Thomas “Mad Dog” Gravesen Heading To LA?

It’s funny. I was just reading a 2005 article about Real Madrid where Thomas Gravesen was listed as playing with David Beckham, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane. I don’t know about Gravesen, but those other three? Let’s just say that for some (although NOT my happily married self! Of course not!) this lineup provides a whole new meaning to the phrase “fantasy football.”

But…um…yeah. Moving along. Gravesen. Rumors have it (and also here) that the Danish international (66 caps) is unhappy at Celtic and considering a move to the Galaxy. And “LA Galaxy coach Frank Yallop confirmed: ‘If he is not satisfied at Celtic, it would be a perfect opportunity to play in MLS with our club.’ ”

So who is Thomas Gravesen, and why would he be interested in coming to MLS as a non-designated player? (Meaning: As far as I know, the salary cap would apply.)

Thomas apparently plays mostly defensive midfield, although he’s also played as a sweeper and attacking midfielder. (And I’m 98% certain that Real Madrid article I read listed him as a striker?! Sounds multi-dimensional.) But that’s not the interesting part.

How about: “Gravesen was selected to play for Denmark at the 2000 European Championship (Euro 2000) by coach Bo Johansson, despite concern from Johansson that he was not “psychologically stable” enough.” (Okay, granted, folks, this is coming from Wikipedia, and the original article is in what is apparently Danish. But still.)

Let’s see. Moving on to Madrid in 2005. Started out well, but he was eventually benched after there was “public outcry over his tough style of play.” Outcry over rough play? At Madrid? Madrid doesn’t generally play dirty, but they definitely play to win. I wouldn’t call them choirboys.

The final straw apparently came last August following a bit of an altercation with teammate Robinho. (And before you continue on, you really need to read Kickette’s take on adorable little Robinho. (Scroll down.) Because that makes what follows even more interesting.) “I made a couple of strong tackles on him but didn’t leave him with any bruises. He retaliated by hitting me and giving me a couple of kicks so I went for him. It would have been better if I had not reacted like that.”

No, really?

So then we have a move to Celtic, where he’s not happy at not being a part of the starting eleven. So now Thomas may be coming to LA.

You know, when Real Madrid played DC United last summer, I was thinking that the US style of play needed a bit more European-style drama. Perhaps I will get my wish. Why does this thought now kind of scare me?

(Thanks to Cham at Celtic Offside for the link.)

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Category: Player News, Team News