Greetings to all my Scorum friends!
For this post, I was inspired by the title of a song by Europe. It's certainly not the best known of the swedish rock band that in the second half of the '80s became famous all over the world with "The final countdown". But it's the most suitable to describe the situation of the most famous "ninja" of football: Radja Nainggolan.
This is not a simple period for the strong Belgian-Indonesian midfielder and probably everyone knows it.
Considered one of the most complete midfielders in the world, Radja has reached the fame and the top of his performance during the years in the AS Roma team, 4 seasons and a half full of goals, convincing performances, titanic achievements.
Rather, the Nainggolan out of the pitch is a character that never saves himself and gives the journalists and fans of the other teams a thousand reasons to malign.
And yet, as long as things were going great, no one had ever allowed to utter a single negative word against the Ninja.
Rome is a very hot ambience, in which the supporters don't forgive anyone who does not show more than 100% of commitment for the team.
But it's also a city able to welcome and cuddle its favorite sons, protecting them from all that is outside, supporting their weaknesses, always on condition that in the pitch they give the best and even more.
When Nainggolan arrives here in January 2014, it almost seems that he should be the first alternative in Rudi Garcia' s midfield, formed by De Rossi, Pjanic and Strootman.
But due to the serious injury of the Dutch player, Radja collects a lot more presences than he himself believed, becoming immediately a fixed point of the team and an idol of the fans.
Still, the best will come with the arrival of Luciano Spalletti, the coach who most of all was able to put to good use the technical and tactical characteristics of the Belgian.
In the revival of the famous 4-2-3-1 a few years earlier, Radja becomes the new Perrotta, managing to exploit his great reflexes and incredibly improving his ability to attack the space in the penalty box.
The season 2016/17 is absolutely the best and the final result is a score of 14 total goals, incredible numbers for a player who combines it with an enormous amount of generous help to his teammates in all areas of the pitch. In short, this is the consecration.
And that's when the problems start.
Spalletti leaves Roma and joins Inter FC, the Captain Francesco Totti retires and his important presence in the group is missing. The new coach of the Giallorossi team is Eusebio Di Francesco, who immediately underlines the importance and talent of the Belgian, but between the two will never break the love and understanding that was with the previous coach and all the supporters were hoping for.
In this situation, rumors began to circulate more insistently that had already been heard in previous seasons, but which had been covered by the deafening roars of the public at Radja's plays.
Someone writes that Nainggolan frequents bad friendships, that he smokes, drinks and spends nights in the clubs...it comes out amateur video in which the cigarette is there and he does not do much to hide it.
The thing is also underlined by Martinez, coach of the Belgian National team, who will in fact choose not to recruit him for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The lowest point is touched with the famous New Year's live on Instagram, where Radja, who appears with a glass and cigarette, visibly revved, lets himself go to a series of blasphemous expressions while playing paddle with friends.
Despite all this, his commitment during the matches never fails, even it's clear how the lightness of the previous season has been lost.
When, in the summer of 2018, the Ninja moved to Milan on the Nerazzurri side, the As Roma fans split up.
Some are happy with the choice of Monchi and Pallotta, tired for the unregulated life of the player.
Others are incredulous and sorry, even for the statements of Radja, who makes clear and strong that he would never have left Rome if it were only his responsibility. And just see his face on the day of the presentation at Inter to understand that it is absolutely sincere.
I am one of those who regret it. And also a lot.
Even now that he's in the middle of another storm, after being suspended due to a delay (as they say). Now that the rumors about him are becoming more and more swirling and that media talk about him more for what he does outside than inside the pitch.
I don't forget how much he gave for the yellow-red jersey and how many ups and downs he had to overcome in his life. Abandoned by his father and raised by his mother alone, who he lost in 2010...in short, some things really leave their mark.
And proper these difficulties created a warrior, a gladiator. Which is perhaps a giant with feet of clay.
But he is also a man with great courage, who has never retreated in front of nothing and has never hidden himself except with his Ninja mask.
Good luck, Radja.
And thanks for everything!
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