What Might Have Been: Gianluigi Lentini

Cast your minds back (if you can) to 1992. A time when Charles and Eddie were no.1 in the charts and the Queen declared the year an annus horribilis. It was also the year the world football transfer record was broken a (still) record three times, all by Italian clubs.

In the early 1990’s Italian football was by far and away the most attractive and successful league in the world and with it came the financial backing that helped it to stay that way well into the early 2000’s. The impact of Serie A could be seen in English society as highlights show Football Italia became one of the most popular shows on Channel 4. At it’s peak, three million people would tune in each Sunday to watch James Richardson showcase that week’s featured game. Sides like AC Milan, Juventus, Parma,Lazio and Sampdoria would enjoy great success on a domestic and continental level, heavily helped by cherry picking the best of what Serie A had to offer.

The first transfer record of the year went to the French striker Jean Pierre Papin who moved from Marseille to AC Milan for a fee of £10m. This was soon broken by rivals Juventus who snapped up Gianluca Vialli for £12m, however Milan would have the last say. The Rossoneri focused their attention on a young winger at Torino to bolster their already world beating side. His name was Gianluigi Lentini. The casual armchair fan might be forgiven for asking who Lentini is, well had history panned out better he’d probably be the face of a generation of Italian footballers. What started as a career full of promise and optimism ended playing in regional football and a career unfulfilled.

Lentini began his career as a 17 year old with local club Torino in 1986. He soon established himself as the club’s best young talent and spearheaded Il Toro’s rise back into Serie A in 1990 where he really began to make a name for himself on a wider scale. Torino’s third place finish in 1991-92 naturally saw the big guns of Italian and European football come sniffing and sure enough Lentini was the prime target. Milan and Juventus both showed strong interest in the 23 year old, however it was the reigning champions Milan who would get their man.

 

Lentini in action for Torino in the 1992 Uefa Cup final against Ajax.

 

Lentini was signed for a world record £13m in the summer of 1992 and was quite rightly heralded as the future of Italian football. Italy’s failure to qualify for the 1992 European Championships had raised concerns over the future of the national side and youngsters like Paolo Maldini, Roberto Baggio and Gianluigi Lentini were seen as the ones to bring the Azzurri into a new era. His first season at Milan was a huge success. They would defend their Serie A title losing just twice all season as well as winning the Italian Supercup, however they missed out on the Champions League losing to Marseille in the first final under it’s new name.

Heading into the new league season in August 1993 Lentini seemed to have the football world at his mercy. A 24 year old who was the world’s most expensive player, a league champion and now established in the national team, but in the blink of an eye his career at the very top of the sport would come crashing to a halt.

Coming home from a pre season tournament in Genoa, Lentini was involved in a serious car crash which saw his Porsche 911 flip several times and burst into flames. He was found unconscious by a passing lorry driver and was soon rushed to a Turin hospital. He had suffered a fractured skull, a damaged eye socket and was in a coma for two days.  Returning to first team football towards the end of the 93-94 season, the silky skills he had once used to terrify opposition defences had gone, and Milan were left with a player who was a shadow of his former self. He would complain of dizziness and memory loss as well as periods of blurred vision. He would only make the bench as Milan faced Barcelona in the 1994 Champions League final, a match that many predicted as a passing of the torch.The Milan side built under Arrigo Sacchi was aging and boss Fabio Capello had no less than six star players unavailable, making Lentini’s absence from the side a clear indication of his fall down the pecking order. The Barca side dubbed “The Dream Team” was young, exciting and had a full squad to choose bar the enigmatic Michael Laudrup. Lentini could only watch from the sidelines as Milan thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in Athens to win their fifth European title, and put in a performance dubbed by many to be the greatest performance in the competition’s history. He ended the 93-94 campaign as nothing more than a squad player.  The spark in Lentini had unfortunately died.

The final two years of Lentini’s Milan career varied in success. The 1994-95 Serie A season saw Milan lose their supremacy of domestic football to Juventus although they did make it to the final of Champions League for a third year in a row, falling short this time to Louis Van Gaal’s inspired young Ajax team. His first team chances became even more limited with Capello preferring the experienced Roberto Donadoni or the talented Croat Zvonimir Boban instead. His Milan career did at least end on a high, winning a third Serie A title in four years.

In the summer of 1996 Lentini was sold to Atalanta where he stayed for just twelve months. A move back home to Torino saw him make over 100 appearances in four years to solidify his reputation as a club legend but he was unable to secure the club’s stability in Serie A, suffering relegation in 2000. Despite being now into his early 30’s, Lentini would play on for another 11 seasons finally ending his career with his hometown club Carmagnola in the regional divisions.

Just as his Milan career grinded to a premature halt, so did his stay in the international set up. Lentini was a key figure as Italy qualified for the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America however he would miss out on the tournament as a consequence of his accident almost a year before. In all he would earn 13 caps for Italy but failed to find the net. His last game for the Azzurri came on 6th November 1996 in a humiliating friendly defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina at the age of just 27.

So how would Lentini had fared had it not been for his horrific car accident? Well he certainly wouldn’t have been short of competition in the national team. A host of young faces were beginning to emerge with the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and an even younger Francesco Totti becoming household names. Lentini would have been at the right age to be considered an experienced face in the Azzurri side and a likely starter at Euro 96 and France 98′ and would have more than likely ended up with well over 50 caps to his name.

Milan would replace the outgoing Lentini with a young Jesper Blomqvist who failed to replicate the form that had seen the Rossoneri sign him from IFK Goteborg. In 1997 they signed the Brazilian Leonardo who would cement his place on the left wing for the next four years. Had Lentini not have suffered his accident would he have established himself as a regular in the Milan side? Probably, yes. In the years following Lentini’s career defining accident Milan would lose their title as the dominant Italian side to Juventus and a series of signings who failed to impress saw them play catch up to the Old Lady for nearly a decade. Lentini would have been considered a key part of the side that admittedly was in a heavy transitional period after the dominant Arrigo Sacchi side of the early 1990’s and before the resurgence in the early 00’s under Carlo Ancelotti.

When we look back at football in the 1990’s the same names seem to crop up. Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Rivaldo, Cantona, Beckham, Owen, Batistuta. Had Lentini not been involved in the car crash that ultimately derailed a once promising career he may well have been regularly mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned players. It’s difficult to say exactly how his career would have fared, but it’s almost guaranteed that his career and place in football history would be much greater and memorable than it is. Once considered the future of Italian football, in the space of a few seconds, Gianluigi Lentini very much became a case of what might have been.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Might Have Been: Prince Naseem Hamed

Over the last 30 years or so Britain has produced some of the finest boxers on the planet. Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Lennox Lewis have all gone on to have tremendous success on a global level. However one who is regularly forgotten about when this discussion takes place was perhaps the most talented of them all. That man is Prince Naseem Hamed.

Now it may seem odd putting someone who was a two time world champion in a series of articles such as this, but Hamed could and should have achieved so much more.

The Prince was a huge breath of fresh air when he burst onto the scene in the early 1990’s. A cocky young teenage southpaw with bags of ability and someone the fans couldn’t help but admire, but who secretly they wouldn’t mind getting knocked out either. Everything about Hamed oozed confidence. From his walk to the ring to his front somersault over the top rope to enter, fans knew that when they went to watch him, he’d put on one hell of a show. For someone only nine stone at his absolute heaviest Hamed had a phenomenal knockout rate of 84% and is one of the quickest and most devastating punchers of the modern age.

A product of Brendan Ingle’s Wincobank Gym in Sheffield, (which has also honed the talents of fighters like Herol Graham and more recently Kell Brook), Hamed turned pro two days after his 18th birthday stopping Ricky Beard in two rounds his first fight. Hamed would go on to outclass several other British fighters including two fights against the now legendary journeyman Peter Buckley. His twelfth fight saw him win his first title winning the European bantamweight title with a unanimous points decision over Italy’s Vincenzo Balcastro. He would defend it once against another Italian Antonio Picardi before vacating it in search of a more prestigious title.

A sixth round stoppage of Freddy Cruz in October 1994 saw Hamed crowned WBC International Super Bantamweight champion, a title he would defend five times, all inside the distance.

In 1995 Hamed faced his first big test when he challenged WBO Featherweight champion Steve Robinson in the champion’s hometown at Cardiff Arms Park. Robinson had defended his title seven times previously and was considered a big threat to the youngster’s undefeated record. They shouldn’t have worried.

Hamed completely dominated the fight, proving himself to be far too quick for the veteran Robinson. Crushing body blows landed at will and bar the occasional one flush punch the champion was unable to respond. A sweet left hook to the chin of Robinson causing him to fall to the canvas in the eighth round was enough for the referee to stop the fight and see the Prince become the King.

Hamed would become one of the most successful Featherweight boxers in decades defending his title fourteen times before being eventually dethroned in April 2001. His reign saw him defeat a number of highly rated fighters including the tough Billy Hardy from Sunderland, but his greatest test was to come in December 1997, and saw him finally recognised across the pond.

Kevin Kelley was a reigning Featherweight champion and certainly not someone Hamed could take lightly. In 50 professional fights he had won 47 and lost just once. Hamed made his US debut at Madison Square Garden in New York in what would be a watershed moment in the 23 year old’s career. For the first time Hamed was forced to respect the ability of his opponent and abandon his normal arrogant style and box to the very best of his ability. A quick counter punch from Kelley on the chin of Hamed saw him knocked down for only the second time in his career but more drama was to follow.

Hamed made a quick recovery but was knocked down again in the second round as Kelley smelt blood and a big, big statement about both fighter’s careers was being made. Hamed again got up quickly and within twenty seconds the tables had turned with Kelley momentarily hitting the deck. The pace of the fight was lightning fast from the first bell and both fighters were leaving nothing in the dressing room. Another knockdown from Hamed saw the Brit now in the ascendency and the American’s confidence shattered.

The fourth saw Kelley come out swinging wildly, an uncharacteristic trait for the American, and Hamed took advantage with a straight left which sent the challenger to the deck for a third time. Kelley yet again responded with a right hook to the side of the head forcing Hamed to touch the floor with his right glove. The two men would trade vicious blows before Kelley was floored for a fourth and final time by a left from Hamed which saw the referee wave the fight off, rather harshly in many people’s eyes. Hamed may have been able to celebrate a huge victory but in doing so his defensive weaknesses were exposed for the first time in his career by the veteran Kelley. If you have time to watch this fight, do it, it’s really, really good.

Hamed would defend the belt another six times before a Vegas bout with the Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. Despite Barrera’s very strong record the Brit was still comfortable favourite at 8-1 on with some bookmakers to retain his title. Eight weeks prior to the fight Hamed was a shocking 40 pounds overweight and despite rigorous training from then on he was still two pounds over by the end of his camp. Legendary trainer Emanuel Steward was brought in and was immediately concerned for the champion after hearing how Barrera had “trained like a monk” ahead of the fight and was razor sharp in his last stoppage win a few months before.

Hamed’s lack of fitness was evident even before the fight started with him unable to perform his trademark front somersault over the top rope. Barrera caught Hamed flush in round one which rocked the champion and the challenger was able to dictate the rest of the fight, not allowing Hamed to execute his normally deadly left hand punches and was able to stay on top and not revert to defensive tactics. As the rounds went by Hamed became more and more frustrated but ultimately was not able to break the Mexican’s momentum and as the bell rang for the end of the fight he knew that his four year IBO Featherweight Title reign was over. The referee confirmed what everyone already knew by announcing Barrera champion by unanimous decision (111-116, 112-115, 112-115).

Hamed would not fight for over a year, earning a comfortable points victory over the Spaniard Manuel Calvo to regain his IBO Featherweight title which had since been vacated. It seemed as though the fans that had once roared the Brit on to domination of the Featherweight division had turned against him and had finally had enough of his arrogant ways, booing him throughout the fight. Hamed’s performance was lethargic and frankly boring. He retired from boxing soon after at the age of just 28.

His reasoning was chronic problems with his hands which included multiple fractures from over the years. Many boxing experts as well as fans have been sceptical about his decision and the reasons behind it, citing his arrogant nature being his ultimate downfall. His defeat to Marco Antonio Barrera should have been the catalyst for a changed Prince Naseem, one that could learn from his mistakes and move on, however what we got was a lame excuse and a career only half fulfilled.

Had Hamed carried on it could well have seen one of the dream matches of the last twenty years. A match against a man who was rapidly becoming the next big star, winning the WBC Featherweight title in 1998. Someone who could have greatly benefitted from a glamour bout with the reinvigorated Hamed. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Imagine, in 2002 Mayweather was 25 years old but not yet the global superstar he would go on to become. Hamed would have been an ideal opponent as a win would have further cemented his position as no.1 Featherweight in the world just before moving on to the Lightweight division. Hamed would have been in a no lose situation. Had he won it would have re-established him as the no.1 Featherweight however had he lost he would have had another shot at the title as Mayweather relinquished the belt to pursue the Lightweight crown instead. Hamed’s raw power and speed would have been a huge test for the American who had not completely perfected his defensive skills. It had all the hallmarks of a potential classic fight.

Prince Naseem Hamed was a sensational talent, one that the British boxing scene and in particular the British Featherweight scene was after. His arrogance and showmanship was something not seen to that degree since Muhammad Ali but it was also to be his greatest downfall and what stopped him achieving further success than he did. At his best he was untouchable but at his worst he was shown to have huge flaws both mentally and physically. His vulnerable defence was highlighted in his victory over Kevin Kelley and his arrogance and overconfidence was exploited emphatically by Marco Antonio Barrera. Is it fair to say Hamed got what he deserved? Probably. Is it fair that the fans were robbed of potentially ten more years of one of the finest British boxing talents of all time? Not in the slightest. Retiring at the age of just 28, Prince Naseem Hamed is one of sports greatest examples of what could have been.

 

 

 

What Might Have Been: Paul Hunter

Yesterday, I published the first in a series of articles I’ll be writing called What Might Have Been, where I look at a sportsmen whose career, for whatever reason, never lived up to it’s full potential. Today we switch our attention from the high octane world of Formula One to the much quieter world of snooker, and the tragic tale of Paul Hunter.

Turning pro at the age of 16 in 1995, Hunter seemed to have it all. Talent to burn and good looks which led to his nickname of the “Beckham of the Baize”. He became an instant fan favourite playing with a flair and confidence that so few players have managed to match before or since. His pro career started by reaching the Second Round of the UK Championship, shocking world number six Alan McManus in the first round. A few months later at the 1996 Welsh Open he became the youngest player to reach a Semi Final of a ranking event and even beat the dominant Stephen Hendry along the way. He would also reach the Quarter Finals of the UK Championship later that year to confirm his status as one of the games rising stars.

Hunter’s first ranking event win came at the 1998 Welsh Open where he defeat John Higgins. Another success in Newport would follow four years later against Ken Doherty however his victory at the British Open in 2003 would be the third and final time that Hunter would taste victory at a ranking event. Despite only three ranking event wins in his eight years as a pro by 2003 there was one competition that Hunter would absolutely make his own.

Last month, Ronnie O’Sullivan won his 61st tournament title beating Joe Perry 10-7 in the Masters final. In doing so, he lifted what is now named the Paul Hunter Trophy, a nod to the terrific performances of Hunter in this event.

Prior to the 2001 event, Hunter had won just one match in his previous two years in the competition and the 23 year old was only considered to be a potential semi finalist at best coming into the tournament in Wembley. After seeing off world no.9 Stephen Lee in the first round, he then beat Peter Ebdon and Alan McManus to reach the final against the Irishman Fergal O’Brien. Going into the mid session interval 6-2 down all looked lost, however that evening, he would go on to produce one of the finest sessions of snooker in the modern era. Hunter compiled four centuries in six frames to take the lead and eventually win the match in the 19th and deciding frame. He would go on to repeat his success in 2002 and 2004 both by the same 10-9 scoreline against Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

 

Hunter celebrating his first Masters triumph in 2001

 

 

In 2005 Hunter achieved his highest ranking of World No.5 before tragedy struck.

On 6 April 2005, Hunter announced that he was suffering from malignant neuroendocrine tumours in his stomach, a rare disease of which the cause is unknown. Hunter vowed to play on through his illness initially but it was clear to see that the illness had taken it’s toll and the Beckham of the Baize was not the same player he had been before. Throughout the 2005/06 season Hunter had been receiving chemotherapy for his illness. His last match saw him succumb 10-5 to future World Champion Neil Robertson in the First Round of the 2006 World Championship. Hunter was allowed to leave the tour with his now ranking of 34 frozen to concentrate on his treatment.

On 9th October 2006, Paul Hunter died at Kirkwood Hospice in Huddersfield. He was just 27 years old.

His funeral took place ten days later in his hometown of Leeds, with many fellow players attending. His best friend Matthew Stevens was a pallbearer.

Hunter left behind a huge legacy. Top players like Stephen Hendry, Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty led calls for the Masters trophy to be named in Hunter’s honour but the now minor ranking tournament the Furth Open (now the Paul Hunter Classic), a competition first won by Hunter was chosen instead. In 2016 the Masters trophy was finally named after Hunter, with World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn saying that the organisation “messed up” by not doing so sooner.

In December of that year, Hunter was posthumously awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award, an award which recognises outstanding achievement in the face of adversity. The Paul Hunter Foundation was also set up soon after his death to give disadvantaged children a place to play sport.

Paul Hunter was arguably one of the most popular players in snooker history. In a time where a new generation of players were starting to assert their dominance Hunter, along with Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, was one of the new faces of the sport. His incredible natural talent and good looks saw him earn thousands of fans across the world and is considered by some to be the most charismatic player the game has ever seen. Whether or not he would have won a World Championship with so many fantastic players during his generation is up for debate, however the one thing that everyone can agree on, is that the world of snooker lost one of it’s brightest and most popular talents far far sooner than it should have.

 

 

 

 

What Might Have Been: Nick Heidfeld

The turn of the 21st century was an exciting time in Formula One. Michael Schumacher had won Ferrari’s first world championship for 21 years (starting a five year period of complete and utter dominance the likes of which had not been seen since Fangio in the 50’s) and the field was littered with an exciting group of young, hungry and talented drivers.

There were four that really stood out, of which three of them would go on to be World Champions. Those men were Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and the new flying Finn Kimi Raikkonen. In this article, as the title may suggest, we’ll be looking at the one who did not reach the absolute pinnacle of the most expensive sport on the planet. Nick Heidfeld.

Heidfeld and Raikkonen as the new faces of the Sauber team in 2001

 

Heading into the 2001 Formula One season it looked as though the perennial midfield Sauber team had the two most promising young drivers on the grid in Heidfeld and Raikkonen in their ranks. The two further cemented this view by finishing an impressive 4th and 6th at the season opening Australian Grand Prix. From there Heidfeld would go on to record the first podium finish of his fledgling career at Interlagos (Brazil) and recorded a further five points scoring finishes, back when that was actually an achievement. In fact, in the eleven races he finished he would only finish outside the top ten once.

Heidfeld ended the 2001 season in a highly respectable eighth place amassing 12 championship points, with his teammate Raikkonen finishing a couple of places below in 10th, having accumulated three less points. Their combined tally of 21 points was enough to earn the Swiss team fourth place in the constructors standings, their highest ever finish at the time.

Up at the front of the grid the McLaren team were facing a dilemma. David Coulthard had fared well, finishing runner up to the dominant Michael Schumacher, however it was their former double world champion Mika Hakkinen that was the issue. The Finn had announced he was to take a sabbatical from the sport (which turned into a full retirement in 2002) and team boss Ron Dennis was left with a choice. Heidfeld or Raikkonen as his successor.

On paper Heidfeld seemed to be the logical choice. He had finished with more points than Raikkonen and had finished more races, however for whatever reason McLaren opted for a new flying Finn and the rest as they say, is history. But why did they go for Raikkonen?

The largely accepted reason nowadays is that Raikkonen had simply had a faster progression than his German teammate. 2001 was Raikkonen’s debut season, having dominated the Formula Renault series in 1999 and 2000. Having only 23 races under his belt when it came to a test for the Sauber team in September 2000, FIA boss Bernie Ecclestone was sceptical over whether to give the youngster a super licence in order to make the jump to F1, however this was granted shortly after.

Heidfeld’s route to F1 was slightly different. Alongside fellow future F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, he would dominate the International Formula 3000 series in 1998 and 1999, finishing runner up to the Colombian in his debut season before dominating in his second to win the championship by 29 points. 1999 was also the year Heidfeld would get his first taste of F1 as he was made the McLaren test driver. He would then sign on for the 2000 season with the troubled Prost team alongside veteran Jean Alesi, but would struggle in a largely uncompetitive car.

There is also an argument that McLaren wanted to go for Raikkonen as it made more sense to replace one Finn for another, the headlines were already written in the next morning’s paper. Whether or not this is a genuine reason is up for debate, but it does look and sound very coincidental.

As Raikkonen’s career went from strength to strength (culminating in his sole World Championship win in 2007), Heidfeld’s stagnated for the next few years. Competing for the next two years alongside a then rookie Felipe Massa, his form took a dip in a car that became less and less competitive. A move to Jordan in 2004 only made things worse finishing the season in 18th place with just three points all season.

 

Heidfeld at the 2004 Belgian Grand Prix

 

2005 was the year things finally started to go Quick Nick’s way. Signing for the Williams team he was paired with the Australian Mark Webber and became an immediate success. A third place finish in the Malaysian Grand Prix and two second place finishes (including his only career pole position at the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring) saw Heidfeld re-establish himself within the higher ranks of the grid. He would go on to finish the season in 11th place with 28 points after missing the final five races after suffering a motorcycle accident.

In 2006 Heidfeld would move back to Sauber who by this time had switched engine suppliers to BMW. He was partnered by veteran former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, but would end the season alongside the promising young Pole Robert Kubica, who could very well have had an article like this one of his own. A solid if not spectacular season saw him finish ninth in the standings however things were to take a turn for the better soon after.

 

Heidfeld on the way to a second place finish at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix

 

The 2007 and 2008 seasons saw BMW Sauber become a credible threat to Ferrari and McLaren’s dominance at the front of the grid. Heidfeld would finish 5th and 6th over the two years with teammate Kubica finishing 6th and 4th. The final three years of Heidfeld’s Formula One career would see him at the wheel of cars that were proving to be less competitive than they previously had been, finishing 13th in 2009 with the BMW Sauber team which was followed up by a dismal 18th place finish in 2010. Nick’s career would finally end in unceremonious circumstances for “failure to deliver speed to take on the role of a strong leader” with a below par Renault team in 2011, leaving the team after the Singapore Grand Prix. His dismissal looked to be a harsh one given that he had earned a podium finish in Malaysia earlier in the season and had recorded another five top ten finishes earning him 34 points.

Nick Heidfeld is considered by many to be the best driver never to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He holds the record for most podium finishes without a win with 13 and most second placed finishes without a win with eight. He also holds the record for the most consecutive race finishes, finishing 41 races between July 2007 and September 2009. His best chance of winning a race came at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, where he and teammate Robert Kubica led the race for 50 laps and would jostle for supremacy. Kubica won the battle between the two and passed Heidfeld midway through the race and ultimately winning by a comfortable margin.

So to conclude, Nick Heidfeld was never really given a chance to prove himself at the highest level for a number of reasons. The first was losing out on the vacant McLaren seat to Kimi Raikkonen, which meant he languished in the midfield at best for the next three years, which in turn allowed his contemporaries like Massa and Alonso to bag long term seats at top teams in the mean time. By the time he had moved to Williams in 2005 he was 27 and no longer considered to be one for the future.

Had he moved to McLaren in 2002 instead of Raikkonen I think he would have had a largely similar career to the Finn. He would have definitely have had the pace to win races, something he wasn’t able to demonstrate fully even at the highly competitive BMW Sauber team in 2007 and 2008, however whether he would have had ended up winning the biggest prize of all is anyone’s guess. His consistency in finishing races would have certainly been crucial in his quest for a world title. Despite numerous disappointments over his career Heidfeld was still able to carve out a successful Formula One career for himself as a consistent points finisher and will be remembered by many as the greatest driver never to win a race. Had he got his big move to either Ferrari or McLaren, who knows what might have been.