Claude Makelele: A Tribute

A legend has left Chelsea. That title is thrown around quite liberally in modern football, but in the case of Claude Makelele, I think it is justified.

I can say that I’ve had the pleasure, as a Chelsea season ticket holder, of watching Makelele strut his stuff on Saturday afternoons for the past five years. Watching him play was simply a joy. The little turn to ward off a marker, the deft touch to open up some space, the Stamford Bridge crowd shouting ‘SHOOT!’ every time Maka got past the halfway line.

The guy oozed class and, as a bonus for him, his wife is a bit tasty (for those in England, she appears in the M&S adverts).

Of course, Makelele can’t score to save his life, but when you’ve got Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack playing ahead of you, why worry? It just made it all the sweeter when he did score.

There was the penalty against Charlton in 2005, which was probably the worst penalty I’ve ever seen. Makelele hit it too close to the keeper and then knocked it in with a combination of his knee and shin. Then there was his 25-yard volley against Tottenham, which shocked just about everyone.

‘Have you ever seen Maka score a goal? Yes we have!’ Many a time have I heard this chant rise up from the Stamford Bridge crowd.

He was key in our successes over the past five years, and it is fair to say the £13.9 million we spent to prise him from Real Madrid in 2003 was money very well spent.

When Makelele left Madrid in 2003, the club president, Florentino Perez, was dismissive of the effect Makelele‘s departure would have. "We will not miss Makelele," he said. "His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and 90% of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways."

How wrong he was. Real would go on to have a barren spell that would last for four years. However the players recognised the importance of Makelele. Zinedine Zidane summed it up perfectly when he remarked: “Why put another coat of paint on the Bentley when you are taking out the engine?” (I think that is the correct quote, although I haven't been able to find the exact version of it).

When Chelsea fans look back on the past five years, they will recognise the key role Makelele played in such a glorious period in the club’s history. Often he didn’t dazzle or stand out, but he did the simple things very well, and recognition came to the diminutive Frenchman.

The best tribute that can be made is the fact that he has a position named after him, with commentators and pundits talking about the ‘Makelele role’, a fitting tribute to a brilliant player.

Thank you Maka, and good luck in France.