By Chris Wright
Read any Djalminha retrospective and the same words seem to crop up; brilliant, mercurial,
elusive, tumultuous, profligate, turbulent and it's no wonder why.
Having intermittently illuminated Spanish football with his extrovert brand of grace and skill
after arriving at Deportivo La Coruna in 1997 (including a starring role in their title-winning
side of 1999/2000), Djalminha looked a shoe-in for a spot in Brazil's 2002 World Cup squad right up
until he pressed the self-destruct button two days before Phil Scolari was due to announce his
final draft headbutting Deportivo coach Javier Irureta during a training ground scuffle.
By Chris Wright
Read any Djalminha retrospective and the same words seem to crop up; brilliant, mercurial,
elusive, tumultuous, profligate, turbulent and it's little wonder why.
Having intermittently illuminated Spanish football with his extrovert brand of grace and skill
after arriving at Deportivo La Coruna in 1997 (including a starring role in their title-winning
side of 1999/2000), Djalminha looked a shoe-in for a spot in Brazil's 2002 World Cup squad right up
until he pressed the self-destruct button two days before Phil Scolari was due to announce his
final draft headbutting Deportivo coach Javier Irureta during a training ground scuffle.
By Chris Wright
Presenting: 'The Art of Ball Control' just sit back and enjoy a cavalcade of a selection of the
finest first-touches to have ever graced the game...
(Health warning: May contain several traces of Dennis Bergkamp)
How grand to see a bit of Deportivo's oft-forgotten treasure Djalminha in his pomp.
