Vivid Sport June 2004

SPORT
Mutu's failure at Chelsea has
little to do with his private life

by Craig Turp
June 2004

So disastrous has been Adrian Mutu's attempt to become one of European football's leading lights that when Chelsea set off on a lap of honour after defeating Leeds United in their last game of the season, Mutu was nowhere to be seen. He and Juan Sebastian Veron ñ another expensive disappointment ñ were the only first team squad absentees. Injury was the official reason for his absence, yet Damien Duff ñ an unabashed success ñ was present for the festivities, shoulder in a sling et al.

The real reason of course for Mutu's absence was that he has simply fallen off the Chelsea radar, something which happened around the middle of October. Such is his standing in Romania however that the local press kept up the myth of his invincibility week in week out, claiming that he and he alone was responsible for Chelsea's excellent season. Only in April did the Romanian pundits admit that all was not well, when Mutu's continued absence from the side ñ not always due to injury ñ were too many to ignore.

When Mutu signed for Chelsea last August it was viewed by Romania in general as the formal anointing of a player

the country unquestioningly believes is the best it has had since Gheorghe Hagi ñ another talented but frustratingly inconsistent performer ñ retired in 2000. The start was good; excellent in fact. Four goals in three games and Mutu was unstoppable. Mu-two headlines all over the place, adoration from Chelsea 's fickle supporters, dates with London hottest babes, tables at the Ivy without a reservation. The boy from Pitesti was a star at the richest club in the world and welcome at any party in London. He was the toast of Romania.

It was during this period that I spoke to Mutu in the mixed zone at the T-Mobile stadium in Prague after Chelsea had beaten Sparta in their first Champions League fixture. Open, charming and outrageously handsome, Mutu was the very model of professionalism. His difficulties off the field behind him (he was in the midst of a messy divorce with his television presenter wife) the future appeared bright.

As Mutu's fame grew, however, so his performances for Chelsea became more sporadic in quality. But the two things ñ as we shall see ñ were not connected. Just two more league goals followed those initial four ñ no return at all on a 21 million euro investment - and in all likeliness Mutu will now be dispensed with by an unforgiving Chelsea leadership.

For in the final analysis, Mutu is not ñ I am afraid to say ñ a top class player. He is good, yes, maybe the best Romania has right now, but he is not in the top bracket of international footballers that would include Shevchenko, Raul, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry or Francesco Totti, amongst others. This fact, however, is unpalatable to the Romanian press, as it will be to a certain soft drinks company that has paid (rather over the odds) for Mutu to be superimposed (rather badly) on to two already existing commercials.

Instead, Mutu's private life has been blamed for his failings. Mutu has certainly been on the front pages of newspapers far more than he has on the back pages - most recently he was implicated in a sex-on-camera scandal with a Romanian porn actress - but most footballers have unsound private lives, and it does not prevent them performing well (none more so than Diego Maradona, a drug addict, sex addict and God knows what else addict, but he did the business on the pitch week in week out).

No, Mutu is about to be discarded by Chelsea because he is not good enough for the highest level. The sooner the Romanian press realise that the better it will be for both him and for Romanian football.

Craig Turp is the Managing Editor of Urban Media International, the publisher of In Your Pocket City Guides.