Francisco Conceição got the era wrong

In the old days, players like him were called wingers, and nobody expected wingers to score goals. That certainly wasn’t the criterion by which a player was judged. Other things mattered: the kilometres covered, the bursts of speed with the ball at his feet, the dribbles down the wing and the crosses. There was a time when wingers delivered crosses because in the penalty area there were often clumsy men – almost always big, tall and powerful – who used their heads as if they were a foot, their better foot.

These days, there are fewer and fewer tall, lanky individuals of that kind. And even when they are tall, they are either skinny or slender, and they seem unable to grasp the concept anymore. Any reference to Nick Woltemade is by no means coincidental.

Francisco Conceição is small, quick – a pendulum that never stops swinging.

Francisco Conceição was in the wrong era to be a footballer, because wingers are no longer called wingers but wide forwards, and when you hear the term ‘forward’, the word ‘goal’ springs to mind. And Francisco Conceição has never been particularly good at scoring. He runs so much that he often lacks the composure required to find the net. His constant movement and chasing across the pitch tires him, and he frequently leaves his designated wing to move towards the centre of the field simply to use his stronger foot. Deploying a left-footer on the right or a right-footer on the left is a tactical ploy that forces the player to cut inside.

It is a trend that has been going on for several years now; sooner or later it will come to an end. When it does, the hope is that all those wingers who simply wanted to be wingers will sue their managers for having complicated their lives, distorted their very essence and, in some cases, ruined their careers.

Francisco Conceição is unlikely to take legal action, because it makes no difference to him whether he plays on the right or the left; he cares even less about having to leave the wing to sprint towards the penalty area. He has that free-spirited nature that allows him to disregard the need for a comfort zone to call home. All he needs is to play; all he needs is to dribble and accelerate; he enjoys seeking out the complicated whilst leaving the simple behind. That is precisely why Francisco Conceição rarely scores: at best, he hits the post. He did so once again against Milan on Sunday evening, delivering a brilliant strike that struck the woodwork. Another shot, another post.