Dynamic Men: Lassana “Lass” Diarra

Being a journey man is not always kindly looked upon in the world of soccer, but when a talented player is driven to move due to his ambitions to play for and with the best, you cannot fault him for being a flippant. Lassana has in the very same manner as Claude Makalele, proved that he is a player most teams cannot do without. He is not the biggest player on the field, but his industry makes up for his lack of size. His rise in profile has been rapid since the day he left Chelsea and no one can deny the positive affect he has on a team.

Diarra’s description as a journey man started as a young player when he joined Nantes as a child. The youngster was told by the people in charge at Nantes that he was too small and could not make it as a professional player. Determined to prove the world wrong, the hard headed midfielder headed to Le Mans to try his luck with a smaller club. There, he discovered that no one was interested in turning him into a professional player. The player himself has said that the people at Le Mans did not seem to care about him at all. So he left Le Mans to join his last French club Le Havre. While at Le Havre, the midfielder put in impressive performances in the defensive midfield position which caught the attention of the French under 21 manager.

Further stellar performances led the player into the thoughts of the bigger clubs. Chelsea, with Makelele getting past his best, jumped on the chance to sign the youngster from Le Havre in July 2005. the player was so impressive that the notoriously egotistical Jose Mourinho could not stop talking about him. Though he was doing well at Chelsea and getting his chances on the international level, Lassana could not get the playing time he wanted at Chelsea.

In 2007, Lassana made a decision that would have a major impact in his career. He joined Arsene Wenger’s supremely talented Gunners side. Though he had the ability to play at Arsenal, he was faced with the truth that there were other players at the club that were playing at the same level, and who were around the same age. Diarra could not displace Flamini or Denilson in the Arsenal team, although he was higher than Flamini on the French midfield pecking order. So he did what he does best and jumped ship to join Portsmouth.

At Portsmouth, the talented midfielder became a household name in a mid-level club. Diarra’s dynamism stunned the crowds and made him a favorite among the players. When he played, Portsmouth played their best games. His ability to control the midfield allowed players like Kranjcar to go forward and attack their opponents with full force.

Though he seemed happy at Portsmouth, Diarra would be on the move again. After then manager Redknapp left Portsmouth, Diarra was pursued by Spanish mega-giants Real Madrid. An offer from Madrid is tempting for any player, and the idea of controlling the midfield of the most successful team in Spanish history proved to be the ultimate inspiration. Diarra left Portsmouth and joined the talented whites in Spain.

Diarra’s career has been dictated by the player’s ambitions, and it’s easy to assume that he is still trying to get back at the people from Nantes for rejecting him, but he has proved that talent and desire can push a player to great heights.

Dynamic Men: Andrea Pirlo

In a country that produced the likes of Gianni Rivera, Roberto Baggio and Salvatore Schilachi, it isn’t easy making a name for yourself in the fantasista or number ten position. There have been a few players who have come close to being the perfect gem for Italy. Alex Del Piero tried it with decent success, and then Francesco Totti came along and did it with little success. Domenico Morfeo sniffed around it and failed terribly.

For Italian fans, Andrea Pirlo is a player in a league of his own. He started out in that fantasista position but when the competition was too full, he was given a new position of his own to master. In this position, halfway between the fantasista and the defensive midfielder, he is able to control the rhythm and tempo of the game. With his playmaking abilities and a newly added defensive game to his arsenal, Pirlo turned into an un-defendable schemer. No one knows where exactly he will ping a ball from. He is smooth enough to run with the ball at his feet, and he has enough grit to get fully involved in a tackle.

Born in Flero, Lombardy, Pirlo started playing soccer with his hometown club Brescia. He played for the team in an offensive midfield capacity. His performances were decent enough for the bigger teams to start taking a look at him. He got his chance when he secured a move to Italian super power Inter Milan.

The playmaker was just another number at Inter Milan and couldn’t find enough games to make a name for himself. So he went out on loan with Reggina. He would have moderate success with Reggina, but he still wasn’t considered the complete article. And when he returned to Inter Milan, he was sent back out on loan to his first club Brescia. This second loan spell would prove to be a major step forward for the young playmaker. His performances caught the attention of AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti who had a better idea in mind for the young man’s talents.

When he signed for Milan, the team already had the likes of Portuguese master Rui Costa and Dutchman Clarence Seedorf playing in the playmaker position, but Ancelotti’s gamble would prove to be a masterstroke for both the team and the player. Ancelotti moved Pirlo a few steps behind the number ten position and improved his defensive abilities in tandem with the monster that is Gerrano Gattuso. Pirlo was able to control the game from a deeper position instead of having to go back and seek the ball. The ball came to him easier because he was more accessible.

On the international stage, Pirlo literally walked into the Italian national team. Coach Marcelo Lippi used the player in the exact same position he played at AC Milan. In the 2006 world cup, Pirlo would go on and have some of the best performances of his entire career. The Italians are notorious for being difficult to beat, but with the ball at Pirlo’s feet, they proved to be a bigger threat than anyone expected. His performance in the final was one of the best in the entire tournament. Italy went on and won the World Cup and Pirlo was voted as the third best player in the tournament behind Zinedine Zidane and compatriot Fabio Cannavaro.