Claude Makelele is now officially a Paris-Saint Germain player after signing a two year contract with the Ligue 1 club. This follows his retirement from international duty for France after their 2-0 loss to Italy. He has come to dominate the position of holding midfielder so thoroughly that it is known as the "Makelele role", but he was also starting to show his 35 years. Anyone who watched him at Chelsea or for France could see that while his defensive tenacity remains, his passing and ability to move the ball upfield have fallen off dramatically. He started only 15 games for Chelsea in the Prem, but did start 12 in the Champions League including the Final where he was only subbed off in injury time before the pk's. Players who create goals get most of the glory, but Makelele's ability to stop those players was world class.In his three years at Real Madrid he won a Champions League medal, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, two La Liga titles and two Spanish Super Cups. The one thing he couldn't win was equal wages with the rest of the "Galacticos" and in 2003 he put in a transfer request and was sold to Chelsea for £16.6 million. Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, famously said "We will not miss Makélélé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways." Beckham's arrival coincided with the departure of Makelele, and Zidane voiced the feeling of a number of the players when he said "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?" The results speak for themselves as Chelsea won two Premiership titles, the FA Cup and made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League four times in his five years with the club. Though they never became champions of Europe, Makelele's transfer ushered in Chelsea's most successful period in the club's history. With players like John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien they will be able to fill the "Makelele role," but they will definitely miss the man himself.
One Liners
- Ferguson says Ronaldo move to Madrid would be worst thing for the player, does not seem like objective advice
- Scolari expects to return from Asia to a fit Drogba, seems more likely he will return to Drogba in a fit
- Blackburn says Bentley is for sale, if you're willing to spend like a Russian oligarch/deposed Prime Minister
- German clubs say they won't release players for Olympics, first the clubs will have to catch them
- Lyon gets Mensah, smart move
