Wilkins made me the player I am today, says Loftus-Cheek
RUBEN Loftus-Cheek has paid tribute to the late Ray Wilkins, dedicating England’s World Cup campaign to the former Three Lions captain.
Wilkins (below) died at the age of 61 in April and remains much mourned after a career which saw him win 84 England caps, lead the side on 10 occasions and spend more than four decades playing and coaching at the highest level.
Loftus-Cheek came across him as a teenage prospect at Chelsea, during Wilkins’ stint as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant, and has never forgotten the older man’s influence.
“All these games we play here and how far we get, we do it for Ray,” Loftus-Cheek said on behalf of himself and fellow Blue Gary Cahill. “He’s been such an icon for Chelsea and the game of football. I think a lot of players will miss him. For sure, we’ll do it for him.”
Loftus-Cheek was just
14 when Wilkins threw him in at the deep end alongside one of Chelsea’s greatest modern-day players.
“I was on something called day release, we left school and did some learning at Cobham, at training,” he recalled.
“I was about to go home and Neil Bath, the academy manager, said, ‘You’re not going home, you’re training with the first team’.
“I couldn’t wait to get going. I was obviously nervous but then Ray Wilkins paired me up with Didier Drogba in a one-on-one drill. I was just really excited to get home and tell my parents.”
England have had a serene start to their tournament preparations, Marcus Rashford returning to training yesterday to give Gareth Southgate a full complement of 23 players to work with ahead of Monday’s opener against Tunisia in Volgograd.
Their base in sleepy Repino, a relaxed resort on the Gulf of Finland, has also proved an ideal place to settle in to Russian life, but the spectre of racism has been discussed by the group.
The Russian federation was fined earlier this year after fans racially abused France players in a friendly, and England left-back Danny Rose asked his family not to travel to the tournament out of concern. Loftus-Cheek has not taken similar action and is ready to welcome his loved ones.
“I’ve got a few coming out, which is exciting,” he said.
“I’ve got a few brothers, my dad and my uncle coming out. They’ve never been in Russia before. They’re just happy to come and see me play at a World Cup. I don’t think they’re too scared of what might happen. They’re just coming out to enjoy the experience. I think that’s the best way. If it happens we’ll deal with it.”
The 22-year-old midfielder excelled on loan at Crystal Palace last term with a long-term return to Chelsea potentially contingent on his first-team prospects and the identity of the manager next season.
LIONEL Messi doesn’t just carry the hope of a nation at this World Cup, he carries the expectation. And it’s a colossal burden. Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli summed it up in one sentence.
“Messi has a revolver put to his head called the World Cup, and if he doesn’t win it, he’s shot and killed,” he said recently.
A bit over-dramatic? Undoubtedly. But you get the point.
Because no player enters this tournament under more pressure than Messi, who, eight days away from turning 31, may not get another chance to secure the last major accolade missing from a storied career.
The spotlight will glare on him today as Argentina kickoff their World Cup campaign against Iceland in Moscow.
It is nearly 30 years since the Albiceleste last lifted the trophy.
They lost the 2014 final against Germany, and were defeated in the Copa America finals of 2015 and 2016.
The latter ended with a tearful Messi left distraught after missing his kick in the decisive penalty shoot-out.
If Argentina are to overcome their nearly-men tag and triumph in Russia — and this is a side who very nearly didn’t even make it here — then he must f lourish.
But the pressure is unremitting, the scrutiny unrelenting.
Argentina president Mauricio Macri said of his country’s chances: “The most important thing is to compete well and then God and Messi will decide if we can win the World Cup.”
Jorge Valdano, part of the last Argentine side to lift the World Cup, has declared Messi the first genius of the 21st century.
Former defender Javier Zanetti, who played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, believes the team’s recent struggles have only heightened expectation.
“The defeats in the two Copa America and World Cup finals further increase pressure on him and the team from the press. We expect a lot,” he said this week.
“It (the World Cup) stops all the country, there is great enthusiasm and passion for this national team.”
For others, only lifting the World Cup will finally put to rest the nagging questions about Messi’s legacy and allow him to break out of the long shadow of Diego Maradona.
Much has been spoken of the complex and complicated relationship between player and country.
Messi left Argentina aged 13 to play for Barcelona — he was dubbed The Catalan — and it has created a disconnect.
His reluctance to sing the national anthem has come under scrutiny; a statue unveiled in Buenos Aires in 2016 was vandalised twice.
The perception among some is that his brilliant Barcelona club form — 552 goals, four Champions Leagues, nine league titles, five Ballons d’Or and three Club World Cups — has not been reproduced on the international stage.
The lingering memory of Maradona winning a World Cup for Argentina, almost single-handedly, has fuelled expectation.