The mis-adventures of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Royston-Drenthe-c31824 – La Liga debate
After being capped 24 times capped for the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Real-c30728 Madrid in a multi-million dollar deal in the summer of 2007. He established himself in the first team in his debut season, making 25 appearances for the Madrid-based
team. But it all went downhill for the Dutch footballer following that, hitting headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Drenthe seemed destined for Real Madrid after establishing himself in the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wesley-Sneijder-c36799, joined the Dutch
contingent in Madrid. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380, will follow suit.
The protracted move of van Persie never materialized but it was http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rafael-c30339 van der Vaart who joined the Dutchmen at Real Madrid. Playing with national team regulars at the world’s biggest club was overwhelming for the youngster as he failed to make a breakthrough
in the first team.
Life was not as easy as the player had anticipated it would be. Playing regularly in his debut season with Real Madrid, the player was consigned to the bench in the emergence of Brazilian left-back sensation, Marcelo. Bernd Schuster, the then manager of
the club, favoured the Brazilian over the Dutch and this is where Drenthe first started voicing his concerns.
The winger had been on the fringe of regular first-team action but with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marcelo-c23554 beginning to show his true potential, he was firmly consigned to the bench. The first major headline related to the wingman came when he stormed out of the training ground after
being left out of the 18-man playing squad against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863.
He finished the campaign where he started from the previous seasons, playing in just 25 competitive matches. His outings in the league, though, saw an improvement with him featuring in 20 league games for the men in white.
2009/10 La Liga season started well for Drenthe as he featured in 15 of the opening 18 competitive matches. It did not last long before the player was on sidelines again. He suffered from anxiety after getting the stick from home fans in a match against
Deportivo la Coruna and even asked the manager not to pick him for the side’s next three games.
Drenthe’s morale was on an all time low under http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Manuel-c23383 Pellegrini as he featured in only 8 league games, 11 in all competitions. A move away from Santiago Bernabéu beckoned in the ensuing transfer window. The player was held in high regard across Europe but
it was at newly promoted Hercules where he would play the next season.
Drenthe started off well with Hercules, featuring in the 2-0 away win over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604. It was not smooth sailing for long as Drenthe went on a one-man strike against the club. He did not return for training after Christmas break, citing five months of un-paid
wages.
After an 8-day break, he returned to training but was it was not long before he was in the headlines again. He picked up a fight with the club yet again, mouthing concerns against the club in press. He stated he was heading towards an exit over the Hercules
nightmare, but the club would not let him go.
Talking to Tuttomercatoweb he said, "I am saddened because the club did not let me go. Juventus wanted me, I had agreed to go but Hercules did not let me go.” He added “As a professional, I will give everything for this squad, but if they keep me on the
bench, I cannot show my true worth to the fans."
The player is on holiday at the moment and will report back to current employers Real Madrid. He has been linked to Portuguese side Benfica in an exchange deal for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabio-c13152 Coentrão. Drenthe has liked the prospect of playing in the Portuguese league and a change
of scenery would do him the world of good.
Drenthe has made a very unspectacular journey from the future of Real Madrid to someone heading out for non-sporting reasons. The player is still young and has a bright future ahead of him, but he has to sort out his problems if he wants to win silverware
and be remembered as a great player rather than an unfulfilled potential.
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