I'm not as skeptical as Luis about the Galaxy's chances to land Zidane, though I don't think Zizou is as excited to come to America as David Beckham. I'd say 50-50.
That's because after talking to Lalas, I realized how familiar his phrasing sounded - he said many similar statements about Beckham before Becks was signed. A lot of people dismissed it because of how they feel about MLS. Lalas would have had to scream in their face, "BECKS IS SIGNING" for them to believe it. They certainly weren't picking up on hints that the odds looked good.
Another reason I think it might happen is because Tim Leiweke is a pretty busy guy. Unless he happened to be in France on vacation, I think it's significant that reports have come out that he flew over to talk to Zizou. Leiweke makes things happen.
Showing posts with label Zidane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zidane. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
ZZ rumors, zzzzzz
I know it's going to seem very girly or something, but in many cases when I'm reporting, I've learned to trust my instincts. For example, if a player holds his hand up, palm out, while walking away in the opposite direction when I'm calling his name, it's a bit of a clue that he doesn't want to talk, and isn't going to, either.
I know, I'm sharp like that.
I'm sharing some of my incredible intuition here because I was one of the few reporters to correctly predict early on that David Beckham would come to Major League Soccer, and I've been sent several emails asking me what I think (as if I'm the new lucky charm prophet) about Zinedine Zidane joining the Chicago Fire, as the latest rumor goes.
Well, first off, AEG owns the Fire, and if anyone has proven their willingness to make something happen with the Designated Player Rule, it's AEG.
On the other hand, though, part of my logic for thinking the Beckham trade to the Galaxy was going to happen was simple observation. When Real Madrid toured Los Angeles, Beckham was all smiles, jogging out in the sunshine, waving at the crowd, talking to reporters, doing publicity for his academy, going out to a club. He clearly liked LA, and so, apparently, does his wife. They have friends here.
Zidane didn't seem as taken by the U.S. at all. Now, it could be he's such a natural introvert that it's hard to tell. He might have been gleeful way deep inside. If so, he hid it well, never smiling, refusing all interview requests, except for a few words to one French journalist, and generally ignoring everyone around him.
Yes, I'll readily agree that Zidane is magic on the field, that the last World Cup clearly showed his skill is still incredible, and that he might consider a comeback to the U.S. a good way to erase the final image that others have of him. At the very least, I don't think anyone will insult him in Italian.
I have trouble imagining that he's excited about coming to MLS, though. Sorry, Fire fans.
Then again, it's not like anyone saw the headbutt coming, either.
I know, I'm sharp like that.
I'm sharing some of my incredible intuition here because I was one of the few reporters to correctly predict early on that David Beckham would come to Major League Soccer, and I've been sent several emails asking me what I think (as if I'm the new lucky charm prophet) about Zinedine Zidane joining the Chicago Fire, as the latest rumor goes.
Well, first off, AEG owns the Fire, and if anyone has proven their willingness to make something happen with the Designated Player Rule, it's AEG.
On the other hand, though, part of my logic for thinking the Beckham trade to the Galaxy was going to happen was simple observation. When Real Madrid toured Los Angeles, Beckham was all smiles, jogging out in the sunshine, waving at the crowd, talking to reporters, doing publicity for his academy, going out to a club. He clearly liked LA, and so, apparently, does his wife. They have friends here.
Zidane didn't seem as taken by the U.S. at all. Now, it could be he's such a natural introvert that it's hard to tell. He might have been gleeful way deep inside. If so, he hid it well, never smiling, refusing all interview requests, except for a few words to one French journalist, and generally ignoring everyone around him.
Yes, I'll readily agree that Zidane is magic on the field, that the last World Cup clearly showed his skill is still incredible, and that he might consider a comeback to the U.S. a good way to erase the final image that others have of him. At the very least, I don't think anyone will insult him in Italian.
I have trouble imagining that he's excited about coming to MLS, though. Sorry, Fire fans.
Then again, it's not like anyone saw the headbutt coming, either.
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