In recent years an old debate has been given a new lease of life. It takes the big-match player as its focus, a mythical type capable of stepping up to the plate in his team’s hour of need. Perennially at the heart of these arguments are the fantasistas, those who thrill and dazzle but all too often fizzle out under the heat of the spotlight.
Italian football has had its fair share. The likes of Gianni Rivera, Sandro Mazzola, Ale Del Piero and Francesco Totti have all been unfairly doubted and criticised at some stage of their careers. The same could be said of Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo who, because of their arrogance, are always expected to perform to the best of their abilities come Brazil or Brighton.
But should we always turn our attention to attackers? The game, after all, is only sometimes won by the man who puts the ball in the net. Take Inter, for example. While Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Balotelli get a lot of credit for scoring goals, Esteban Cambiasso is the player who shields and provides for the Nerazzurri. Earmarked as the club’s future captain once fellow Argentine Javier Zanetti hangs up his boots, El Cuchu is an unrivalled match winner and exceptional professional.
Roma captain Totti conceded the title this week, fully aware that Inter’s formidable midfield pairing of Cambiasso and Patrick Vieira is back on Sunday against Cagliari. They, together, are more important than the Nerazzurri’s front pairing and have led Inter to 15 victories in their 18 games together. Cambiasso’s grace belies his work-rate, as for him elegance is not a dispensable luxury, but a quality that decides victory and defeat. Only Julio Cesar and Zanetti have made more appearances this season, emphasising the 27-year-old’s importance to Inter’s success.
As a big-game player, Cambiasso has few rivals. He has shown himself to be more than comfortable at keeping his head when all around him are losing theirs, whether it be finishing off a 16-pass move for Argentina in the World Cup against Serbia or netting the winner in the Derby della Madonnina to see off city rivals Milan.
Timid yet imposing, what has struck me the most about Cambiasso is his ability to lead by example. Amid all the polemic regarding the standard of refereeing in Italy this year, the former Real Madrid star said: “Excuse me, but you’ll never hear me pass judgement on a referee. Never. You need to have respect for those who make decisions in a fraction of a second, if they’re threatened it’s our fault.”
No wonder Interisti hold up banners reading: “Cambiasso non cambiare mai,” which literally means “Cambiasso never change.”
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