Claude Makelele

[Madmax 9,219]

Let's not spoil the legend's thread by posting the unimportant opinions of deluded people who're still living in the 80s

[LDN Blue 7,903]

"Lucas is a better all round footballer than Claude" scousers at it again.

Dear lord

I know scouse fans who would never go that far, even they know Maka is/was the best DMF to ever grace the game.

[bababoom 4,478]

Sometimes they're funny, but most of the time they are just annoying because of how deluded they are.

[lionsden 4,689]

Dear lord

I know scouse fans who would never go that far, even they know Maka is/was the best DMF to ever grace the game.

Never put anything past the scousers. it's an unwritten rule.

The level of delusion on their forum alone, if converted to pressure, can sink a titanic ship

[HRiver 1,512]

Reading scousers' opinions is just depressing.

[J.F. 1,484]

makelele's left foot> fucking lucas.

[Kieran. 6,317]

http://soccernet.esp...ith-psg?cc=5901

Claude Makelele hired as an advisor for PSG.

Edited September 19, 2011 by KieranVogel

[LDN Blue 7,903]

http://soccernet.esp...ith-psg?cc=5901

Claude Makelele hired as an advisor for PSG.

Good on them, they've got a legend on their books.. Like Real got Zidane and we got Di Matteo!

[Madmax 9,219]

Claude Makelele was not a glamorous sea-captain of any sort. His affable mannerisms and ever-present smile belied a combative, negative style of play that on first examination was far more destructive than constructive. This is not a bad thing. His precise, successful tackling and harassing of opposition attacks was awesome enough for unimaginative EPL commentators to consider the defensive midfielder position the “Makelele Role.” We should not judge him for the sins of others, however, as he was more than worthy of distinction. Nevertheless, one must ask when reflecting upon his career: what exactly was he? To answer that, we must first ask: what is beauty?

Beauty is subjective and encompasses a broad expanse of life that includes the aesthetically pleasing but also that which is less glorious to the eye yet engrossing (and engorging). By that standard, Claude was indisputably beautiful. Watching him break up play and quietly dictate the tempo of a match was in its own way as cathartic and fascinating a spectacle as the constant creation of Xavi. Opponents and fans alike realized—usually well after the fact, if at all—that he, as much as Zidane (blasphemy!) or Vieira or Lampard, was running the show. Or, more precisely, he made the show possible.

It was a beauty of a more subtle sort than that of someone like Pirlo, whose understated play exists in parallel with the immediacy of his colossal talent and glorious, flowing locks. Affable Claude, pleading his case with the smirking referee (“But I had the ball :-D”), hovering around the two center-backs, was not a man whose play inspired ecstatic hosannas. Instead, he imbued the viewer with profound respect accumulated over time, his total competence refined by intelligence and maturity to art. Sometimes, like Clint Eastwood's character in The Bridges of Madison County, the situation at hand requires a character with a fine (but not necessarily delicate) touch refined by experience and diligence. Makelele was always ready to offer just that, and for this he is rightly exalted.

Yet Florentino Perez, the President of Real Madrid, said the following after refusing to give Makelele a raise to a salary more comparable to his galactico teammates and selling him to Chelsea:

'We will not miss Makelele . 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. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three meters. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makelele to be forgotten'

There are many truths in Perez's statement, and yet he got the most important piece of information perfectly wrong: Madrid missed Makelele, badly. The galacticos project withered and died without the player Zidane deemed “the engine.” A reworking of Sir Alex Ferguson's defense of Juan Sebastian Veron, a deep-lying midfielder not noted for his defensive qualities, is a fitting tribute: “[Makelele's] a great fucking player. Youse [Perez and assorted detractors] are all fucking idiots.”

Why are we stupid? What did we miss? What made Makelele such a great player? To start, he knew himself. This is vital: self-knowledge and self-awareness are often overlooked by the exceedingly talented, but for those with more prosaic skill sets, such qualities differentiate between mediocrity and excellence. He knew himself, knew his role, and his grin hid a resolute determination to succeed. In addition to his psychological strengths, he possessed outstanding positional awareness, was a superb tackler until he lost the ability to accelerate in his late thirties, and his short frame served as an asset in tight quarters as his low center of gravity helped give him balance and excellent strength while over the ball. He worked through a checklist of sorts: 1) Don't get caught out. 2) Get the ball, or, failing that, slow the attack down by getting in the way somehow. 3) If I have the ball, pass it to a nearby, open teammate. 4) Trail the run of play if someone needs an outlet. 5) Repeat as needed.

He was brilliant, then, because he transcended his limitations and consistently laid waste to opposing teams' attacking schema in a campaign of destruction as subtle as Roy Keane's was spectacular. One can make the case that he was a rough equivalent of the Buddha, achieving fulfilling and transcendent enlightenment through methodical reflection on his qualities and an intense but even-keeled diligence. It's a stupid and ultimately useless analogy, but the last part of that has merit. Think of Makélélé as a night watchman, performing the unglamorous but vital task of protecting the extremely expensive modern art from the marauding playmaker-cum-art thieves of the world. A base soul like of Florentino Perez could never hope to comprehend such matters.

.................................................................................................................................................................

Outstanding piece of work. Complete article here -> http://inbedwithmara...midfielder.html

[Fulham Broadway 16,407]

^

Excellent read - can imagine Claude laughing at such an in depth analysis - 'I jus stop zee playerz'.

One of the most luminary signings and Madrids loss...

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Great article. I always cringe at the lack of tribute videos made for Maka showing his great abilities as a DMF.

[True_Blue 469]

Claude Makelele one of a kind,we never really completely replaced him.One of if not the best defensive midfielder of the modern era.Won everything he could and earned a legendary status forever in the folklore of the Chelsea faithful.

[Rambo 1,729]

[OneMoSalah 8,615]

We should get him back at Chelsea and give Romeu and Mikel tips on how to be as good as him!

[capriccioso 2,545]

Claude

[BlueLyon 9,359]

I always thought with Essien, we have next Makelele. And especially Lassana Diarra was even more like young Makelele, when he was playing for us. Really dont know, why we sold him...damn...

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I always thought with Essien, we have next Makelele. And especially Lassana Diarra was even more like young Makelele, when he was playing for us. Really dont know, why we sold him...damn...

Because there was no need for him. Essien was in his prime and Mikel was seen as the second choice to Ess. It made perfect sense to sell Diarra.

[Badboy 1,526]

What did Florentino Perez once say about Makalele ?

'''We will not miss Makélelé. 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. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélelé to be forgotten''.

Real Madrid basically went into the dark ages when Makalele left the club. They have consistently been knocked out of the CL in every single season since he left due to defensive lapses.