Footballers and their cricketing equivalents: Part II

Football and Cricket – they are like two sides of a coin, right?Not really. Two different sports. Two different set of fans. Football, on the one end, is a fast paced game where a match could be won or lost in a matter of seconds. Cricket, however, is more of a long-running battle which will test your patience – not just as a player, but a viewer.Sport has had its share of characters. Some don’t talk a great deal but let their skills do the talking in the pitch. Some don’t fulfil the enormous talent they possess and instead gain recognition for their exploits away from the pitch while some just remain legends forever for their achievements on the field. Regardless of their differences, cricket and football are two of the most followed sports in the world, and their star athletes are some of the most talked about personalities. And, some of those athletes are surprisingly not very different.Continuing from our previous installment, we talk about six more footballers and their cricketing equivalents:

#1 Sachin Tendulkar and Ryan Giggs

There’s no doubt that Sachin Tendulkar will go down in the history books as the greatest cricketer to have ever played the game. The Mumbaikar notched up 15921 runs in 200 Tests and 18426 runs in 463 ODIs in a staggering International career that lasted for 24 years.

While it would extremely difficult to find his equivalent in cricket, former Manchester United midfielder and current assistant coach at Old Trafford, Ryan Giggs could come as a close equal to the ‘Little Master” from football.

In a decorated career, the Welshman played 672 Premier League games for United between 1990 and 2014, scoring 114 goals and more importantly, winning numerous titles, including 13 Premier League wins, 4 FA Cups triumphs and 2 Champions League wins.

#2 Mario Balotelli and Sreesanth

The 24-year-old Italian has found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons during his short career so far and was described by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as “unmanageable.” After scoring a goal for Manchester City against Manchester United in October 2011, he celebrated by unveiling a shirt with the words – “Why Always Me!”

Although it is hard to find characters like Balotelli in football, former Indian speedster S. Sreesanth is someone who comes close, thanks to his on-field antics. The speedster was involved in a couple of controversies during India’s tour of England in 2007, when he was fined 50% of his match fee for intentionally shoulder barging the then England skipper Michael Vaughan at Trent Bridge and also for bowling a beamer to Kevin Pietersen in the same series.

Former England captain Michael Atherton called for banning the Kerala cricketer for having bowled that ball and also for not being able to control his on-pitch emotions.

#3 Irfan Pathan and Fernando Torres

Irfan Pathan burst onto the cricketing scene in late 2003 and impressed one-and-all with his pace and swing. He played a key role in India winning both the Test and ODI series against Pakistan in Pakistan and was thought off as the next pace sensation from India. But a reduction in pace and swing combined with the team management’s decision to push him up the batting order led to the Baroda cricketer began losing his early promise and eventually he fell back on the selectors’ radar.

A similar story to Pathan unfolded in football in the case of Spaniard Fernando Torres. He had a great start to his Premier League career at Liverpool, under Rafa Benitez where he scored 65 goals in 102 Premier League games between 2007 and 2011, prior to his glamorous career at Atletico Madrid.

But a massive £50 million transfer to Chelsea during the January transfer of 2011 proved to be huge turning point in his footballing career. The 30-year-old couldn't replicate his goal scoring form from Anfield at Stamford Bridge, scoring a mere 20 goals in 110 games, between 2011 and 2015 and was eventually loaned out to AC Milan.

After a dry spell at the San Siro, he has now signed another loan deal with Atletico Madrid until the end of the 2015-16 season, and with the looks of his recent form, there is still some football left in the Spaniard.

#4 Michael Bevan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

More often than not, matches in sport are determined by which team handles the pressure better and can hold their nerve for that much longer. During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Michael Bevan was one such cricketer for Australia who won them numerous games from the dead. The 44-year-old left-hander had a terrific ability to rally the tail around him and win them matches from the jaws of defeat.

A similar comparison for Bevan can be made with former Manchester United forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who might not have been part of the starting eleven from on a consistent basis, but when the game seemed to be slipping away from the team’s hands, Sir Alex Ferguson always turned to the Norwegian to rescue them from a tough situation.

The best example that would illustrate his skills came in the 1999 Champions League Final, when he scored an astonishing last minute goal to clinch the title for his side against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp.

#5 Ronaldinho and Virender Sehwag

Brazilian forward Ronaldinho had a cracking start to his footballing career, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year on two successive occasions in 2004 and 2005. The 34-year-old had an extremely successful career in FC Barcelona between 2003 and 2008, where he played 145 La Liga matches scoring 70 goals.

He played an instrumental role in the Catalan Giant’s winning successive La Liga campaigns in 2005 and 2006 and also scored a brace to help his country enter into the semi-final of the 2002 World Cup campaign and eventually beat Germany in the final and claim their fifth World Cup.

However, after quitting Barcelona in 2008, Ronaldinho’s career didn't see the highs and now plights his trade in Mexico, where he represents Querétaro Fútbol Club.

A similar story to Ronaldinho unfolded in Indian cricket as well when Virender Sehwag burst onto the scene. The Delhi batsman could destroy even the best bowling attacks on his day and has played several innings during the course of his career where matches have been decided in the initial overs itself.

But following a successful 2011 World Cup campaign, Sehwag’s career began to go on a downward slide and after a long struggle for runs, he was ousted from the Indian team in 2013 and hasn't made a comeback into the side yet.

#6 Paul Scholes and Rahul Dravid

Considered among the greatest footballers to have played for the club, Paul Scholesplayed a combined total of 499 Premier League matches between 1993 and 2013, scoring 107 goals. While the Englishman was known for his attacking style of play, on the field, he was the complete opposite off it, and known for being a extremely humble man who always wished to stay away from the spotlight and let his skills on the pitch, do most of the talking.

A perfect parallel to him can be drawn to Rahul Dravid from cricket. The Bangalorean scored 13288 runs in 164 Tests and scored in excess of 10000 runs in ODI cricket as well, but it was manner in which he remained grounded and conducted himself away from the cricketing pitch that was appreciated by everyone across the globe.

Interestingly, both players have taken up commentary jobs, following their retirements.