Top 10 - Football Myths
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Skysports
Richard Bailey takes a look at some of the best football myths and discovers football lovers have never been shy of letting the facts get in the way of an interesting tale.
Carlo Ancelotti can't speak English
Sceptics had already doomed the tenure of Ancelotti at Chelsea before he had even stepped off the plane for the simple reason that he couldn't speak English. Many feared that the Italian's methods would get lost in translation when it came to addressing the players but they needn't have worried. Shortly after arriving in London the former AC Milan boss gave an interview to Chelsea TV in near-perfect English leaving the doom-mongers with egg on their faces.
Ryan Giggs could have played for England
The Manchester United record breaker captained England schoolboys in his youth, causing many people to believe he was eligible to represent the Three Lions at senior level. Therefore, there was mass confusion and bewilderment when Giggs apparently chose Wales over England. But, in truth, there was never a decision for the winger to make. Born and raised in Cardiff, Giggs moved to Manchester at the age of five where he attended English schools - explaining his inclusion in the England youth sides.
Denis Law's back-heel relegated United
The 'King of Old Trafford' was assigned to the scrapheap by new Manchester United boss Tommy Docherty when he was handed a free transfer in the summer of 1973. Law subsequently signed for rivals Manchester City and faced his former club at Old Trafford on the final day of the season knowing that a win would consign United to relegation to Division Two. Law ultimately scored the winner with a divine back-heel but failed to celebrate thinking he had sent his former club down. The truth is that United would have been relegated regardless after results on the day went against them.
Serie A is a boring league
The Italians have long been admired for their defensive capabilities but over the years that same method - dubbed 'Catanccio' and made famous by the Inter Milan side of the 1960s - has now helped label Serie A as a negative, boring league. Back in the late 80s and early 90s Italy boasted some of the best attacking talent in the world with Diego Maradona, George Weah and Roberto Baggio just some of the stars who plied their trade in the Italian top flight. Nowadays the cream of crop flock to the Premier League or La Liga but is Serie A really that much more boring? According to the facts no. Over the past three seasons Serie A has outscored the Premier League twice, including this term when the English top flight recorded a total of 860 goals compared to Italy's impressive 988 strikes.
Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't perform in the big games
The current Fifa World Player of the Year's talent has never been in doubt but his critics state that he cannot belong to the game's elite until he influences games on the biggest stage. Over the past two seasons the Portuguese star has blown that theory out of the water. Ronaldo helped United to UEFA Champions League glory last season when he headed them into the lead against Chelsea, while he also scored twice in this season's Champions League semi-final second-leg against Arsenal to guide United to another final appearance. The 24-year-old has scored against all of the so-called 'big four' in the past two seasons, while last term he finished as the top scorer in the Champions League with eight goals.
Holland's 1974 World Cup final 'sex scandal'
The Dutch were hot favourites to lift the World Cup in West Germany having knocked out Brazil with their brand of total football. All that was left to do was defeat the hosts in the final. A German newspaper then decided to spice up the build-up when they paid female escorts to go to the hotel where the Dutch stars were staying. Their photographer was duly on hand to snap the action and report the breaking news, albeit without Holland's involvement. The truth later came out that the startled Dutch players had actually fled the pool area, where the girls found them, as soon as the women arrived, but they couldn't extract revenge on the German public as they lost the final 2-1.
Wembley is an energy-sapping pitch
So many times on FA Cup final day we see players going down with cramp with the sheer size of the pitch churned out as an excuse. Granted Wembley has always looked huge on our television screens but in reality the opposite is correct. The new Wembley measures in at 105 metres long and 68 metres wide and is smaller than 15 of the 20 Premier League pitches, but do you ever see players going down with cramp every weekend? We thought not.
British players can't play abroad
Despite the Premier League being one of the strongest leagues in the world, not too many Brits seem to succeed abroad. Jimmy Greaves and Denis Law were two players to first experience football on foreign soil with AC Milan and Torino respectively, but both were back home within a couple of months. Ian Rush was another to fall short in Italy in the 1980s, later describing his switch to Juventus as 'like moving to a different country'. Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate have continued the failed trend over recent years but the success of players such as John Charles at Juventus, David Beckham at Real Madrid and AC Milan, Paul Lambert at Borussia Dortmund and Matt Derbyshire at Olympiakos this season has surely proved that British players can hold their own overseas.
Fixture congestion affects the top teams
Nowadays, Premier League managers can't go two weeks without complaining about the number of games their teams have to play or that a Christmas break should be introduced into the English game. For years experts have been saying that our players at the top level are playing too many games, minimising their team's chances of success. But is it true? Of the top four teams Manchester United played the most games, 66, and also won the most games following a midweek fixture with 15 wins from 19 games. Chelsea claimed 14 wins from 19, Liverpool 12 from 19 and Arsenal had the worst return with 11 wins from 21. Hardly poor records. United won the Premier League, League Cup and reached the final of Champions League, Chelsea won the FA Cup, Liverpool pushed United all the way in the league and Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and the FA Cup. Poor seasons indeed.
Premier League players aren't loyal
There is a myth among football fans, especially those at the top level, that if a player decides to leave a club he is not loyal. Granted, there are players out there who would leave a club at the drop of a hat or those that are simply motivated by money, but surely all footballers can't be tarnished with the same brush? Gareth Barry is the latest player to have his loyalty questioned after his switch to Manchester City. However the midfielder has given Villa more than 10 years of service. Surely that is loyal. Frank Lampard is vilified by West Ham fans for leaving the club but he still gave them five years of football. Shay Given was criticised for leaving Newcastle to join City in January but he had suffered in a poor team for more than 12 years. Perhaps we need to redefine the term 'loyal' when used in football circles.
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why no john terry he also very loyal
