Ahead of Saturday's big Champions League clash in Munich, CollinsBeans pays tribute to the classy Chelsea full back
There comes a time in any football fan’s life when skill and ability lose a little importance. They are no longer the pinnacle. We start to place value on other more human attributes: honesty, integrity and loyalty.
And when these three characteristics are presented to me, one face immediately comes to mind: Chelsea’s handsome number 19.
Paulo Ferreira was once a top-class full back, excellent defensively and possessor of a wicked delivery from the right wing. Some scoffed at the £13.2m paid by Chelsea to Porto in 2004. Who forks out that much for a full back, the uninformed cried?! A record-breaking, title-winning season later (Ferreira part of a back four which conceded just 15 goals in 38 league games – a top flight record) and the Portuguese could have justifiably rammed this rubbish back down the critics’ throats.
Not that an elegant individual like Ferreira would do something so crude though. The Portuguese is the type to rise above this; to flash his disarming smile and carry on about his business. For the man with the excellent manners, unassuming demeanour and very respectable looking haircut is someone who possesses a bit of class.
Those momentous trophy lifting days have now gone of course. Ferreira has lost some zip. His concentration is not what it used to be. The devastating crosses are less and less frequent. Ferreira is no longer a regular in the side, and that’s the kind way of putting it. He’s a squad man; reliable and dependable when called upon, but very much in the background. Yet does Ferreira complain? Does he go kicking and screaming to the press? Does he instruct his agent to find him a lucrative deal elsewhere? You already know the answer to this.
Every team needs a squad player; the infamous “good pro” who clocks in, puts in a shift and steps up when required. However few can perform this role with the same style and grace as Ferreira. This is a man liked by all; willing to serve a club he has a great affinity with. Now in his eighth season at Stamford Bridge, Ferreira shows no sign of leaving what increasingly looks like an unsteady ship. Even if he does depart for Portugal in the summer, or hangs up his boots (plain black, no frills or stupid patterns if you’re interested), it will no doubt be in the civilised manner befitting this great servant of South-West London.
And if you need further verification of the sheer refinement of this man, you need look no further than Ray Wilkins, an individual surely incapable of being disliked. During a rare recent outing for Ferreira in a Champions League tie, Ray could be heard giving a wonderfully respectful tribute to the great right back. “It’s fantastic to see Paulo given some playing time. He’s such a likeable and lovely young man, and a wonderful pro. Super player in his time too.”
When Ferreira does step onto the pitch, the Chelsea faithful always rouse themselves to chant his name. For an uncomplicated defender approaching the end of his career, this says it all. The tidy right back with the sensible hair will always be a legend of SW6.
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