Nani, Pato, Boateng, Arda and More: La Liga’s Year of the Resurgence Seekers

The crowds in attendance were of different sizes, but at each location, there was a similar feel. Excitement was evident, but more than that, in a way these felt like necessary fresh starts for the men at the centre of them. 

At Mestalla, Nani was unveiled in front of around 10,000 Valencia fans in mid-July. His entrance was marked by an abundance of that this-is-a-big-deal smoke, and the Portuguese’s capoeira routine added to the sense of festivity. 

Two weeks later, Alexandre Pato turned out in front of a similarly enthused audience at the Ermita de la Mare de Deu de Gracia after completing his move to Villarreal. The next day, Kevin-Prince Boateng was presented at the Estadio de Gran Canaria amid a sea of the same colour, in his case that of Las Palmas. 

Nani, Pato and Boateng are big names in football, though their critics might argue the past tense is more accurate here; were rather than are. There’s perhaps been a degree of truth to that in the last year or two, a concurrent movement out of the spotlight that has now given this an intriguing edge, it being a sort of simultaneous arrival of resurgence seekers.

They’re not alone in that search, either. 

There’s an array of prominent faces in LaLiga at present, both new and existing, looking for new beginnings or the opportunity to relaunch careers. At Barcelona, Arda Turan is in a sense attempting to start again at the Camp Nou; at Celta Vigo, Giuseppe Rossi is attempting to put injuries behind him; at Athletic Bilbao, Iker Muniain is similar; at Sevilla, Luciano Vietto is aiming to recover a lost spark and Paulo Henrique Ganso is out to dispel the what ifs.

Deadline day gave us more in the form of Eliaquim Mangala and Samir Nasri, who, as confirmed by Manchester City, have joined Valencia and Sevilla on loan, respectively, seeking something they once had but now don’t. 

There are others, too. These are just the headliners. 

Unusual? Maybe. 

Pato excited by the challenge he faces at @VillarrealCF ?Will he be a success?https://t.co/8wsv7lEjED pic.twitter.com/U7WlfLEe3G

— MARCA in English (@MARCAinENGLISH) August 2, 2016

Every season and in every league, there is always a collection of players looking to reverse trends and set about recovery. The nature of football determines that there must, and perhaps such a theme has always been as strong in LaLiga as it looks now. 

Still, though, this season in Spain’s top division feels different in this respect. Maybe it’s just this writer’s dubious memory, but it’s difficult to recall a year in which such an array of prominent names in the continental game were looking for resurgence on Spanish shores at the same time, whether it be at a new or existing club.  

But let’s not get carried away. The concept of resurgence is a familiar one in sport but one that we’re guilty of overdoing. Upon the thought of it, it’s easy to dip into montage mode, picturing shadowy scenes and a haunting soundtrack of Placebo depicting a derailment and the subsequent path back. 

That’s not what this is. 

When Nani was presented with fanfare at Mestalla last month, he was asked of the difference between Nani the Manchester United player and Nani the now-Valencia player. 

“Experience,” he said.

It was a simple but telling response. The Portuguese has now tasted most of what football has to offer—the pressure, the fame, the intensity of the swirl around it, the highs and the lows, the nature of the ride—and has that up his sleeve as he looks to go again. 

To him, his time at United didn’t end the way it should. There’s always been a feeling of Nani being an unfulfilled talent, but in 2013 he signed a new five-year deal at the club, only to be largely left out by then-manager David Moyes. Louis van Gaal, Moyes’ successor, then loaned him out and eventually sold him. 

Nani …

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