Honestly, he’s also always been a motivation based player. I think at Madrid that was sort of papered over because there always is so much pressure, and he’s always been so questioned, and real we’re always in a position to compete. But if you go to his early career, people thought he was lazy at São Paulo, and at Porto he played a lot better in the CL (and I’d say even over his real career he was always better in big games). I imagine that it’s not just physical but also mental in this case.
I think at Madrid that was sort of papered over because there always is so much pressure,
I could not disagree more. There is massive pressure when the stakes are high yes - But there is also a reason why Real has never won a treble or isn’t as consistent in the league, priority number one is the CL.
I mean, he always performed in the CL though. League and copa were always a bit more disappointing, because they are lower stakes.
I mean, he always performed in the CL though.
Not disagreeing with that. It is just that in a club like United with its current situation and the level of competition every other game is a big game - Slip up and goodbye to CL qualification as actually ended up being the case. That and the fact that there were no quality backups like Ceballos always meant that the move was high risk. Case should have picked a move like Inter, would have been perfect
