Fun and Games With Nicolas Anelka

February 16th, 2007 | by: Laurie |

I keep track of all my French guys with Google Alert e-mails. I always save the ones about Nicolas Anelka, (aka my favorite bad boy) for last because I know there’s a higher-than-average chance that there will be something fun there. And this week there has been.

First I get the news that “The Walking Down The Manny Road website readers have voted Nicolas Anelka as the best Bolton Wanderers player throughout January.” No, I have no idea what “The Walking Down The Manny Road website” is. Looks like a Bolton thing. But, whatever it is, the “award” is much deserved. Because where was Bolton before Anelka came in and added some spark this year? And now Bolton is threatening to break into the top four and take over a Champions League spot that either Liverpool or Arsenal had assumed was their right. Nervous nights for the teams with bucks, eh?

I mean, sure, a lot of people consider Bolton rough and classless. I prefer “scrappy.” I like scrappy. (Although I’d prefer they’d overtake Liverpool rather than Arsenal, because Liverpool currently has no French internationals on its roster.)

And then The Mirror says, “NICOLAS ANELKA has insisted he is just as good as Thierry Henry. And the Bolton striker reckons he should play for France ahead of the Arsenal superstar if he’s in better form.”

And even though this came from a tabloid, it’s kind of what he said, although it’s fluffed up to make Anelka seem as egotistical as possible. The full quote:

“When I am in the squad, I never say to myself some players are better than me,” said Anelka. “There are four or five attackers and the best will play. I never think so-and-so is above me in the hierarchy.The competition is always open in attack. Of course, during the time I was not called up, I did not have a lot to say. Now I am called up, I consider all formulas are possible. Until now the coach has never said that any of the attackers were untouchable.”

And you know what? I agree with him. And may he actually be one of the best.

(I love Anelka because he never bores me. And how much would I love to see him actually fulfill his potential someday.)

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sandrahn

I love Nicholas but I’m not a Bolton fan. Boring football. And Sam Allardyce is not of my favorite human beings on the planet. Sorry to hear you’re so down on Henry, Laurie — ah well. Can’t help, I love the old big melonhead.
http://france.worldcupblog.org Laurie

“down on Henry…”

Oh, if only it were that simple. My feelings about Henry are complex. I value his skills and abilities, but that’s all tangled up with the Trezeguet thing, and the “melon énorme” and “character of a pig” thing. And the 4-5-1 thing (since in general I have issues with essentially building all of a team’s hopes around one player, which Domenech seems to have done.)

And then you toss in a French YouTube video (that I’ll see if I can find again) from maybe a couple of years ago about the Henry-Trezeguet friendship, and Trezeguet is so gushing and glowing about Henry, and Henry…isn’t. But he does say something along the lines of, “David loves to score so much that I just give him the ball.” Which is touching, except when you realize that at some point he stopped.

I don’t know. It’s not that I dislike Henry. Maybe it’s that I’d like to see him as more of a part of a team effort?
sandrahn

Hey Laurie, I understand — I don’t challenge at all Henry’s reputation as a rather…ah…difficult person (to put it nicely). I don’t doubt that those recent comments about him by an unnamed player from the French national squad are accurate. But I tend to like difficult personalities (in England many players from other clubs always say Henry is a very nice guy off the pitch).

My feelings about the guy aren’t all rosy. He’s petulant, arrogant, etc. – a big melonhead. I love that insult. Still, I can’t help it – I just love watching the guy and I like a lot of his public comments on various issues — whether about football or other stuff.
investor

I am trying to get in touch with Anelka. I’m not dreaming but does anyone have a contact details for him? Its a project I’m embarking on and I want to involve him. Kindly help.