Thursday, 30 August 07, 09:23 PM
I'm a little peeved writing this.
Denilson, once the most expensive player in the world, and entertainer extraordinaire of yesteryear has gone and ended up at the hallowed halls of FC Dallas.
Well, as a Toronto FC fan, I am more than a little aggrieved at this. Why couldn't we have got him? I'm sure he's being paid well (although not exorbitantly), but Toronto doesn't have a star name amongst their ranks yet, and he would have been perfect for that left-flank. Instead, we must suffer the gormless Andy Welsh - a player that is a player solely because he has a left-foot, and not a particularly good one at that.
Denilson would have been a hit in Toronto, especially with the massive Brazilian & Portuguese population we have here, not to mention the fact that he has played for the exalted Brazilian National Team, at multiple World Cups. If ever there was a player who put bums on seats, it's Denilson - magical control, clever invention, and a never-ending flow of elegant stepovers. Even if Andy Welsh had 10 legs, he still wouldn't be able to do what Denilson does with the ball. OK, the Brazilian has been inconsistent, injury-prone and kind of lazy for most of the latter part of his career, but it's only the MLS!
It's a nice thought I suppose, Denilson in our Red & White instead of theirs, zipping down the wing in Toronto, with the South Stand singing "Denilson, woah-oh-oh, Denilson woah-oh-oh, he once played for Brazil, but now he plays at BMO Field, Denilson, woah-oh-oh" (to those who are unfamiliar with the tune, please look up the Patrick Vieira song that Arsenal fans enjoyed singing for so many years).
I guess the sunnier climes of Texas were probably a big factor in Denilson going there (as opposed to elsewhere on the continent). Not really sure how well he'd cope with early snowfall of Toronto or New York, not to mention the windchill. And I suppose the stylistically very-British Mo Johnston wouldn't really have the best working relationship with someone like him.
Oh well.
On Toronto FC 2-2 New England : TFC finish up moderately well