One of the biggest mistakes of many Brazilian fans is to despise what they don’t know, and Eduard Atuesta signing to Palmeiras is a example of this
Palmeiras recently announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta, from Los Angeles FC. The player had already had his name linked to the Brazilian side at the beginning of the season, and the deal ended up materializing.
The point is that many criticisms of Atuesta’s arrival are the result of lack of knowledge about the athlete. But does the fact that Eduard Atuesta is not well known around here become something strong enough for him to be the target of certain criticisms?
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to remember that everyone has the right to disapprove of a contract. But the basis of several of these criticisms point to a very common behavior of many Brazilians: the tendency to belittle what they don’t know. Showing ignorance about something you don’t know is natural, but unworthiness shouldn’t be.
Let’s take a recent example: Hulk. A legend at FC Porto/POR, where he had an excellent performance, and then had a good time with the Zenit/RUS, in addition to having played in the Confederations Cup in 2013 and the World Cup in 2014.
Hulk has always been a very contested player, especially in the National Team. It was necessary for him to arrive in Brazilian lands and have a great performance so that many Brazilians finally noticed the great player he always was.
The lack of a more refined look, which most people inevitably don’t have, hinders a more prudent posture in situations like this. Now, if I don’t know the trajectory of the player in question, how can I have a solid basis to criticize him so strongly?
See another example, now with the Palmeiras Head Coach, Abel Ferreira. The Portuguese, who will now lead Atuesta, was also the target of doubts before showing himself to be a great coach on the Palmeiras/BRA team. The coach was heavily contested, as he came from a club (PAOK/GRE) and a league unknown to most. With no doubt, he proved himself among the Brazilian public.
Eduard Atuesta has been another victim of this type of criticism. These criticisms are the result of soccer ignorance of many fans (and unfortunately of some Brazilian journalists). It turns out to be easier to make a snappy value judgment about a player you don’t know, a league you don’t know, than to seek accurate and reliable information about the performance of an athlete or league.
For example, the technical level of MLS is often called into question without a solid foundation. And that is one of the foundations of most of the criticism that Atuesta has received. But let’s see. In a recent interview to Territorio MLS, Talles Magno, MLS champion with New York City in 2021, said it is the toughest league he has ever played.
Gonzalo Higuaín, in an interview with an Argentine outlet, revealed that he was surprised by the league’s competitiveness, which was greater than he expected. But of course the guy who watched the first half of an MLS game 3 years ago is absolutely right when he says on Twitter that the league is not good enough(it contains irony).
Just as Hulk and Abel Ferrreira silenced critics who underestimated him, Atuesta can now do the same. Of course there is a chance that he won’t have a great performance with Palmeira’s jersey. Soccer is not an exact science. It can go wrong in the “alviverde” team, as many players have done in Brazilian soccer, in various contexts.
Eduard Atuesta is a very qualified midfielder. Anyone who actually followed him at Los Angeles FC knows that. And this “soccer ignorance” at least has a bright side. It will be interesting to see the Colombian’s current critics surrender to his skills, if he is successful for “Verdão”.
Article in Portuguese by Felipe Santos and translated into English by Gustavo Lopes.
*Remembering that this type of article is an opinion of the author and does not refer to the opinion of the Territorio MLS.*
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