Mad Brit Diary

Edu whines his way to Brazilian call-up.

(Friday, April 16, 2004) -- It's amazing what a little public whining will get you.

Brazilian star midfielder Edu, who plays for English club Arsenal, was threatening to pledge his allegiance to the England's national team just a few weeks ago, because the Brazilian team never called him up. This week, Edu finally got the call from Brazil's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, for the game with Hungary on April 28. Another player, Dede, who was threatening to throw in his lot with the national team of Qatar, also got the call from the former MetroStars coach.

The Mad Brit would like to know, who does this one-named Brazlian think he is? What makes Edu (no he's not related to Freddy Adu, the savior of American football) think the English team would want him. England has a flurry of talented midfielders, thank you very much. We've got David Beckham, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Joe Cole, Nicky Butt, Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker, Trevor Sinclair and Kieron Dyer, just to name a few.

(Of course, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber would take Adu over the whole lot, just not ask his coach to start him.)

Look I like Edu but England doesn't need to go begging for help. Let's face it, England should have finished Brazil off at the World Cup, but as usual blew it.

Edu is good, but not that good. OK., so he kicked a few good balls around on the streets of Sao Paulo, played well for Corinthians and got a shot in Europe. Just because he spent a fours years in London playing for Arsenal doesn't mean he has the right to wear the Three Lions on his chest. It takes more than that to be an honorable Mad Brit.

Fee, fi, fo, fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead. I'll grind his bones into my bread..

I mean, does this Edu know how to make a decent cup of tea. Hey, and when was the last time England fielded a player with one name, and just three letters at that?

These are tough days for mighty Real Madrid. First the team was knocked out of the Champions League quarterfinals in a shock 3-1 defeat at Monaco, squandering a two-goal advantage from the first leg. Then came David Beckham's alleged scandals in his private life.

On Sunday, Madrid lost 3-0 at home to lowly Osasuna in a match that saw leagueleading scorer Ronaldo (24 goals), go down with a hamstring. The Madrid players were booed and jeered off the field. The loss allowed Valencia to steal the top spot in the Primera Liga by two points with just six games left in the season.

Another former MetroStars coach (from 1996), Carlos Queiroz must be wondering how safe his job is, especially if the team doesn't come home with a title. In other news, it has been revealed that Beckham signed a card for one of the Madrid train bomb suspects. Mohammed Bekkali, 31, who told his friends to call him Becks after the player, asked Beckham for an autograph two weeks before the bombing at the team training center. The autographed card was found at the Moroccan's home. Beckham wished Bekkali a happy birthday on the card.

Former Manchester United star George Best, 57, has been divorced by his second wife Alex, 32, on grounds of adultery. Best's problems made headlines last year when he began binge drinking, just months after he received a new liver in a transplant operation. There's a jerk if there ever was one.

One of soccer's greats, Best scored 180 goals in 465 appearances for United and helped the Reds win the 1968 European Cup. He also played in the North American Soccer League, scoring 54 goals in 139 games for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes.

Fiery Manchester United star Roy Keane, who quit the international game just before the 2002 World Cup, has made up with the Irish national team and is again available for duty. The 32-year-old midfielder had a bust-up with former manager Mick McCarthy, who sent Ireland's captain home in 2002.

Keane met with Ireland's new coach Brian Kerr and says he wants to return to action for his country. Ireland's World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign begins September 4 against Cyprus.

Arsenal's French striker Thierry Henry is a strong favorite to claim the Professional Football Assoctaion's "Player Of The Year" award in England for a second year running. Henry who has scored 25 league goals this season is one of the six Premier League players nominated for this season's award. The others are: Patrick Vieira (Arsenal), Jay-Jay Okaocha (Bolton), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Alan Shearer (Newcastle). The Mad Brit thinks Lampard will win this one.

Bruce Mcguire writes: "Dear MB, a couple more observations on the great Mohawk wars in England: Blackburn's Jon Stead -- Real Deal Hair Cut Mohawk. Leeds' Alan Smith -- Poser Hair Gel Mohawk."

Ray DeWitt, writes: "Hey Mad Brit, love the column! I just wanted to give the Metros props, not only do they spread signing rumors 24/7 to get press, but in the movie Hell Boy, there is a scene in which they show a MetroStars bumper sticker on Hell Boy's wall! You would think Hell Boy would be a Red Devils (Manchester United) fan? Who knew?"

Ramon E. Creager says: "Dear Mad Brit, not only did Freddy (Adu) give the Major League Soccer opener a ratings boost, but the curious who tuned in, perhaps for the first time, got to see a vintage Jaime Moreno performance. The next week, those who tuned in to see Adu again, this time at the beautiful (but for the name) Home Depot Center, got to see not only another great Moreno performance but also were treated to the ever-dangerous "El Pescadito" (Carlos Ruiz), who scored a brilliant goal.

"A funny thing happened on the way to Freddy Mania: MLS has quietly gotten better. Now Freddy is helping showcase it. Oh, and the kid can play, too."

Heard a rumor, have a gripe or a tip? Feeling lonely? E-mail the Mad Brit at themadbrit3@aol.com.