Patrik Schick. He’s a Czech forward. He signed with AS Roma on Tuesday. But look, no one cares about the player. Let’s talk about that announcement video.
#Schick #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/JAIvKGYS7P
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 29, 2017
When do we begin to take Milan seriously?
Before we continue with this week’s column, it’s essential that we pause for a moment. On Sunday evening, Andrea Belotti did something. Something fantastic. The goal he scored — a first-time overhead volley — deserves a moment of reverence. That’s why the man has a $120 million release clause in his contract. Let’s take a pause here and appreciate the goal.
Andrea Belotti is not generally mentioned in conversations concerning the elite strikers in Europe, but it is looking more and more like the Torino man should be.
Belotti hopped on his bike Sunday against Sassuolo and scored a goal for the ages.
Andrea Belotti has your goal of the weekend covered pic.twitter.com/twoQ7RK6qj
— LuisMiguelEchegaray (@lmechegaray) August 27, 2017
Demetrio Albertini enjoys a legendary status amongst those who watched AC Milan and the Italian national team in the 90s, but the midfielder’s remarkable talent isn’t widely recognized outside of that sphere. As a ball-winning midfielder that orchestrated play from deep, Albertini doesn’t have a massive highlight reel with regards to goals, although he did score a number of long-range screamers and some gorgeous free kicks.
In the early days of football and throughout most of the 20th century, it wasn’t uncommon for players to stay at a club for their entire career. Legends such as Santiago Bernabeu, Giampero Boniperti, Lev Yashin and dozens of others all stayed with one team for decades. It was kind of the thing to do.
This was the first week of the new Serie A season. Things seemed to go according to plan. Juventus won. Fiorentina played like a bunch of hastily assembled strangers. Napoli played free flowing, attractive football and almost undid itself in the end. Everything went according to plan. So, there’s not really a result that stands out from the rest in terms of demanding the attention. But that’s because there’s a new game in town.
For those familiar with the wizarding sport of Quidditch, you’ll know that teams inconsequentially spend long periods of time throwing the Quaffle through goal hoops for the pittance of 10 points. This is all entirely meaningless because during this time, the seeker is attempting to catch the Golden Snitch, ending the game and giving his side 150 points.
True greatness knows no boundaries. It cannot be confined to the lines of a soccer field. It can appear anywhere: in a Rio de Janeiro favela, a dusty African village or an elite European academy.
OR, on a boat, anchored somewhere idyllic, surrounded by other boats. Francesco Totti graced the pitch professionally for more than 20 years and, now retired, needs an outlet for his incredible passing skills. Thus, boats.
Serie A is almost back. So close you can nearly taste it. So, while most of Italy is shutting down in advance of Ferragosto, we’re going to spend some time with our Serie A preview, making predictions for the season ahead. Prepare for all of these to look completely wrong in eight months’ time.