Of Vallecas Shark to The Beast of the Etihad. Two forceful, sonorous nicknames, dangerous strikers, with sharp fangs and bullies. Two nicknames that correspond to the same soccer player: Álvaro Negredo. The striker from Madrid, after succeed in Sevilla, winning the Zarra Trophy on two occasions and scoring 85 goals, in addition to distributing 27 assists, for the Seville team, he was heading for the Premier in 2013. Manuel Pellegrini took him to City in exchange for 25 million euros.
In Manchester I would only be one season, weighed down by an injury and a FIFA sanction in which it limited the number of registrations of the sky blue to 21 in 2014-15. He had time to make his mark, as evidenced by a post on the club’s Instagram on February 4. “How about this for assistance!”, exclaims the text that accompanies a sensational pass from Vallecano to James Milner. With the ‘9’ on his back he received from David Silva, on the right wing. glued to lime, with the outside of his left boot, he threw a pinpoint pass, from outside to inside, that surpassed the defense and today’s Liverpool midfielder holed up.
The interactions were not long in starting. “Negredo was something else”, “Negredo! Very underrated”, “Negredo’s sublime pass is everything, they didn’t call him ‘the Beast’ for nothing” or “Álvaro Negro, ‘The Beast'” were some of the most outstanding, showing the feeling of the fans citizen. We already say that he would only last one course at the Etihad, but he had time to convince before Peter Lim’s Valencia took him over the horn in the summer of 2014. The nickname with which the article started still lasts.
The origin of The beast
His numbers were excellent. 23 goals and 10 assists in 49 games, but playing ‘only’ 2,512 minutes. That is, he participated in a goal every 76 minutes, a brand that speaks clearly gives its importance and transcendence in the team. Of the Carabao Cup He made his private hunting ground, a trophy that they would raise with him, with six goals in five games, as the top scorer. On January 12, on matchday 21 against Newcastle, he would score his ninth and last goal in the Premier.
A shoulder problem made him lose rhythm and importance and already in the following preseason, another injury, this more serious, was the one that ended up separating him from the dynamic and making him return to the Spanish LaLiga. his showcases grew fat, he won the Premier and the aforementioned League Cup. His hit with the outside is still remembered and the 16 goals in his first eleven home games turned him into The Beast of the Etihad. The memory still lingers.