This question goes out to the current soccer parents or future soccer parents who are hoping their children will follow their passion for soccer. Which player would you want your son or daughter to emulate the most? Would it be the fancy footwork of a Christiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? Would it be the technical skills of a Franck Ribery or Thomas Muller?
In a press conference ahead of the MLS All-Star match this evening, former EPL star Thierry Henry started this conversation and praised former teammate Ribery, as well as German superstar Thomas Muller as players he would want his son to imitate. Henry goes on to say, “ Stepovers, tricks, that’s not the game. The game is what Thomas Muller is doing. If I had a son right now, playing, I would say to him ‘look at them, look at Ribery, look at Muller. What Ronaldo does, and Messi, they’re just freaks. Don’t try to copy those guys. You can copy from Ribery, you can copy from Thomas Muller.'"
Henry will play these Bayern players (Ribery and Muller) this evening during the matchup between the MLS All-Stars and Bayern Munich. The praise is interesting, because it could be interpreted as a backhanded complement to Ribery and Muller - suggesting their skills can be copied. However, Henry seems to be more practical about the way soccer should be played. There are superstars who were born with video game-like skills, and then there are the "machines" like Thomas Muller who have a knack for the game and unparalleled ability to execute consistently. Henry even went on to say, “What he did at the World Cup, people don’t talk about it…He does what the game asks him to do.”
No matter who you emulate in your game, it will be exciting to watch these Bayern players take on Major League Soccer’s best. Don’t miss it tonight at 9:40 pm EST.
