USUAL SUSPECTS

The footballing legend, late Diego Maradona,Ronaldinho,Cristiano,Neymar,Paqueta,Okocha,Robinho,Vinicius jnr are names that come to mind when you think of players with fanciful dribbling skills. These above players/past players are usually quick to tell you that what they are doing is normal for them,a means to help their team out of trouble. Others say it's showboating. Where then do you draw the line?

HERE WE GO

If we may stick with some three players currently playing– Neymar jnr,Javier Pastore and Lucas Paqueta. All three share same ancestral roots– they all hail from the continent of South America(a continent profusely naturally blessed with footballing talents[Africa too is same],especially the flair kind of players). Also they all happen to play or have played in the French Ligue 1, a league that incidentally is akin to the South American physicality and dribbling. By the way,Africans mostly share same footballing philosophy too,so little wonder, Africans generally enjoy themselves in the French league–Austin Jay Jay Okocha named above played for PSG of France.

AN EXAMPLE

We take the "rainbow flick" for instance as one those called showboating. The above three players in focus all wear the No. 10 shirt and they are also the last ones to have done a "rainbow flick,"(this is when a player happens to flick the ball from behind him over his head and over the head of the opponent,the ball landing behind the opponent) in the French league.

Neymar did it against Toulouse, Pastore vs Metz and Paqueta, most recently pulled the skill off against Troyes in September 2021. Interestingly in this match, the Lyon playmaker was given a yellow card from referee Stephanie Frappart, a yellow card that didn't clear reveal if he was carded for "showboating" or for enthusiastically asking for a foul after an opponent handled the ball,according to his view.

It was thesame kind of atmosphere when Neymar did that skill too, that it provoked memories in him and he took to social media in defence of Paqueta– he in no uncertain terms expressed how sad it was for him to see the Paqueta incident, which a termed as a player being booked for a dribble. He went on to insist that the rainbow flick is an "asset" a skill that should not be frowned at no matter where the player does it on the pitch or at what minute in the game the player does it. He noted that he experienced it last season and this season it is Paqueta's turn. He concluded by expressing how puzzling the whole thing looks to him and saying,"it is the end of Joga Bonito."

We shall examine two or three very important words in the above statement.
Asset: Neymar considers a skill like that as an asset and part and parcel of the dribbling skill-set for a creatively minded player; much like pace or height are assets for other types of players. He is saying dribbling[in his own definition]should never be despised, that it is a huge quality for that matter.

Joga Bonito: These two words are famous Brazilian words which in principle describes Brazilian football. It is the spirit of football for any Brazilian. "Joga Bonito" translated to English means, "play beautifully". It doesn't take long to see this principle at work in any Brazilian player, it is playing with enjoyment, with a smile on your face, with skills and thrills,it's like music to them. Maybe sometimes, for players from some other continents, this style can seem appalling, as if just dribbling for it's own sake.

OTHERS

Can you recall the genius of a dribbler in Austin Jay Jay Okocha– his rainbow flicks, dummies,and all which sometimes seem to produce no real forward ball movement? Remember Adel Taarabt and his flair skills? Remember Nani on Portugal too? One particularly situation happened in 2008 when he was a Manchester United player. It was a match against Arsenal and the winger started running with the ball on his head,doing keepy-uppies, his team being 4-0 up at that time.
This upset some Arsenal players and Gilberto rose to confirm these saying "some... guys were upset". He went on to say he personally confronted Nani after the game, telling him how unnecessary it was for him to do that plus he could infuriate an opposing player so much doing that that he is kicked badly.
I remember with fondness, the true life story of Makalele softly but firmly warning Ronaldinho during an El Classico match,that he should mellow down on the unnecessary extras if not he can send him to a lengthy injury spell. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-funny-legends-the-story-of-claude-makelele-threatening-ronaldinho-is-incredible-20210218.amp.html&ved=2ahUKEwj_vJn8ptD1AhWdAWMBHUNVAjAQFnoECAQQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1MkLZI0jYyyAm34IrxLjwD

The "Paqueta incident" poured fuel into an already intense debate down the years over where the line should be drawn between dribbling and showboating. Are there any boundaries?

Is there a point in which dribbling can progress up to, beyond which you can now term it as excessive? When is dribbling purely a skill to outwit an an opponent, and when does it get to the point that it is aimed at attempt humiliating them? This is an ancient argument that is not likely to go away anytime soon, it's like a "recurring decimal" as the Mathematicians will say.

FOR

For a Javier Pastore, dribbling with flair is only natural. The former PSG playmaker was one of the most gifted artists on the ball Ligue 1 has ever seen, with him,for example, having the most nutmegs in his time in Paris. That was him and just one of his usual arsenal of tricks. Interestingly, football seems to be recognising these "extras" as most football data analysts have now begun detailing "successful nutmegs" in an entire season. Funny enough Pastore was often benched in PSG with reasons bordering on his artistic style, his coaches often seem to want from him,more graft than artistry.

The bundle of flair, French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, speaks—

AGAINST

On the other hand some other players and fans believe that showboating does exist and is targeted at infuriating or winding-up the opposition, which they say is not necessary. They do agree that dribbling is okay,so long as it doesn't include showboating. One former French International speaks for the opposition ideology—

CONCLUSION

Well, in football people tend to use whatever they have to gain advantage. We know of teams who have a reputation of conning referees,players who take to time wasting to salvage something from a match,or players who do trash talking to opponents all to gain one advantage or the other. So perhaps showboating falls into this category.

For some, a rainbow flick,keepy-uppy,fanciful leg-overs and all those kinds of flair play called "showboating",is a part and parcel of dribbling, but others won't have that.

Ultimately, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

cheerfully...