirt was thrown on this player and a lot was really really cheap. Cristiano was one of the outstanding players in the world cup and carried over the WC form into the Premiership. But, ironically the english press treated him as an outcast and everyone were asking when would he move out of EPL. Thankfully Alex Fergusson had some sense and the results are obvious to everyone. He has been consistent with his performance. To me CR7 is a complete player - very fast when given space, strong in air, and with some good shooting skills. He will have to curb a bit of his skill-bragging instincts to be even more effective.


Ruud Van Nistelrooy:

If Madrid manage to win the League half of the trophy should be given to RvN and the rest to Capello :-). A machine in front of opposition goal post and the only reason Madrid are battling for the league than relegation :-). If he had been a bit more cold in his finish in the CL game against Bayern Munich I guess Madrid would have progressed to the next round.

Honorable Mentions:

Francesco Totti (the top scorer in Serie-A), Didier Drogba (scored crucial goals for Chelsea), Diego (a class act and a fantastic player to watch out for ) Lionel Messi (phenomenal in the latter part of the season), Dejan Stankovic (the machine behind Inters spectacular season). A very very special mention to Rino Gattusso as well - warrior in the field, ready to fight for his team till the very end, his attitude was really refreshing and I put him in the list just bcoz of his attitude.


Team of the Season


Again I am spoilt for choice. Its a toss-up between the Italian serie-A champions and EPL champions. I guess I would for Manchester United. Not only did they halt Chelsea in the EPL but they did so in style. Manchester United played some scintillating football enroute their glorious season. Definitely, a force to reckon with in the next few years considering that the core of the side is young and with some smart additions this summer.

A very special mention to the Nerazzuris as well. Inter-Milan have been, in all honesty, phenomenal this season. They destroyed the European champions in the local derby and did break lots of records as well. I guess they should have done better in the Champions League, probably a better planning, and should have come trumps up against Valencia.


Manager of the Season

Again I am spoilt for choice. I feel its a toss up between Rafa Benitez and Fabio Capello. Rafa Benitez would win the vote for me. He orchestrated the victory against Barcelona in the CL and also out-thought the special one (Mourinho ) in the CL semi finals. Capello deserves a mention because of the way the Madrid press, management, supporters treated him - it was shocking to say the least. He could have thrown in the towel and gone back to Italy. Afterall, he just stands to gain a League title - yet another addition to overfilled cupboard of trophies. Capello has managed to instill team-spirit within Real and that explains the success of the team in the last few months.

Howler of the Season


There is no competition - Victor Valdez, the goal keeper of Barcelona, wins this without a shade of doubt. The performance of Valdez in the CL game against Liverpool was exemplary and ensured that Liverpool won the tie convincingly courtesy Valdez as a forward.
Well, there are plenty more as well. Ivan Helguera of Real Madrid, Dida of AC Milan.


Flop of the Season


He is player I have really loved during his time in Italy. A natural striker and deadly when given space, additionally he is also very good in air. I am surprised at the reason why he hasnt lighted up EPL this season. It just hurts to say that he has been a failure this season. I am not going to name the player - take your guess.