Very criticized at Manchester United, the defender asserts himself again as a team from England, who meets Senegal in the round of 16 at 8 pm.
by Eric Albert (London, correspondence)
You have to start with your head, essential, recognizable among a thousand: square jaw, huge forehead, imposing tuft of hair. Disproportionate. English supporters, great lovers of self -mockery, have made it a song, which they repeat to envy. “Harry Maguire, he drinks vodka, he drinks jäger, damn his head is huge [” His head is fucking massive “].”
English fans love to make fun of him, his badly dumbfounded tunes and on his side “lad” (“young guy”) low of the front. And basically, love it, and jostle it with great kindness. After all, it is largely thanks to its solid performance in English defense that Three Lions – who face Senegal on Sunday December 4 in the knockout stages in Qatar – arrived in the semi -finals of the 2018 World Cup and in the final from Euro 2021.
The footballer leaves no one indifferent. In Manchester United, where he evolves, the supporters, on the contrary, started to hate him. Last season, he was the second player to have received the most insults on Twitter, behind his former teammate Christiano Ronaldo. His permanent delay on the ball, his passes in the void, his missed tackles have become objects of permanent mockery.
But, against all odds, he who seemed to sink towards an inexorable decline saw a redemption in Qatar, now displaying 51 selections in the national team.
the grace of an elephant, but Dominant with the head
At 29, Harry Maguire represents a certain idea of English football. A guy who grew up in Sheffield, in the north of England, of which he keeps a strong accent. A young man like the others, who only started in the Premier League (the English first division) until the age of 24, after years in the divisions lower than Sheffield United and Hull City. An average talent, plagued by doubt, who has become Manchester United captain. One of the most expensive players in history (transfer of 90 million euros in 2019 from Leicester), which stubbornly refuses to give itself star tunes. A defender, above all, who plays his role with the grace of an elephant who would try to put himself in the ballet. But no one asks him for genius. His work is to be solid in defense, to let anything pass and to be dominant with the head to defend his penalty surface.
With England, he demonstrates once again during this World Cup that he does this very well. During the very boring draw (0-0) against the United States, the Americans obtained seven corners, on which, five times, Harry Maguire released the ball. “It proves how much he dominates,” said Rio Ferdinand, a former English defender and today commentator on the BBC. Against Iran, he recalled that he could also be devastating in attack: he put a head on the opposing transverse, then served – from the head, of course – Bukayo Saka on the first English goal.
You have 53.63% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.