Unhappy and Unloved, Tevez Decides To Move On

Sitting at my desk in the office, insignificantly blending into the background amongst all the other similarly motivated employees, I wonder if a move to new pastures would be best for my career and self esteem.

I work hard to get myself noticed, working my socks off when I get the opportunity to shine in front of the boss, but seemingly all in vain.

Nonchalantly I contemplate killing a few of my rivals in order to give myself a mathematically better chance of being noticed, but sometimes though no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try to be the best that I can, sometimes I seemingly don’t feel valued. Just ask Carlos Tevez.

Despite being offered a five year deal that would have made him one of the highest earners at Old Trafford, he decided that bridges had already been broken and to move elsewhere, for a reported fee of around £25.5m, which was agreed when he joined United in 2007.

The now former Manchester United player has tasted great success during his two seasons at Old Trafford as he has helped his team to consecutive Premier League titles, Champions League success and the FIFA World Club Cup, amongst a handful of other trophies.

Despite this Tevez has grumbled that he hasn’t played a significant role in this success and has just been a peripheral character, destined to provide cover to United’s first team regulars. An example of this is the amount of appearances he made in the League Cup this season.

His contribution has been greatly appreciated by the Old Trafford faithful though, who voiced their praise for the Argentine international during and after the seasons close, especially so in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure to Real Madrid.

His involvement isn’t insignificant however and he is more than just a bit part player, as his quality helped his side throughout the season and also when it counted, as he netted two goals in the last four games to help secure United’s third successive title and stave off the pressure from title chasers Liverpool.

Having joined on a two year loan, his industry, ability and passion for the game made him in instant fan favourite and for a while it looked as though he would continue his stay with the club.

“From the moment I came here I wanted to sign a longer contract,” Tevez told the BBC back in September 2008.

“It would be wonderful if the chairman put a long term contract on the table for me. I would sign it without doubt.”

The relationship soured though between himself and Sir Alex Ferguson, as he was increasingly limited to substitute appearances and first-team starts against teams that he felt were not the biggest sides in the Premier League or Europe, so he decided it was time to end his association with the club.

Like many people who decide to move away from their current job, it isn’t always the obvious smart thing to do. United are the current league champions and are in a strong position to challenge again next year, but he has elected to go to another club where he feels more valued.

Oil rich self-appointed big boys and city rivals Manchester City are rumoured to be interested in Tevez and if he was to go to Eastlands he would certainly be a vital member of the team, but the success he tasted on the other side of the city would not be guaranteed from a side that finished way adrift in tenth last season.

Title rivals Chelsea have also been linked with him, but if he was to move to Stamford Bridge he could face a similar competition for places that he experienced at United, unless they sell either Nicolas Anelka or Didier Drogba, to make the Argentine the focal point of the attack.

The immediate winner in Tevez’s move will be his money grabbing agent, part- owner and football cancer Kia Joorabchian, who will undoubtedly ensure he gets his share of the swag.

Wherever he ends up, he understandably will want to be appreciated by both fans and the management and start regularly in the team as one of the main strikers, but only time will tell if he has sacrificed success at United in order to achieve this.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Sunday June 21, 2009.
Tags: Carlos Tevez, Manchester United