Ian ConstantineSydney FC - JUNINHO Whisper - But what about Carney and Milligan?
August 1st 2007 06:11
Little Maestro
The latest player on the horizon is the little 34-year-old maestro and former world cup winner, Juninho. There is no doubting his pedigree; the pocket rocket oozes class and drips of skill. In short, he is a genius with the ball at his feet and although his best years may be behind him, there is no doubt he will draw a crowd. Just watch some of the wonder goals he has scored to reveal his pure wizardry and potential.
The problem I have with this is the other news surrounding Sydney FC; Mark Milligan and David Carney are both looking overseas. The dynamic pair, who both played solidly for Australia in the Asian Cup are now looking to enhance their careers elsewhere. It’s a sobering thought for sport fans, the system has brought these players to the top of their game, but now they want to move on. The A-League, like it or not, is a feeder system, we simply don’t have the money to keep our home-grown talent.
Not that anyone can blame Milligan or Carney for going, who wouldn’t want to play in the best leagues in Europe? Carney stated that it has always been his dream to play in the English Premier League and now he has a chance of realising this vision. This is not to say that he will definitely depart, but it does have a sense of inevitability about it.
Nick Carle who also represented Australia with honour at the recent championship has moved from Newcastle United to a Turkish club. The man was a God to the Novacastrian faithful, somebody that you spent your hard earned dough to go and watch every single week. But he has repeatedly said he felt he was being left behind by staying in the A-League. He wanted to enhance his chances of further selection and thus like so many before him, has moved overseas.
We are starting to see this trend with Rugby League, although the motives for players moving in this code may be slightly different. In league, the money in a lot of cases is simply too good to refuse, the competition is seen as a step down. In soccer however, players move overseas to play in elite company, the money is obviously there, but it is not the main reason for the mass exodus.
What can we do about it? At this stage there is not a whole lot we can do; the appeal of playing in Europe far outweighs anything Australia can offer. However, if we can continue to produce sensational talent such as Carle and Carney it would be a great step in the right direction. Sure, Juninho would be great to watch, but our society loves nothing more than local boys making good.
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