Legends of Club Football- Paulo Ferreira

I always like to begin my articles with a quote that pays due respect to the subject of my article. So as I keyed in “Quotes on Paulo” into Google, it instantly returned results saying “Did you mean Paulo Coelho? Paulo Freire? Paul Scholes?” Pretty much the story of Paulo Ferreira’s life really, a life of incessant hard work and devotion gone unappreciated and undervalued.

Look no further than last week, when the footballing fraternity paid generous tributes to retiring greats of the game, Sir Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville. Paulo Ferreira’s name though, was like the inconspicuous and infamous “*conditions apply” tag, of significant importance yet placed away from where it really mattered. Only when he walked onto the Stamford Bridge turf against Everton holding the UEFA Europa trophy did Stamford Bridge break into a raucous applause for him, for 9 years of loyalty, reliability and dedication. And even then, on what was supposed to be his special day, Frank Lampard scored a brace and broke Bobby Tambling’s record, Chelsea qualified for the Champions League in 3^rd place and little Josh Turnbull scored a goal in the post match celebrations that won the hearts of the adoring Stamford Bridge faithful. Once again, Paulo selflessly let other people take centre stage, as he laughed and celebrated on what was his very last appearance as a professional footballer.

Paulo Ferreira’s journey began in the Portuguese second division for Estoril- Praia. He then moved to the first division with Jose Mourinho’s hometown team, who he eventually met after he transferred to Porto in 2002. Ferreira played mainly as a right sided midfielder until he joined the Portuguese powerhouse, after which he shifted to the right back slot. Under Mourinho, Ferreira quickly became a key player, regularly putting in his trademark reliable shifts on the right side of defence. In the 2002/03 season, Porto went on to win the treble, beating Celtic 3-2 in the final. In the 80^th minute of that game, Costinha pulled his hamstring and had to go off injured. His substitute Ricardo Costa, took up Ferreira’s position at right-back, who in turn was moved to right midfield. As the game ended 2-2 in normal time, Ferreira coped excellently with Celtic’s physically robust midfield threat through extra time, as Porto won 3-2 after Derlei scored the winner. Paulo’s performance, inspite of switching places was overshadowed by Deco’s contribution in 2 of the 3 goals. Ferreira again was denied his time in the lime-light by fate, but he looked unfazed as Porto became the first Portuguese club to win the UEFA Cup. The following season, Ferreira played an even more important role, playing every minute of Porto’s Champions League campaign, which they eventually went on to win.

Not surprisingly, when Mourinho took up the job at Stamford Bridge, he readily dished out £13.2 million for Ferreira, who was arguably one of the most reliable properties in Europe at that time. He impressed in his first season at the Bridge, playing 42 games before missing out the remainder of the games to injury. Next season Ferreira, again became a mainstay in the starting 11, scoring his first goal for the Blues against Colchester in the FA Cup.

The following season, Ferreira’s performances took a dip for the worse, and soon he was trumped to his place by Dutch defender Khalid Bouhlarouhz. He wasn’t even second choice that season, as utility man Geremi and a relatively young French midfielder named Lassana Diarra pushed him to 4^th choice for the right back place. He did make 37 appearances in all competitions, and his most important contribution came in the FA Cup final at the new Wembley against Manchester United, where Chelsea beat United 1-0 courtesy a Didier Drogba goal in extra time. Ferreira played the entire 120 minutes of the pulsating encounter.

Next season, Ferreira again started as 3^rd choice for the right back slot, this time Michael Essien and new addition Juliano Belletti preferred over him. He did manage 28 appearances, putting in his usual consistent performances whenever called upon. In February 2008, Chelsea offered Ferreira a 5 year deal at the age of 29, a reward for his patience and devotion to the club. Ferreira rejected the chance to join several clubs including a strong offer from Chelsea’s London rivals West Ham United, further enhancing the love and respect that Chelsea fans have always had for him.

The 2008/09 season turned out to be even more frustrating for Ferreira, as he suffered an injury while having played 99 games for the club. He only made 7 league appearances all season, and made a recovery in early 2009 following which he played for a few minutes against QPR. His luck though, looked to have changed as he scored a crucial stoppage time equalizer against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup, tying the score at 3-3. But yet again, fate’s cruel intentions stole the spotlight from him; as Blackburn went on to win on penalties.

The next season proved to be slightly better, as for a change the Fat Lady seemed to be smiling. Injuries to Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole as well as a long term knock to Jose Bosingwa made sure that he would have a prolonged run in the side. Ferreira again to his credit did not disappoint, as he put in assured shifts in the absence of more illustrious names.

Under new boss Carlo Ancelloti, Ferreira featured more frequently next season, making an unprecedented 28 appearances in Chelsea’s title winning season. But after Andre Villas Boas took over, Ferreira again faded away as players like Ryan Bertrand were preferred in his place. But even then, Ferreira never spoke of leaving, never did a tabloid write a line highlighting his discontent or broodiness, unlike most high profile dropped names in the Premier League. He played only 9 times in 2011/12 and only 7 times next season, but his remarkable ability to get the job done even with relatively no match fitness was an absolute asset to have. The international arena hasn’t been kind to him either, as Ferreira was either an unused substitute or given a complimentary look in. He was 3^rd choice behind Miguel and Jose Bosingwa, after having made the left back position his own after Nuno Valente retired. But his importance as a provider of much needed depth in the squad was evident as he made the World Cup 2006, Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 squads. Ferreira in his entire career, has featured across the back 4 for Chelsea, and in midfield for Porto, symbolizing his versatility and ability to adapt to situations.

At the end of the recently concluded season, Chelsea and Ferreira mutually agreed not to renew his contract, and as mentioned earlier, he made a substitute appearance in the crucial tie against Everton. At the end of the game, Ferreira said that he would be retiring from professional football altogether.

It may be hard to find quotes on him, but his usefulness as a player can never ever be underestimated. Frank Lampard in his end-of-season address praised Paulo for his contribution for nearly a decade with the Blues. Fernando Torres also highlighted Ferreira’s much undermined influence, saying “He’s won the Champions League, titles in Portugal, in England, he’s won every trophy it’s possible to win, but he has barely played a minute in two years [even though] he is outstanding,”

“You can adapt or you can accept your role, he taught me that, to say ‘it’s my turn for this now. “ Torres told El Pais.

‘He trains hard; he always goes to matches with a smile, always close to the younger players. He has taught me a lot.”

And who better to put it all into perfect perspective that Jose Mourinho? On Ferreira, Jose says that he is ‘a player who will never be man of the match but will always score 7/10 for his individual display.’ Everything said, Paulo Ferreira is a man who deserved much more credit for his personal endeavors than he ever got. His selflessness, quietly efficient performances and superbly consistent efforts at the top most level deserved a lot more attention than it actually got. But inspite of fate’s constantly unwelcome interventions, Paulo’s unwavering commitment, and gentleman’s demeanor will never be under question. Here’s to a legend who quietly won hearts of fans all over. Paulo Ferreira, take a bow.