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Opinion
Alfredo RelañoWith Cristiano in the ranks, 'Calcio' looks to regain lost ground

With Cristiano in the ranks, 'Calcio' looks to regain lost ground

Update:

The summer transfer market trundles along with no deal to date to rank alongside the major move of the window that saw Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid for a switch to Juventus. One can take or leave the deal but the reality of the situation is that the five time Ballon d'Or winner no longer plays in Spain. There was a period in time where the finest in the game (the likes of Platini, Zico, Maradona, Gullit or Van Basten) plied their trade in Serie A and a spell in Italy was synonymous with a player having made it onto the biggest stage. Juve pulled off a coup in securing the services of Cristiano and we're seeing how Serie A clubs have been spending big in the current transfer window.

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo poses at Beijing Haidian Minzu Primary School during his China tour on July 19, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by VCG)
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Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo poses at Beijing Haidian Minzu Primary School during his China tour on July 19, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by VCG)VCGVCG via Getty Images

Il Clacio

I recall reading somewhere an old phrase along the lines of: 'Italians take war seriously but football even more so'. I'm not going to explore the first part of that phrase but have always felt that level of detail that is explored in Italy whether it be tactical or analytical is excessive. Traditionally the best of Spain's exports moved to the English Premier League or to France with some moving to the German Bundesliga but few made the journey to Serie A as over the years "Il Calcio" failed to evolve and became stagnant with Serie A failing to dominate the European domestic scene.

Mar 1986: Steve Archibald (right) of Barcelona takes on Gatetano Scirea of Juventus during the European Cup match in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona won the match 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport
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Mar 1986: Steve Archibald (right) of Barcelona takes on Gatetano Scirea of Juventus during the European Cup match in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona won the match 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /AllsportGetty ImagesDIARIO AS

Spending

This year Italy also failed to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup in a tournament that it must be said where Spain didn't exactly do themselves justice and a competition that was won by a pragmatic style from the French team that despite being efficient was, by and large without sparkle. At times the play from "Les Bleus" was reminiscent  of that witnessed at the Italian national team ground of Coverciano a decade or so ago. Without the hangover of a a World Cup to deal with and with a boost following Cristiano's signing at Juve, it looks a promising time for lovers of Italian football (calciómanos). The transfer market is often an indicator of the rude healthy of a particular league and this summer so far it's Serie A who are challenging the always cash rich Premier League and the presence of Ronaldo at the Turin outfit will certainly do wonders for in helping boost Serie A's global appeal.