Raรบl Gonzalez played his last international match in 2006, something more people would talk about if Spain didnโt immediately ascend to their current international preeminence. With 102 caps and 44 goals, the Real Madrid icon remains one of the most decorated players in Spainโs history, but on the wrong side of history, the iconic attacker missed out on a world championship, two European titles, and his countryโs discarding of a reputation as one of world soccerโs persistent underachievers.
โI didnโt call Raul to let him know he wasnโt selected,โ head coach Luis Aragones, four-time coach of Real rival Atlรฉtico, told an undoubtedly incredulous media upon dropping the icon. โHe is not an exceptional case.โ
Perhaps that statement served Aragonesโs purposes, but itโs not true. Players like Raรบl are exceptional cases, and rightfully so. Few players have the talent to make their countryโs national team, let alone make over 100 appearances, let alone prove so inspirational that even after their former team wins three major titles, people debate whether his exclusion was justified. Capable of creating and scoring, as a focal point on and off the field, Raรบlโs significance was difficult to understate, even if a dip in form meant his production wasnโt matching his reputation. Still, there will always be loyalists who feel Raรบl deserved to share in Spainโs glories.
Raรบlโs story, however, is not singular. Itโs a logical one. Soccer players have professional lifespans. For the truly special ones, those lifespans coincide with teams and microcultures being built around them. For Raรบl, talent plus iconography plus circumstance derived from his place of birth and club teamโs prestige coalesced to create a type of world a player can define, both by his presence and his absence. For all their successes, Spainโs modern story begins where one of Raรบlโs ends.
Other instances are less dramatic, but in the United States, weโre going through one of our own iconโs transitions โ that of Landon Donovan, a type of American Raรบl in significance if not style. But whereas Spainโs depth of talent partially justified Aragonesโs decision, Donovanโs quality is viewed as singular. How, many U.S. soccer fans would ask, can Jurgen Klinsmann justify excluding a Landon Donovan?
It isnโt always about talent. Argentinaโs discovered that many times with Juan Romรกn Riquelme, whose unparalleled combination of clairvoyantโs vision and magicianโs skill came with a sensitive nature that collapsed many relationships between star and manager. So it was no true surprise when, in March 2009, Riquelme abruptly announced his retirement from international soccer, unable to meet his new coach eye-to-eye.
โWe donโt think the same way,โ Riquelme said of Diego Maradona, the Argentine playing legend who replaced the resigned Alfio Basile. โWe donโt share the same codes of ethics. While he is the coach of the national team, we canโt work together.โ
Maradona took over an Argentina team that was struggling to qualify for World Cup 2010 and, after incredible inconsistency over his first qualifiers, stabilized the team. The Albiceleste secured a place in South Africa and, despite numerous criticisms, made the tournamentโs quarterfinals. It wasnโt classic Argentina, with the team eventually playing with four central defenders across the back, but given what heโd inherited, Maradonaโs results vindicated his experiments.
He wanted Riquelme, though. Like most Argentines, Maradona revered Romรกnโs skill, and as a icon for Diegoโs beloved Boca Juniors, Riquelme was unlikely to be shown the door.
But for a man that, for all his faults, has inspired such loyalty from the generation thatโs followed, Maradona saw none from Riquelme. When he insisted his trequarista adapt his game amid the countryโs faltering results, Riquelme walked.
โAll I said was that I wanted him to play 15 meters further up the pitch,โ Maradona said, when asked about Riquelmeโs decision. โWhat have I done for him to be scared of me? If I canโt say how I want my players to play, then Iโm in the oven.โ
With โonlyโ 51 international caps, Riquelme is no Raรบl or Donovan. His erratic temperament also mitigated his preternatural ability, making him more an object of impassioned debate than blind loyalty. At least, when juxtaposed against potential qualifying disappointment and the legend that is Diego Maradona, Riquelmeโs stance was never going to move the masses.
So it was that an iconic playerโs career ended amid a personality conflict. Lionel Messi was moved into the middle and, despite fan expectations that heโd score more goals, had an effective World Cup. Though they did not having a clear replacement, Argentina moved on without Riquelme. even if it was unclear how theyโd replace him. Ultimately, Argentina was fine without Riquelme.
Out of the team for much of the Klinsmann era, Donovanโs absence no longer carries the uncertainties of Riquelmeโs departure. Without the man they saw as their best player, United States fans have seen a capable if more limited U.S. squad navigate its obstacles. If there was a time when the exclusion of a Donovan-like talent would inspire questions and doubts, questions are all the remain.
โI beg the Brazilian fans that they support us,โ were Dungaโs words, an incredible plea considering the manโs own playing rรฉsumรฉ. A World Cup-winner with 91 caps, the midfield stalwart would garner the benefit of the doubt under most circumstances, but after omitting Ronaldinho from his 2010 World Cup squad, the Brazil boss was forced into a more emotional appeal.
โIf they donโt like me or any other thing, thatโs fine, but I want [the Brazilian fan] to support us, to be a patriot.โ
Even at that point, in May 2010, Ronaldinhoโs fading skill was obvious. And given the focal point heโd been in previous squads, it wasnโt surprising Dunga wished to move on from Gauchoโs era. Having built a team that would rely on robust defending and counterattacking prowess, the worldโs number one team was no place for a floating icon who, while still being one of the worldโs most skilled players, didnโt fit the scheme.
Tell that to a Brazilian public whoโd created the icon. Pele may have been the countryโs best overall player, and by 2010 Messi had ascended to his global pedestal, but to those loyal to the style Ronaldinho brought, Gaucho was the counterpoint to each. Numbers are nice, and everybody loves goals, but who nobody could match Ronaldinhoโs skill on the ball? Chasing a goal late, needing something that transcends tactics, that had to be worth something. Right?
Itโs the type of appeal youโll hear about the Algeria game โ Donovanโs transcendant moment. Beyond explanation, beyond anything you can draw up on a white board, when you need a goal late, who would you rather have on the field? Most U.S. fans would rather have Donovan.
Brazilโs quarterfinal exit in South Africa left Ronaldinhoโs supporters with a level of vindication, as did his recall under Dungaโs successor, Mano Menezes. But Dunga had long thrived without the former Ballon dโOr winner. The Seleรงao were the reigning South American champions and had won the Confederations Cup the year before. They went into South Africa as the worldโs number one team. While Brazilโs fans missed their idol, itโs unclear their team actually did.
It would be a mistake to draw direct parallels. Raรบl is distinct, as is Riquelme, Ronaldinho and Donovan. Itโs what makes their exclusions noteworthy. If we were talking about players easily compared to others, we wouldnโt be talking at all.
But there is something in each scenario that can be drawn on when thinking of Landon Donovan. Raรบlโs iconography and importance within the Spanish team made his exclusion seem impossible, form be damned. Riquelmeโs unlikely retirement came as expectations of his role changed โ amid his inability (or, unwillingness) to accept his new world. And with Ronaldinho, fans passionate about a singular player were unable to see the bigger picture.
With all these players there was a bigger picture. Spain went on to unparalleled success. Argentina salvaged their qualifying campaign. Brazil stayed the top-ranked team in the world. Each team had a future after their icons.
The United States may be a ways away from embracing that future, and with Donovan set to take part in this summerโs Gold Cup, heโs got an obvious route back into the full national team. But if that route ends up being blocked, U.S. fans need only look to recent history and see a series of iconic players for more successful teams whose indispensability was dispelled.