Selasa, 14 Juli 2015

Stephan El Shaarawy: A Pharaoh’s Farewell

Filled with talent but plagued with injuries, Stephan El Shaarawy’s A.C. Milan tenure comes to an end as he departs to France where he welcomes new challenges with AS Monaco. The 22-year old Italian embarks on his newest journey where he will have to prove that the injuries aren’t career defining

In the blink of an eye, “il Faraone” has left his loving Milan supporters for new challenges in France with AS Monaco. Most rossoneri fans were left stunned this past weekend as the news of the 22-year old’s departure struck social media like wildfire, leaving many in a state of shock. One of the club’s oldest tenured players despite being on the early side of his twenties, Stephan El Shaarawy’s time with the red and black Italian club was filled with both high and low spells. We witnessed exceptional flair, finesse and raw ability that caught the attention of Europe at the age of 19 but it wasn’t until a series of foot injuries left the Azzurri forward non-existent from the pitch he loved. In an Italian Football Daily exclusive, we reflect upon the career of Stephan El Shaarawy as he now sets his eyes on taking France by storm.

The Pharaoh Lands in Milan

In 2011, a young and gifted El Shaarawy made the move to A.C. Milan from Genoa after having served a loan spell with Padova. He made his debut with the club on September 18, 2011 in a loss to Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo but it was just a few days later where he made his imprint in the hearts of the Milanisti when he netted his first goal in a 1-1 draw against Udinese. Full of energy and joy, the youngster was labeled by many as the focal point of the next Milan dynasty, however that dynasty never came. Despite such high praise from Italy, the speedy winger didn’t make many appearances with the club leading to speculation that perhaps a loan move would be the best for his progression as Allegri’s squad was loaded with forwards named Ibrahimovic, Cassano, Pato and Robinho. However, the current Juventus manager and Adriano Galliani decided it would be wise to keep El Shaarawy at the club to learn what it meant to play for an elite side. The 2011-12 season was merely a sample size of what the now 22-year old provided in the following season.

A Star in the Making

After small bursts of promise, El Shaarawy exploded in a big way for the 2012-13 season as it was far and wide his best campaign as a professional. He got a taste of Champions League football when he bagged his first goal in the European competition in a group stage match against Zenit St. Petersburg, becoming one of the youngest ever in club history to score in the tournament that defines the San Siro side. In the first half of the season, it was El Shaarawy who seemingly kept Allegri’s head above water and preventing them from falling deep into the abyss of Serie A. At the winter break, the Italian was Serie A’s top scorer with 14 goals to his name, sixteen in all competitions. From the looks of it, Il Faraone could not be stopped and the imminent arrival of his good pal Mario Balotelli from Manchester City could only push along the winger to be that much better, or so we hoped.

The arrival of Balotelli seemed to be a match made in heaven as Milan now had three very young attackers with promise in the fold. M’bays Niang, Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy were each under 23 and looked to be the trident of the future. But with the former Inter striker arriving, many believe it was  “Super Mario” who contributed to the decline of El Shaarawy, which is debatable when you consider the entire situation. The current Liverpool man bagged an impressive 12 goals in thirteen league matches, helping Milan fend off Fiorentina for the third and final Champions League spot. The stellar play of Balotelli didn’t come without a price as a significant decline in form for El Shaarawy struck as he managed to score just 2 goals in the second half of the season. But what if, after a few months of dominance, clubs found a way to exploit the holes in the young forward’s arsenal? Since that season, it went all down hill for the beloved number 92 as a plague of injuries were upon him.

The Decline of Number 92

The last two seasons (13-14,14-15) were the ones to forget as El Shaarawy sustained a series of foot/metatarsal injuries that kept him on the sidelines more than the pitch. In late 2013, the former Serie A standout finally returned from rehabbing surgery on his right foot but it took just minutes for him to be subbed out, re-aggravating the foot and leading to a lost season as he made just 11 appearances throughout all competitions, scoring just a single goal. But after extensive rehabbing and hard work, he began the 2014-15 season 100% fit and ready to be the attacking force Inzaghi so desperately needed.

In the club’s opening match of the season against Lazio, the 22-year old assisted a Kesiuke Honda goal, helping Milan seal the debut win for Inzaghi 3-1. The club got off to a solid start thanks to Honda, Menez and few others but as the season wore on, success was far out of reach as the Rossoneri finished in 10th place. For El Shaarawy, it took quite a bit of time to get back on the scoresheet with months separating goals but his beautiful curler from outside the penalty area against Sampdoria meant so much that he broke out in tears, relieved that maybe he found his form once again but it wasn’t meant to be as it was yet another injury plagued season for the promising young forward. On the second to last match day of the season, Stephan El Shaarawy scored the final two goals of his career with the club as he bagged a brace against Torino, sealing a 3-1 victory.

In his final two seasons with Milan, the 2012-13 standout made a total of 24 league appearances, grabbing a total of three goals in Serie A play.

El Shaarawy 2

Addio Faraone

The new appointment of Sinisa Mihajlovic meant a new formation, one that would exclude wingers in favor of a more narrow attack. The 4-3-1-2 is expected to be the formation of choice for the former Sampdoria manager next season and with the arrival of Carlos Bacca, Luiz Adriano, rumors of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic return and the handful of attacking players already in the fold for next season, the only option for El Shaarawy to get quality minutes seemed to be in a midfield role. In a behind the scenes move, Stephan El Shaarawy was on his way to Monaco. The 22-year old had very little time to accept or reject a move abroad but for the sake of his career, a new test away from the club that he burst onto the scene with seemed to be the correct move. Milan has officially loaned El Shaarawy to the French side for one season with a mandatory buyout clause in place for next season contingent on the player making at least 15 appearances.

Upon the news of his loan to Monaco, several current and former teammates sent their best wishes to the player on Twitter and Instagram including Riccardo Montolivo, Ignazio Abate, Suso, Cristian Zaccardo and Kevin-Prince Boateng:

In addition, Adriano Galliani issued a statement from the official club website:

“Dear Stephan,

Milan would like to thank you for the dedication and hard work you have always shown with the red and black shirt and for the goals and talent you have shown in these four years together. We all wish you the very best for the rest of your career as a footballer, both at club level and also with the shirt of Italy. Ciao Stephan, all the luck in the world.

Adriano Galliani”

Finally, the man of the hour took to his social media accounts to send his farewell to the club and fans, thanking them for their continuous support through good times and bad. Here is the official message from Stephan El Shaarawy:

“At this moment I am finding it very difficult to find the words to describe my state of mind. Everything happened so quickly in 24 hours and I found myself having to make a decision that I am certain can be the right one for me and my career. I don’t believe it is necessary to underline how much I am disappointed in leaving a club like Milan and its fans. Besides the fact that I was attached to these [Milan] colours since I was little, it is difficult to leave a club that has always given me support and confidence even in the worst of times. I believe however that the time has come to turn the page and undertake a new professional challenge with grit and maximum enthusiasm. It also saddens me not being able to give my full contribution, due to injuries, in the last two seasons… but I always honoured and respected this shirt, from the first to the last day. These four years have given me so much, they have made me grow, they have enriched me football wise and on a human level. I thank MILAN, all the members of the staff and all my teammates of these past seasons; many wins and losses but always with great people, I will retain every learning and every advice I received. And finally there are you left to thank, the FANS, last but not least.. unique and special. Thank you for the affection that you have always provided in all occassions, particularly during difficult times. And thanks for the kind words and all the messages that even today, not withstanding I changed kit, you still sned me. They will always remain in my hear Thank you truly to everyone Au revoir Stephan El Shaarawy”

Stephan El Shaarawy unfortunately didn’t get the fairytale ending he deserved, however he will always be loved by the Curva Sud and the entire Milan universe for bringing energy, passion and doing his best to fulfill the duties that go along with wearing the red and black kit. To Stephan, we say thank you for everything and we wish you nothing but the best with Monaco and for the remainder of your career. Goodbye.

The post Stephan El Shaarawy: A Pharaoh’s Farewell appeared first on Italian Football Daily.



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