Spain Believes In Jesus: Jesus Navas, That Is!

Every few years the World Cup brings forth a lot of entertainment, enjoyment and most of all talent.

Before the start of the World Cup, Spanish footballer Jesus Navas couldn’t really be considered a famous player. It would be fair to say that not many people were familiar with his name and although his startling good looks might give women a reason to enjoy a Sevilla game, he didn’t really catch as much attention until the start of the World Cup.

I will admit that I was under the category of the many who didn’t know a lot about Jesus Navas, although I do like Sevilla a lot. I stopped following the team after Dani Alves transferred to Barcelona and that itself might be a mistake because I truly liked Sevilla for the team as a whole and not just because of Dani (Even though Dani was the reason I started watching them play).

This Spain winger has excelled since his start for his national team. He has shown agility, strength and speed, even scored a goal in only his 5^th World Cup match. Albeit this might seem a great start to World Cup watchers, Navas has been no stranger to stunning play and great performances during big matches. He was discovered at the young age of 15 by Sevilla and since then has been a star for the team. He scored for Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey Finals against Atletico Madrid and was one of the prolific goal scorers for the Spanish team in the preceding season.

Four years ago, Sevilla received an offer to transfer to Chelsea FC. Had it been a successful he would have been famous and up the ranks much faster than now but Navas claimed he suffered from home-sickness and refused to move from Sevilla. One of the main reasons Navas hasn’t been seen playing for Spain is because of home-sickness related anxiety attacks. In 2009 he showed a desire to get over his issues and took all the necessary steps. Soon after he expressed his wish to play for Spain he was called into the squad. He got over the problematic condition and travelled to South Africa with Spain during the summer. It is uncommon to hear of footballer’s battling with severe homesickness in today’s world, and for it to be considered a disorder that led him into a psychologist’s office shows the severity of his anxiety attacks. Working hard to overcome all concerned issues shows his determination and drive towards playing for his national team and might have even helped him start off his World Cup campaign successfully.

What truly shows how talented this play is, is the respect he has earned from managers and players alike.

Sergio Ramos says, given a choice he would be Jesus Navas over Frank Ribery to play alongside him at Real Madrid. He rates Navas as the finest of young wingers in Europe.

Even Liverpool former manager, Rafael Benitez had shown a keen interest in signing the Spaniard the last year and the current Spain manager seemed impressed enough to include him in this year’s World Cup squatting. Vincente del Bosque was quoted saying, "We like what Navas can give us. He enjoyed a great season with Sevilla and you need players who can make a difference in the World Cup. That's why he is coming"

What is most appealing about Navas’s play is his quick dribbling and ability to run at opposing defenders which put together he makes him a lethal opponent, and so valuable are his skills that there’s even a video from the man himself on how to play like him.

 http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-perfect-your-soccer-dribbling-with-jesus-navas-366295/view/

It seems that the smallest to the greatest of clubs have been recognising Navas’s talent and consistency and it won’t be long before he becomes a name on the back of every Spanish fans shirt’s and is able to stand up to the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and other popular players of today’s generation!  But the real question is, will he be able to deal with being away from home for longer periods than that of the World Cup? Or will his home-sickness return, hindering his career in international football, forcing him to stay close to home and limiting his success to La Liga only?