QUOTE (dst @ Apr 10 2008, 11:39 AM)
Well there is a question... in my opinion there are too many games (and very high pace) in football nowadays and I'm only counting the clubs' games. Interstitial national games prevent footballers from having the normal recovery that's required after a game and before another one. Also the national tournaments are not held when footballers are on holiday, they are held when footballers SHOULD BE on holiday... it's essential that they rest some time of the year don't you think?
Not sure how it is in Italy, but in England, players that're coming back from the WC or Euro's get an extra 2 weeks holiday than the rest of the squad to rest up and do as they please.
QUOTE (dst @ Apr 10 2008, 11:39 AM)
Nesta for example retired because he had many injuries and most of them were the result of not being able to prepare properly for the number of games he had to play.
You mentioned Maldini. He only retired after making a costly mistake and when there were others waiting.
As for these 2.. I will probably get toasted for it, but Maldini just isn't good enough for Italy anymore anwyays. And I'm not sure I'd say Nesta would be a starting player for the NT anyways.
QUOTE (dst @ Apr 10 2008, 11:39 AM)
Anyway... I don't think we should be judging anyone's decision on such matters... I mean... who's to say that every footballer is or has to be ethnically "active"? How much one loves his country is his/her own personal issue. And I'm not saying that retiring means you do not love your country.
But THIS is the main point of my arguement.
Why do players have to come out and say "I am retiring from International football, I will not play for my country again so I can make sure I'm putting all my effort in for my club." or things to that effect.
Why do players feel the need to announce that they won't play again. If they were picked but they have a bit of a knock they're trying to recover from, fair enough if they withdraw from that squad. But to come out and say they'll never play again is what I would call wrong.
So this is why I say it's wrong to retire. There's no reason to say you'll never play again, if you never get picked again or withdraw through injury from squads then that's fine. There's a difference between not being able to play for your country and you deciding yourself that you won't play for your country. I still haven't, and never will forgive Shearer for what he did!