Hassan Chamas
After guiding German outfit Werder Bremen to the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup this term, it appears that Diego Ribas da Cunha, Werder’s VIP, has decided to put an end to his stay in the Bundesliga. A appetite for Champions League success was the decision-maker in the Brazilian star’s verdict to exit the Bundesliga at the end of the season and seek pastures new, with teams that could help him in his dream of lifting “Big Ears”.
Ever since breaking into the Santos first team back at home with current Manchester City star Robinho, observers of Brazilian football could tell the duo were destined for greatness. All the shenanigans and the pranks – remember the famous incident where Robinho dropped Diego’s shorts – could not veil the temptation that had Europe’s big guns dreaming of luring Sao Paolo’s newest gems.
As the stock of Santos’ dynamic duo kept increasing, it was Diego who was the first to be courted by a European club, as his first adventure came with Portugal’s FC Porto. The newly crowned European Champions of the time could not help but be impressed by the playmaker’s performance during the 2004 Copa America. Despite being encircled by Portuguese-speaking teammates and at the beginning of promising adventure with the Dragons, things didn’t turn out for the best for the Selecao star, and Diego soon became an outcast under then-manager Co Adriaanse, rapidly dropping down the pecking order. Not having much first-team football, he was then snubbed by national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s and consequently missed the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Rejuvenation was needed, and Werder Bremen came knocking on Diego’s door, swiping the midfielder for the sum of €6M. At the Green and Whites, Diego was handed number 10, both figuratively and literally, and he was granted license to roar. After much fanfare greeted his arrival, Diego helped his new club with the German League Cup. Since then, despite being one of the Bundesliga’s brightest lights, his vintage performances could not be translated into collective silverware.
Seeing that the Brazilian could not hold the whole squad on his shoulders after Bremen began to orbit heavily around him, he recently expressed his desire to quit the team at the end of the current campaign in search of more glory. With plenty of suitors allegedly interested in Diego’s signature, life beyond Bremen is pretty much guaranteed, but where?
Inter Milan
The Italian champions are the latest club rumoured to be in pursuit of the Brazilian hot-shot. Italian tabloid Corriere Dello Sport reported that Inter tycoon Massimo Moratti and coach Jose Mourinho held an undisclosed meeting to discuss the club’s future transfer strategies. On the agenda was for Porto defender Bruno Alves – also wanted by Real Madrid – and Diego Ribas, presumably as a long term proxy for Dejan Stankovic, and Werder’s gem Diego himself.
Suitability: 8/10
Probability: 6/10
Final verdict
Diego could link up very well behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano as a “trequarista” in Jose Mourinho’s 4-3-1-2 configuration, but the panorama of him leaving for Inter seems a little farfetched, for now. Inter have never officially expressed an interest in signing him, and it would take something for Jose Mourinho to drop Stankovic out of his line-up, let alone fit Diego into the place of one of his trio of Sulley Muntari, Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti.
Juventus
The Bianconeri were originally the first club interested in Diego, and constant on-off links to the South American never cease to appear in the rumour columns, especially with Juve playing the cat and mouse game that has baffled all too many fans and observers alike. This spiraling chronicle continued to cast doubt until Juventus henchman Cobolli Gigli freshly folded his summer deck of cards, in which Diego was the king of hearts. Djair da Cunha, the latter’s agent and father, had his name all over the tabloids with news of secret three-way gatherings between the player’s representative, Werder Bremen and Juventus, chit-chat that was soon rebuffed by all parties.
Suitability: 5.5/10
Probability: 7/10
Final verdict
Diego’s hypothetical move to Juventus remains a very intriguing topic, for two major reasons. The first is that Juventus, who have Italy’s finest youth player in Sebastien Giovinco, are lacking in reasons to go for an older version, especially since Giovinco himself has found playing time hard to come by. Wouldn’t Bremen’s celebrity find himself warming the bench during those cold Turin nights?
Another reason that should be of significance is that, since the days of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, Juventus have shut down their classical number 10 department. Even Pavel Nedved, the man bought with Zizou’s millions, was positioned on the left flank after initially being conceived as a central attacking middle-man. Diego’s only opportunity – other than replacing Nedved on the left – would be to take Alessandro Del Piero’s place behind the main striker, something that won’t be occurring anytime soon considering that the Juve skipper is rolling back the years week in week out. Nonetheless, an image of Diego in black and white stripes can still metamorphose into reality, as Juve would consider dropping one half of their central double pivot in order to accomodate their would-be acquisition.
Real Madrid
Reports of a Real reunion for Robinho and Diego kept circulating amongst in the media last summer, but soon vanished into smoke after Robinho was seduced by Manchester City’s Arabian millions, while Diego himself renewed his Werder Bremen contract for another year. Former Merengue coach Bernd Schuster had already declared his interest in the Brazilian after the Madrid-Bremen double-clash in the group stages of this year’s Champions League. But with the German tactician shown the door, the project of luring Diego to the turf of the Bernabeu remains a scheme resting quietly in the office drawer.
Suitability: 3/10
Probability: 5/10
Final verdict
Playing for Real Madrid is any player’s dream – except if you happen to be born in Catalunya. Diego has already commented that he may transfer to the highest bidder, and if there’s anything Real Madrid are full of, it’s cash. And with elections edging closer at the Bernabeu, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a prospective candidate “promised” Diego to the fans. Adding in the news that club icon Guti is on Juande Ramos’ wrong side, and the chances that the Brazilian will train at the Valdebebas this summer increase.
However. the prospect of Diego at Real Madrid smells of Rafael van der Vaart all over. The Dutchman was signed as a diminutive figure, but he soon grew to be disillusioned with life at Real after it was proven by Schuster and Ramos that he was signed because he was low-priced, not because he was needed.
A sea of ambitions to be fulfilled by a cohort of suitors, but the choice remains a risky one. If he’s to land in Turin then Juventus may have just found the heir that will fill Pavel Nedved’s boots, even if it means that Diego will be played out of position. An adventure in Italy’s fashion capital under the helm of Jose Mourinho could prove to be profitable, but whether or not Inter are interested is still paper talk for now. The former Porto man has all the aptitude to turn into a Grade-A player at Real Madrid, but with Wesley Sneijder well integrated into the side, odds are that he would keep Rafael van der Vaart company in the dugout, should the latter still be at the Bernabeu next year.
As Diego prepares to exit the Weserstadion, he knows that a new voyage waits, and the key challenge will be for him to adjust to being a small fish in a big pond rather than the big fish in a small pond at Bremen.
