The long pursuit of Lampard

Should Frank Lampard pull on the Manchester City shirt on Sunday and play at Newcastle it’ll be the culmination of a decade of previously unrequited admiration. Not from City, but from Txiki Begiristain, their director of football.

Just over 10 years ago, Steve Kutner was representing Patrick Vieira as the French international was antsy to bring his Arsenal career to an end and experience continental football again. Real Madrid were desperate to sign such a commanding footballer, especially at a time when they were also courting Arsene Wenger, who admits to having met representatives of the Madrid board on a number of occasions. Knowing that their biggest rivals were in a position to sign Vieira, Barcelona – as they do – wanted to at least be in the fight, if there was one.

At that stage Begiristain had been football director at the Camp Nou for just over a year and the club was frantically re-building. He called Kutner over for a meeting –  not to tap the player up, but to try to get a handle on whether the Madrid move was likely and what Vieira’s salary terms might be. Barcelona had already introduced their pyramid salary structure where, at the base, you’ll find the majority of the squad, then in tiers of decreasing size you’ll find clusters of two or three players, right up to the peak, where Ronaldinho was then and Messi is now. It soon transpired that Barcelona, then much more parsimonious and keener on value for money than they have become (yes, that is a euphemism for better-run) wanted to place Vieira at a level of the pyramid which wouldn’t in any way match his financial aspirations.

Without too much regret and with a noticeable alacrity, Begiristain shifted his discussion with Kutner. If he had been all business before, the Basque now spoke with a new enthusiasm and eagerness.
“Right! You’re Frank Lampard’s agent – how can we get him? What do we have to do to secure a footballer like that?”

Begiristain was a member of Cruyff's Dream Team at Barca
Txiki Begiristain was a member of Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team as a player at Barcelona

I’ve often asked Frank about FC Barcelona and that is the club he’d have chosen to play at if he’d gone to Spain, one against whom he’s enjoyed some fabulous tussles and where he scored a goal which constantly rates as either his favourite or in his top three: the unfeasible chip over Victor Valdés to get a draw in that pulsating 2-2 Champions league draw in 2006. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a move which could happen, given his importance to Chelsea then and in ensuing years, plus his devotion to the club.

When he did leave it was Ferran Soriano and Brian Marwood who set up Lampard’s freedom-of-contract move to New York City, where he’ll play with David Villa and where it’s not out of the question that Xavi will end up in due course. There was, at that stage, no question, no discussion of the free-scoring midfielder joining the English champions.

But when Lampard and Kutner were in New York to seal his move there, they encountered Txiki Begiristain again and the subject of playing for City until … City were ready to start their pre-season training in Manchester and Charleston was raised.

There is no question that NYC have a fabulous start-up property in Lampard – top footballer, fine pro, good ambassador, star. Nor any question that it’s been a matter of great satisfaction to Begiristain that, 10 years on, he’s finally got his man.

GH 15.8.14

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