Mind your language
Tuesday 7 March 2006
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Spain team-mates José Antonio Reyes (left) and Marcos Senna break the language barrier (©Action Images)
When Off the Ball was a callow schoolboy, dreaming of a future at the very heart of European football (quirky stories and mild mockery branch), due attention was of course paid in language lessons. And the most common piece of advice given about acquiring a foreign tongue was "to fully pick up a language, you must live abroad - theory is no substitute for practice." José Antonio Reyes, however, begs to differ.
Lingua franca
It is just over two years since Reyes moved from Sevilla FC to Arsenal FC, but the young Spaniard's hopes of fluency in English have so far been dashed precisely because of the cosmopolitan nature of the Highbury dressing room. Arsenal have not fielded a Briton since the start of February, and with a Frenchman in charge, the need to talk in English is somewhat diminished.
Ladylike language
Reyes said: "We've got six or seven players who speak Spanish and even more that speak French - there's very little English. It's difficult for me to learn English because in the dressing room we speak more French and Spanish than English. But my girlfriend has had no problem speaking English. But I guess that is because she is more intelligent than me."
World of Spain
From a Spaniard striking out abroad to one recently awarded that nationality. Brazilian-born Villarreal CF midfielder Marcos Senna has recently qualified to play for Spain, and made his debut against Ivory Coast last week, to some acclaim. However, things went less well when he submitted to a test from TV channel Antena 3 about his new homeland.
Royal rumbled
He began in confident mood. Asked to name three basic ingredients for a paella, Senna correctly identified rice, chicken and red pepper. However, next question was: "What's the name of Prince Felipe and Leticia's baby girl who will be queen of Spain one day?" Pass. Next: "Who is the 'Sabio de Hortaleza'?". "Don’t know," answered Senna so the reporter had to remind him that it is the nickname of one Luis Aragonés, the coach who gave Senna his Spain debut.
Flagging
Things improved when Senna rightly placed the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, but he was stuck again when asked what colours make up the Spanish flag. Still, Senna passed the more important examination of his credentials to play for the Spanish team on the pitch.
Tanked up
Another boy from Brazil, PSV Eindhoven defender Alex, has been nicknamed 'The Tank' by admiring fans, a tag which takes little explanation. All he lacked was a goal, and on Saturday it came against SC Heerenveen - to the admiration even of opposition coach Gertjan Verbeek, and to the particular delight of Alex's usual defensive partner André Ooijer.
Wall comes tumbling down
Alex's goal, which put PSV 3-1 up, came with a free-kick from 20 metres out that was clocked at a speed-limit worrying 90 km/h. Verbeek did not criticise his wall for failing to stop the shot. "That was an attempt at battery," he said. "That free-kick was so hard that if you did not duck you would have sustained brain damage. So I do not blame my players for that."
Snap happy
Ooijer, meanwhile, was not able to join in the celebrations for he was sat behind the goal with camera in hand. Out with a broken toe, Ooijer was able to honour a long-standing agreement with De Telegraaf newspaper photographer Hans van Tilburg to work with him at the game. And on Sunday morning, the snap of Alex celebrating his shot in the 4-1 victory bore Ooijer's handiwork -judge it for yourself here.
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