Trapped in a certain mindset and the only man not in on the secret: RIATH AL-SAMARRAI looks into life on 'Planet Cristiano Ronaldo'...
so is there a big enough dummy for his ego? LISTEN: Join us as we debate the BIGGEST talking points on It's All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY. Available wherever you get your podcasts By Riath Al-samarrai Published: 02:00, 30 June 2024 | Updated: 02:00, 30 June 2024 e-mail View comments They still tell a fun story at Swansea City about the subtle toughness of Roberto Martinez. Those aren't terribly hard to find, but this tale traces to his first job in management and involved the handling of a player who had grown miffed with his circumstances.
That was Owain Tudur Jones, a Wales international frustrated about how often he was on the bench in League One. It would have been around 2008 and, in time-honoured fashion, Jones marched to Martinez's office to deliver a speech he had rehearsed with his dog. He was ready to demand answers to a few blunt questions and when he left, 10 minutes later, Jones was buzzing.
Martinez's message from the moment the door opened was that he could be better than Sergio Busquets and what a joy, a privilege, it was to see every day on the mud. Jones felt a foot taller when he got back to his car, only to then realise something - he had failed to give any of his grand speech and received no assurances whatsoever. A fair amount has changed since then for Martinez - surroundings, personnel, stakes and takes.
But the alchemy .
