Summary: Levante - Atletico Madrid 2:0 (Sport 1)
"I believe I will play for Real Madrid when the time comes. This is my goal. Only God knows when it will happen, and he will help me and bring me there," Memphis Depay said at the end of 2017. He was just beginning to rebuild his career at Lyon, after the short term at Manchester United which was defined as a fiasco, and did not hide his ambitions and his sympathy.
The Royal White Club had always been his top priority, and he was going to make that dream come true.
However, it turns out that the God in whom he trusts so much and whom he tries to promote with the readings of the New Testament in the dressing room of the Dutch national team, had other plans for him.
Even if reports about a possible move to Real occasionally surfaced along the way, nothing real came of them.
In practice, Memphis came to Barcelona, and now also to Atlético Madrid.
He may make his first significant appearance in the Colchoneros uniform tonight precisely against Real, among the stalwarts in the King's Cup quarter-finals (10:00 p.m., Sport3).
A good farewell for all parties.
Memphis in Barcelona (Photo: GettyImages, David Ramos)
It must be said that Memphis was a "participant" in the victory over Real less than two weeks ago, when Barca beat them unconditionally in the Super Cup final, but part of it was watching what was happening from the bench.
This was his role in the Blaugrana uniform from the beginning of the season, except for the months when he was sidelined due to injury, and the desire to leave Camp Nou was understandable.
He had not the faintest chance of being included in Xavi's plans, and his presence could only create friction - nothing more.
The coach was very happy when the solution was found, and it was possible for the Dutchman to leave six months before the end of his contract, while the deal brings 3 million euros into the Catalan club's coffers.
"Memphis was not comfortable with us, and he asked to be released. Everyone benefits here," said the coach.
None of the Barca fans shed a tear about it.
They can thank him for the 12 goals he scored last season, but the simple truth is that Memphis was never seen as a player at an adequate level for Barcelona.
He was signed at a time of crisis because he was a free agent - a kind of temporary hole plugging until a new start could be made properly.
In the Champions League, from which the team was eliminated in the group stage, he shared the worst attack balance ever - two goals in 6 games.
Ansu Fati and Gerard Pique scored them, while the Dutchman also missed the few opportunities that fell to him.
Even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was seen as a significant upgrade when he arrived a year ago, and Memphis was pushed to the edge of the squad.
This season he was no longer relevant.
And there is a mystery here, because even when he is 28 years old, it is still not clear whether Memphis is overrated or underrated.
On the one hand, his versatile talent is indisputable, and when he soared in Eindhoven at the beginning of his career, he was defined almost as the new Cristiano Ronaldo - this was the great hope of the Red Devils when they signed him in 2015.
On the other hand, he was unable to bring this talent to life on the big stage.
With all due respect to Eindhoven and Lyon, it's still not enough to be considered a world-class superstar, and he hasn't been very consistent in France either.
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Memphis (Photo: Reuters)
On the other hand, he ranks second in the list of scorers for the Dutch national team all time, with only Robin van Persie ahead of him for now.
With 43 goals in 86 appearances, he averages the same as Rod van Nistelrooy, and is expected to leap to the top even before he celebrates his 30th birthday. Considering all the stars that have graced the orange attack throughout history, this is a huge achievement.
On the fourth hand, most of the goals were scored against inferior opponents, and on the watch of Memphis failed Holland in the qualifiers for Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018. The most successful tournament on a personal level was and remains the World Cup 2014 where he scored two spectacular goals as a substitute.
There is also considerable symbolism in the fact that he was replaced in the quarter-finals in the last World Cup when Argentina led 0:2, and it was Vout Wachhorst who came in his place to score a brace and equalize.
In short, there is a sense that Memphis could have achieved much more thanks to his pure talent, while at the same time receiving too much credit based on his actual performance.
He was in principle capable of becoming a big star at Barcelona, but at the same time he was not at all fit to wear Media.
It's the dissonance that accompanies it, and maybe it's time for some sort of decision.
Maybe Atletico is the right team for him?
It's big enough, but not too big.
Very ambitious, but a perpetual underdog.
And it also has an excellent record with strikers coming from Barcelona.
These pioneers were, of course, much larger.
David Villa arrived at a sale price of 5 million euros in the summer of 2013 - and was immediately involved in a sensational championship win.
Luis Suarez arrived almost for free in the summer of 2022 - and was immediately involved in a sensational championship win.
Memphis comes midway through the season when the title is impossible, and Barca haven't lost money on him either, but there's still a positive scent in the air.
Antoine Griezmann, who fled Barca back to Atlético, personally recommended the Dutchman to join him.
This had a certain effect on his selection, and more important was the conversation with Diego Simeone.
Tonight in the Spanish Cup: Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid (10:00 p.m.,
Sport3) due to an exception to fair play: Barcelona cannot register Gabi's contract
Another special meeting against his dream team.
Memphis at Atlético (Photo: GettyImages, Soccrates Images)
In general, Memphis doesn't exactly feel like the ideal player for the Argentine coach, and his original failure at Manchester United was mainly due to his unwillingness to work without the ball, but it turns out that Chulo himself thinks otherwise.
In a somewhat puzzling comparison, Simeone declared: "Memphis reminds me of Diego Costa, who was not a wide striker at first, but became a number 9."
Well, Depay's style is quite different from that of the physical bully who was so beloved in Madrid in the first term, but he is truly versatile, and Lyon will be mainly deployed as a central striker.
"We hope to see his version from his days in Lyon," said the coach, and it will be interesting to see how fruitful the collaboration with Albero Morata will be.
In the debut match against Elche on Saturday, the Dutchman got 15 minutes as a substitute for the Spanish scorer, but they may be expected to be on the field together as well.
"Memphis is a player who comes with high motivation, and he will indulge in our passion," Cholo stated, and a contract until the summer of 2025 is definitely a positive signal - even if it is not clear whether the Argentine himself will remain at the club at the end of the season.
In a cup match against the city rival, in Media, Depay himself always dreamed of playing, you don't need to say much to feel passion and motivation.
This could be Memphis' first big game in red and white stripes, and there is reasonable reason to believe that Simeone plans to include him during the contest.
His new chapter begins now, and is quite critical of his legacy.
Only if he really succeeds at Atlético, Memphis will avoid the flop label that wasted a significant part of his potential.
sport
world football
Spanish league
Tags
Memphis Depay
Athletico Madrid
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