Ever Banega – Is the bad boy Alonso the answer for the Reds?

Yet another player linked with Liverpool this summer, Ever Banega has had a breakthrough season in Spain after struggling to establish himself at Valencia since a big money move from Argentina. Banega is an interesting character to say the least, something I’ll mention more of later, and last summer his career was looking like going nowhere. He started off life in his native Argentina with Boca Juniors. Growing up in a very poor part of Argentina, Banega made his way through the youth ranks of Boca until he made his debut, aged just 18. After team mate Fernando Gago moved to Real Madrid in January 2007, Banega got his chance in the first team in his defensive midfield role, debuting in the Argentinean Clausura Championship in a 4-0 win over Banfield. He became a favourite with the fans very quickly and he was selected for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup tournament in Canada.

Banega was part of the squad that won the tournament but controversy wasn’t long in coming to the player when he was filmed, along with some of his team-mates, trashing a hotel room. At 18, he could be excused for being a bit of a hell-raiser, and after all, he had come from a background which he had described himself as coming from a family so poor they “practically ate mud.” So such instances did not detract his potential suitors and teams such as AC Milan and Juventus were interested in signing the player. After just 28 appearances for Boca though, he signed in January 2008 for Valencia in an estimated €18million deal. It was a hefty amount for an unproven player, an amount they would initially regret paying.

In a controversial period in Valencia’s history, with Ronald Koeman in charge, some of Valencia’s most experienced players including Santiago Canizares, captain David Albelda and Miguel Angulo were frozen out of the team. A young, inexperienced Banega was meant to fill the void but it was to be an unhappy end of season for the youngster. He played 14 times during the 2007/08 season after debuting as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid, but he failed to settle in the team. It seemed to be too much too young for the player as he quickly went off the rails. He was caught online on a webcam doing something he shouldn’t have been, then he was caught speeding at 3.30 am in the morning, and he partied every night of the week.

He was loaned out for the 2008/09 season to Atletico Madrid to see if his performances improved but things seemed to get worse and worse. He was drinking heavily and was constantly late for team meetings and training, tallying up a club record of disciplinary fines. The Madrid club had an option of signing the player permanently but after a string of bad performances with 1 goal in 27 appearances, and his penchant for turning up late for team meetings half asleep with a hangover, they wisely chose against it.

The summer of 2009 however proved to be a watershed moment in Banega’s career. Valencia wanted rid of him at all costs and practically tried to force him out on loan to Stuttgart or Everton. Everton in fact had acquired a work permit for the player and were still hopeful of signing him on the last day of the transfer window back in August, but circumstances began to change for Banega. A remarkable change in the 21 year old’s attitude had occurred in pre-season training. He worked his socks off and played a key part in some pre-season friendlies. A changed man who shirked nights out and alcohol, willing to get his career back on track after realising the errors of his ways. Valencia began to include him in the starting eleven, and even picked him for a Europa League match, making him cup tied for any other club. It looked as if Valencia had finally found a place for him in the team. Playing alongside the experienced David Albelda in the side, Banega grew and grew as a player. Similar to Xabi Alonso in style, he is a deep lying midfielder who distributes the ball to each flank with raking diagonal balls. A player in the mould of the Basque midfielder he certainly is. He is trebled his career goals this season and has become an integral part of Unai Emery’s Valencia side who currently lie third in La Liga. Assists, goals, he controls the pace of play in Valencia’s midfield and with the club’s current financial crisis, he could be bought relatively cheaply. Should Liverpool take a risk?

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