Life is a Game…

In the late 80’s and the early 90’s, Italian sides and Serie A had been dominating the world football. The UEFA Champions’ league trophy never moved out of Italy and it was a dream for every player to play for AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus or Roma. Italy was the favourite destination for most players and the quality of Serie A in turn skyrocketed.

Come Calciopoli scandal in 2006 and the image of Italian football was shred into pieces. The match fixing allegations led to Juventus being relegated to Serie A and they were stripped off two titles. Many players moved out of Italy and Italy was no longer captivating. Subsequently, Serie A became boring with the standard of play dropping to alarming levels. England and Spain continued to pour in some unbelievable money and soon Italian Serie A was destined to older players and the Brazilians.

But Kaka was the saving grace till last season. The FIFA 2007 player of the year is hailed as a bio-engineering marvel that incorporated every fine point of football. He was playing for AC Milan and he reiterated his commitment to the Milanese club every week. So, just like EPL had Ronaldo, La Liga had(s) Messi, Serie A had Kaka.

Now that he’s in Madrid for a record 60 million Euros, a new question arises. Who can replace Kaka in Serie A? Sadly, the answer is NONE. Not even a single player in Serie A has technical skills and pace comparable to that of Kaka. And no player in the other leagues is willing to go to Serie A, for they know that they can get more fame and money, if they play in England or Spain.

The tables will turn and Serie A may turn attractive in the future but as of now, Serie A is indeed in dire straits. And only if the quality of play and the standard of refereeing are improved, Italy can reach the dizzy heights of 90’s.