Football is and always should remain emphatically tribal.
Anyone who claims themselves to be a ‘neutral’ who just hopes that ‘football is the real winner’ should be treated with great suspicion. The club game is fuelled by rivalry, agendas, pettiness and grudges – and long may it continue.
That said, the very nature of this fierce partisanship doesn’t always lend itself to due credit. A player who plies his trade for a rival is quite clearly dogshit and overrated, and yet as soon as he joins your club, he’s class and a perfect fit.
Of course as soon as a player leaves he is persona non grata and a ‘reject’. Thus was the case when it became clear that Nemanja Matic was leaving Chelsea for Manchester United. Blues who once rated him were slating him rotten.
Past it, one-paced, over the hill, wasteful in possession, dispensable – you name it. But not everyone connected with Stamford Bridge is quite as dismissive of what the big Serbian achieved during his two stints at the London club.
Chelsea TV produced a small tribute segment about the departing Matic, outlining his biggest achievements and contributions at SW6, and it was enough for some of their less biased supporters to lament his loss.
As you can see below, it was also enough to get United fans increasingly excited about the player they are getting to boost their ranks.
https://twitter.com/hazardinstinct/status/892303465115918336
Respect to you for this. He is a great footballer. Don't know what conte was thinking.
— Adam-MUFC-RedDevils🏴 🇬🇧🇾🇪 ⚽ (@ManUtdFan_80) August 1, 2017
Respect! 👍
— 🫶KingBruno🫶 (Stace) (@PortugueseGod8) August 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/Aurierology/status/892396638513352706
https://twitter.com/frede_rico95/status/892415071871131648
Great shout out to the man sometimes underrated,did is bit and played out is heart a lot of times for this club,wish you the best man
— omogbolahan🗣 (@Joyfultalks1) August 1, 2017
