The bubbles on the feet are all out by themselves. This applies not only to real life, but also to the green world. The biggest responsibility for the fall of most players is actually the players themselves. For example, the protagonist of this article, van der Meide, his deeds are very representative, and the fall of this Dutch genius is purely self-inflicted:
Andy van der Meide was born on September 30, 1979 in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands. The famous Battle of Arnhem took place here. Like many of his fellow Dutchmen, Van der Meide chose the Ajax Academy as a teenager and made his name here.
Van der Meide, who plays as a full-back, mainly plays on the right flank and occasionally makes a cameo appearance as a left-winger. He is an out-and-out football genius, with an excellent sense of the ball, whether it is stopping the ball or passing people, he has a strong ability to break through, and there are simply not too many famous scenes of devouring opponents alive in one-on-one. His crosses are also accurate, benefiting his team-mates up front. In addition, he also has a good scoring ability, and there are many wonderful shots on goal.
Such a young talent will naturally get the attention of Ajax's first team. As early as the 1997-98 season, van der Meide was promoted to the Ajax first team. However, at that time, Ajax already had Babangida on the right side, the speed madman who was particularly good at football games. At this time, Babangida was at the peak of his career, averaging 1 goal in 2 games in the Dutch league this season, the efficiency was quite exaggerated, and the fledgling Van der Meide naturally could not compete with others.
Because of Babangida's presence, Van der Meide served as a substitute for a while before being loaned to FC Twente. By the time van der Mei finished his training and returned to Ajax, Babanjida had already left, and Van der Meide became Ajax's main right-back without suspense.
Van der Meide's performance in the Dutch league, that's phenomenal. Many Dutch fans and even the media feel that Van der Meide has a chance to grow into a superstar like Figo. The Dutch national team opened their doors early to van der Meide, who also made his international debut and scored a spectacular goal to help the Orange defeat the United States.
In the days that followed, van der Meed grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. In 2002-03, the Dutch prodigy not only tortured his opponents repeatedly with breakthroughs, but also scored 11 league goals. I don't know how many European giants want to recruit them. Inter Milan, who was known for its deep pockets at the time, had the last laugh in Van der Mede's transfer battle, taking him to the Apennine arena.
At this time, the Inter boss was still Cooper, the Argentine coach who was a well-known fan of the 4-4-2 formation. In his tactical system, Zanetti plays as the starting right-back and Van der Meide is the first choice for the right midfielder, and the two complement each other well in one defense and one attack. In the Champions League group stage against Arsenal, the Dutch prodigy made many Inter fans feel that Van der Meide could occupy the main place for many years to come.
If Inter had been coached by Cooper, that could have been possible. It's a pity that Cooper was replaced by Zacheroni because of his poor record. The tactical system advocated by Zacheroni is not the same as Cooper's, and the Italian coach prefers a three-back formation.
In Zaccheroni's tactical system, there is no right-back at all. This directly led to Inter captain Zanetti moving forward to play as a right-wing-back. Zanetti is good at attacking and defending, or an Inter veteran, how does this make Van der Meide compete?
Since the competition could not be met with Zanetti, Van der Meide had to move forward and play as a right winger. However, Zacheroni's three-striker formation is not the fixed combination of two wingers and one center in Mourinho's car period. Zaccheroni sometimes starts with Vieri, Martins and Rekoba, and the player's position on the field is not so fixed. Of course, everyone can also understand that the three-striker formation that Zaccheroni put on when he coached Inter did not need wingers so much.
It is not surprising that Van der Meide lost his starting spot in Zaccheroni. However, the Dutch national team still trusts Van der Meide. In Euro 2004, Van der Meide, who had been reduced to a substitute at Inter, remained the main Dutch player. He flew with Robben's wings, which is the regular tactic of the Orange Legion.
At this time, Van der Meide was 25 years old, the theoretical peak of professional football. However, it may have been his experience as a substitute at Inter that dampened Van der Meide's spirit. His performance at this European Championship could not be compared with Robben, who was only 20 years old at the time. Arjen Robben can create a threat as soon as he gets the ball, Van der Meide is far from it...
After a frustrating trip to the European Cup, Van der Meide continued to play for Inter. Zaccheroni had said goodbye to Meazza by this time, and Mancini was in charge of Inter. Mancini basically does not use a three-back formation, and it stands to reason that Van der Meide's good days are here again. But the reality is that the Dutch genius still can't play the main force.
As for the reason, it is purely Vandermeed himself who is to blame. The player himself once made it clear in an interview that his second season in Italy was like a vacation, often going out to drink, and did not think about football at all.
Why should an alcoholic be a workhorse in the star-studded Inter? Mancini dropped van der Meide, and that was no problem at all. Therefore, the fall of this Dutch genius is really not to blame for the Nerazzurri, nor for any coach's head, purely his own fault.
After the end of the 2004–05 season, Inter lost patience with the 26-year-old Van der Mede. The Nerazzurri simply made the decision to purge him and sold him to Everton in the Premier League.
At this time, the Everton team had not yet realized the problem of van der Meide's alcoholism. In order to get the Dutch talent, Everton actually offered a whopping £37,000 a week, which is higher than what Van der Meide received at Inter.
As the saying goes, "if you get money, you are afraid of something", Van der Meide, who was already an alcoholic, became more and more indulgent after receiving a high salary. At this time, he was not only addicted to alcohol, but also contracted a problem with flowers and grass, and his private life was extremely chaotic. His wife couldn't bear Van der Meide anymore and simply divorced.
Ironically, Van der Meide knew that his behavior was not good, but he just couldn't resist the temptation. When the junior Drente joined Everton, Van der Mede, who had retired at the time, told Drente that the temptation of the city of Liverpool was too much, and before you knew it, you would linger in nightclubs...
If there is no way to resist the temptation, then no one can save Van der Mede. Poor Everton offered Van der Meide a high salary, but lost money to his grandmother's family, and the Premier League club could only grit its teeth and wait for his contract to expire.
Van der Meide, who has mixed a high-paying contract, has completely fallen, and few clubs are willing to offer him opportunities. It didn't take long for news of Van der Meide's retirement.