Warning: Photo purge ahead :)
An inspiration (Ok, ok, a crush). But it's still some story.
Those are some startlingly beautiful, almost unearthly eyes. Somehow they instantly remind me of what the Targaryen family's eyes would look like. You know - the mythical dynasty from Old Valyria. Just check out The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin - only the most heart wrenching, magnificient fantasy series I've come across - as one reviewer put it, the characters in these books would put the Borgias to shame.
Anyway, I digress. :)
Extract from A Different League
La Liga Player Profile- Jesus Navas, Sevilla FC.
The stand-out result from this week’s international friendlies was undoubtedly Spain’s convincing defeat of the French in Paris. First half goals from David Villa and Sergio ramos gave the European champions a comfortable victory, and further underlined their ominous World Cup credentials.
A quick glance at their squad for the game shows an almost unfair number of high class midfield players at their disposal. It could be said that La Roja have more than enough of their fair share of quality in the middle of the park with Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Marcos Senna, Alonso, Silva and Mata, and now, joining this elite cast, is Jesus Navas. The Sevilla winger came on for the second half and was particularly impressive, giving Patrice Evra a torrid time, and looking every part the international class winger he had been earmarked to be many years ago. Despite having clocked up over 200 appearances for the Andalucian club, winning a Copa del Rey and two UEFA Cups, Navas has taken the scenic route towards representing his country. Unfortunately though, it’s a rare aversion to changes of scenery which has stalled the progress of his career up until this point. It is well-known that Navas has suffered from chronic homesickness and nervous anxiety about straying too far away from his beloved home province of Seville. It is a condition which has seen him pull out of various international and club tours and training camps, which seriously hindered his progression as one of Europe’s most promising talents.
Indeed it was a matter which got so bad that Navas announced his retirement from the Spanish set-up before he’d even gained a cap. Despite producing a series of lightning displays for Los Nervionenses, his fragile emotional state out of his comfort zone rendered him untenable for national service, and reportedly cost him a transfer to the Premier League with Chelsea in 2006. At the start of this season Navas indicated a willingness to conquer his fears in aid of resurrecting his International career. Now aged 24, he appears to have matured as a player and a person, and overcome his personal demons which have plagued him ever since he burst through Sevilla’s youth ranks as a nervous child. On the field he has already doubled his previous best goals return by striking ten times so far this term, form which has led to the invite from Vicente Del Bosque to be part of the Spain set-up working towards the World Cup. In truth, had it not been for his homesickness, this call-up could have come any time in the past five years. Sevilla have been a prominent side domestically and abroad, and Navas has been integral to their success. The club, first under Juande Ramos and since under Manolo Jimenez, have taken on a vibrant, attacking theme, with plenty of pace and width and a nose for goals. It is the ideal surroundings for a winger to flourish.
Operating as a genuine right-winger he is a throw-back to the old school, operating with chalk on his boots, he pins his ears back and commits full-backs. There are no airs and graces, nothing overly complicated and flamboyant about Navas’s modus operandi. Countless step-overs, and triple salchows are not part of his repertoire, instead preferring to simply drop the shoulder and dart at his target with pace, conviction and a desire to skin. Up until this season his goals tally was modest – he still averages only one goal in ten – but he makes up for this by supplying a stream of quality crosses for his strikers to feast upon. Year on year Navas is around the top of La Liga’s ‘assist’ charts, and it is no coincidence that Freddi Kanoute and Luis Fabiano have plundered almost 200 goals between them since 2005.
Sevilla and Navas started the 2009/10 season well, winning seven of their first eight games. After this fine start, Navas received the call to join his compatriots for the friendly double-header with Argentina and Austria in November. It was a call Navas now felt comfortable to take, and made his debut with a ten minute cameo against Diego Maradona’s Albiceleste in Madrid, before an impressive second 45 minutes in the 5-1 rout of Austria in Vienna. Small, but positive steps as he looks to secure a place in the final 23 for South Africa. Such is the form of Navas, he is now being linked with moves to Barcelona and Real Madrid. Indeed just this week Sergio Ramos has told the Spanish press that he would prefer to see his Spain team-mate at the Bernabeu, rather than long time Los Meringues target Franck Ribery. That talent has never been in question, the application has.
It is a strange concept to understand that in such a profession, one is limited by such a phobia. Yet it is a testament to Navas’s desire to succeed that he has managed to battle against these fears to, not only continue his career, but to progress to the point he may well be taking part in a huge global tournament, under intense scrutiny, many miles away from the little town of Los Palacios.
Name Jesus Navas
Age 24 (21 November, 1985)
Position Winger
Club level honours UEFA Cup 2006 & 2007, UEFA Super Cup 2006, Copa Del Rey 2006/7, Spanish Supercup 2007
Nationality Spanish
Caps/goals 2/0
...........and he did.
Update: Apparently people are surprised that postcards of him are selling just as well as those of Fernando Torres, Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas.
Well duh.
However, Navas’ fears over homesickness saw the move cancelled and he remained at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. For the next two seasons, Navas maintained a consistent threat, with the knowledge that his career could never progress - despite his abilities - hanging over him like the Sword of Damocles.
Talk has surfaced of a move to Real Madrid over the summer, with officials from the capital club having already put the feelers out to Sevilla. The sky is the limit for Navas; it just depends on whether he allows himself to take flight
Photo above from MSN Sports, which incidentally is the source of this little bit (more) trivia as well
An inspiration (Ok, ok, a crush). But it's still some story.
Those are some startlingly beautiful, almost unearthly eyes. Somehow they instantly remind me of what the Targaryen family's eyes would look like. You know - the mythical dynasty from Old Valyria. Just check out The Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin - only the most heart wrenching, magnificient fantasy series I've come across - as one reviewer put it, the characters in these books would put the Borgias to shame.
Anyway, I digress. :)
Extract from A Different League
La Liga Player Profile- Jesus Navas, Sevilla FC.
The stand-out result from this week’s international friendlies was undoubtedly Spain’s convincing defeat of the French in Paris. First half goals from David Villa and Sergio ramos gave the European champions a comfortable victory, and further underlined their ominous World Cup credentials.
A quick glance at their squad for the game shows an almost unfair number of high class midfield players at their disposal. It could be said that La Roja have more than enough of their fair share of quality in the middle of the park with Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Marcos Senna, Alonso, Silva and Mata, and now, joining this elite cast, is Jesus Navas. The Sevilla winger came on for the second half and was particularly impressive, giving Patrice Evra a torrid time, and looking every part the international class winger he had been earmarked to be many years ago. Despite having clocked up over 200 appearances for the Andalucian club, winning a Copa del Rey and two UEFA Cups, Navas has taken the scenic route towards representing his country. Unfortunately though, it’s a rare aversion to changes of scenery which has stalled the progress of his career up until this point. It is well-known that Navas has suffered from chronic homesickness and nervous anxiety about straying too far away from his beloved home province of Seville. It is a condition which has seen him pull out of various international and club tours and training camps, which seriously hindered his progression as one of Europe’s most promising talents.
Indeed it was a matter which got so bad that Navas announced his retirement from the Spanish set-up before he’d even gained a cap. Despite producing a series of lightning displays for Los Nervionenses, his fragile emotional state out of his comfort zone rendered him untenable for national service, and reportedly cost him a transfer to the Premier League with Chelsea in 2006. At the start of this season Navas indicated a willingness to conquer his fears in aid of resurrecting his International career. Now aged 24, he appears to have matured as a player and a person, and overcome his personal demons which have plagued him ever since he burst through Sevilla’s youth ranks as a nervous child. On the field he has already doubled his previous best goals return by striking ten times so far this term, form which has led to the invite from Vicente Del Bosque to be part of the Spain set-up working towards the World Cup. In truth, had it not been for his homesickness, this call-up could have come any time in the past five years. Sevilla have been a prominent side domestically and abroad, and Navas has been integral to their success. The club, first under Juande Ramos and since under Manolo Jimenez, have taken on a vibrant, attacking theme, with plenty of pace and width and a nose for goals. It is the ideal surroundings for a winger to flourish.
Operating as a genuine right-winger he is a throw-back to the old school, operating with chalk on his boots, he pins his ears back and commits full-backs. There are no airs and graces, nothing overly complicated and flamboyant about Navas’s modus operandi. Countless step-overs, and triple salchows are not part of his repertoire, instead preferring to simply drop the shoulder and dart at his target with pace, conviction and a desire to skin. Up until this season his goals tally was modest – he still averages only one goal in ten – but he makes up for this by supplying a stream of quality crosses for his strikers to feast upon. Year on year Navas is around the top of La Liga’s ‘assist’ charts, and it is no coincidence that Freddi Kanoute and Luis Fabiano have plundered almost 200 goals between them since 2005.
Sevilla and Navas started the 2009/10 season well, winning seven of their first eight games. After this fine start, Navas received the call to join his compatriots for the friendly double-header with Argentina and Austria in November. It was a call Navas now felt comfortable to take, and made his debut with a ten minute cameo against Diego Maradona’s Albiceleste in Madrid, before an impressive second 45 minutes in the 5-1 rout of Austria in Vienna. Small, but positive steps as he looks to secure a place in the final 23 for South Africa. Such is the form of Navas, he is now being linked with moves to Barcelona and Real Madrid. Indeed just this week Sergio Ramos has told the Spanish press that he would prefer to see his Spain team-mate at the Bernabeu, rather than long time Los Meringues target Franck Ribery. That talent has never been in question, the application has.
It is a strange concept to understand that in such a profession, one is limited by such a phobia. Yet it is a testament to Navas’s desire to succeed that he has managed to battle against these fears to, not only continue his career, but to progress to the point he may well be taking part in a huge global tournament, under intense scrutiny, many miles away from the little town of Los Palacios.
Name Jesus Navas
Age 24 (21 November, 1985)
Position Winger
Club level honours UEFA Cup 2006 & 2007, UEFA Super Cup 2006, Copa Del Rey 2006/7, Spanish Supercup 2007
Nationality Spanish
Caps/goals 2/0
...........and he did.
And I can't resist copying another article, purely for my reading pleasure:
"Sevilla winger Jesus Navas has beaten a crippling anxiety issue to book his place in Spain’s World Cup squad. He deserves it.
."
Photos are from his Facebook fanpage and Someone's Journal, and this site, which has some really funny captions...like the one with Vincente del Bosque "probably instructing him on how to blind the opponent with his beauty". I know I'd be keeling over this one on the field. It's also a good respite from the all serious skills commentary and focuses on what's really important :)
Update: Apparently people are surprised that postcards of him are selling just as well as those of Fernando Torres, Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas.
Well duh.
Jesus Navas is quite the curious case. A talented, fleet-footed winger who could cause practically any defender in the world problems, but has remained on the fringes of international recognition due to acute anxiety problems caused by homesickness.
Navas has issues just leaving Seville, let alone travelling abroad. His homesickness has caused successions of anxiety attacks upon leaving the city, forcing him to abandon training camps, refuse to be part of pre-season tours and at one point, quit international football altogether.
Cricket fans will be aware of this condition already, as Somerset and England player Marcus Trescothick has been the victim of such a curse. Again, all the ability is there with Navas, but he has been unable for a long time to manage his demons upon leaving his home.
It’s far too easy to write this off as him being a Romany Gypsy. Like Jose Antonio Reyes before him, Sevilla plucked him from the rural areas surrounding Sevilla and brought him into their youth academy. Whilst it’s well known that the gypsy folk are bad travellers, Navas condition goes far beyond simply not wanting to move.
Navas is a graduate of the famed Sevilla academy, which has brought through the likes of Reyes, Diego Capel and the late Antonio Puerta. Having made his debut back in 2004 at the age of 18, he has risen up to become one of the key members of the squad and has attracted a keen following from the big clubs that like to feed off of the Andalusian outfit.
He played a big part in Sevilla’s UEFA Cup triumph in 2005/06, playing in every game and helping to create Enzo Maresca’s first goal of the evening. This form saw him alerted to the attentions of Europe’s elite, with Sevilla actually agreeing a deal to send the winger to Chelsea at the beginning of the following season.
Navas has issues just leaving Seville, let alone travelling abroad. His homesickness has caused successions of anxiety attacks upon leaving the city, forcing him to abandon training camps, refuse to be part of pre-season tours and at one point, quit international football altogether.
Cricket fans will be aware of this condition already, as Somerset and England player Marcus Trescothick has been the victim of such a curse. Again, all the ability is there with Navas, but he has been unable for a long time to manage his demons upon leaving his home.
It’s far too easy to write this off as him being a Romany Gypsy. Like Jose Antonio Reyes before him, Sevilla plucked him from the rural areas surrounding Sevilla and brought him into their youth academy. Whilst it’s well known that the gypsy folk are bad travellers, Navas condition goes far beyond simply not wanting to move.
Navas is a graduate of the famed Sevilla academy, which has brought through the likes of Reyes, Diego Capel and the late Antonio Puerta. Having made his debut back in 2004 at the age of 18, he has risen up to become one of the key members of the squad and has attracted a keen following from the big clubs that like to feed off of the Andalusian outfit.
He played a big part in Sevilla’s UEFA Cup triumph in 2005/06, playing in every game and helping to create Enzo Maresca’s first goal of the evening. This form saw him alerted to the attentions of Europe’s elite, with Sevilla actually agreeing a deal to send the winger to Chelsea at the beginning of the following season.
However, Navas’ fears over homesickness saw the move cancelled and he remained at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. For the next two seasons, Navas maintained a consistent threat, with the knowledge that his career could never progress - despite his abilities - hanging over him like the Sword of Damocles.
The 2009/10 season saw things start in familiar fashion. Sevilla prepared for a pre-season tour to the United States, with Navas declaring his intention to remain at home. However, in a dramatic twist, Navas produced a u-turn on his decision and travelled in a bid to overcome his homesickness. For too long had it held him back in his career and this marked a change in mentality from the Spaniard.
From then on, his season has gone from strength to strength. He has enjoyed his most productive campaign to date for Sevilla, bagging 12 goals in total (including the match-clinching goal against Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final), whilst his nine assists in La Liga were only bettered by Barca trio, Xavi, Dani Alves and Lionel Messi.
He has also forced his way back into the Spanish set-up, with Vicente Del Bosque calling Navas into his squad for two friendly matches in November, the first in Madrid and the second all the way into Vienna. Navas stood up to his involvement in these matches and has been named as a member of the final 23 players heading to South Africa this summer. In return, he bagged his first ever international goal to clinch a 1-0 win over South Korea.
Now the big question returns. It is not a case of whether Navas deserves a place in the squad, because that goes without question for a player of his ability. But can he handle being out of Spain for a whole month? Can he adjust to his surroundings in South Africa without suffering anxiety-induced seizures? Will he be able to reproduce the form that got him there under these pressures?
From then on, his season has gone from strength to strength. He has enjoyed his most productive campaign to date for Sevilla, bagging 12 goals in total (including the match-clinching goal against Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final), whilst his nine assists in La Liga were only bettered by Barca trio, Xavi, Dani Alves and Lionel Messi.
He has also forced his way back into the Spanish set-up, with Vicente Del Bosque calling Navas into his squad for two friendly matches in November, the first in Madrid and the second all the way into Vienna. Navas stood up to his involvement in these matches and has been named as a member of the final 23 players heading to South Africa this summer. In return, he bagged his first ever international goal to clinch a 1-0 win over South Korea.
Now the big question returns. It is not a case of whether Navas deserves a place in the squad, because that goes without question for a player of his ability. But can he handle being out of Spain for a whole month? Can he adjust to his surroundings in South Africa without suffering anxiety-induced seizures? Will he be able to reproduce the form that got him there under these pressures?
Talk has surfaced of a move to Real Madrid over the summer, with officials from the capital club having already put the feelers out to Sevilla. The sky is the limit for Navas; it just depends on whether he allows himself to take flight
Photo above from MSN Sports, which incidentally is the source of this little bit (more) trivia as well
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