Spanish Debate: Should Cañizares Call It Quits?

Gone, but not forgotten. Valencia fans will continue to hold Santiago Cañizares in high regard for what he's achieved in the past, but no more will he make Los Che smile.

It's been almost a month since the flamboyant 'keeper was told by coach Ronald Koeman that he wouldn't play for the club again, a decision that came as a shock to the player as much as it did the support.

Still, it's important not to over-romanticise the situation. Having just turned 38 days before his exile, it's clear that the former Spanish international was on his last legs in any case. What's more, the signing of Timo Hildebrand in summer had served perhaps as a prelude to the veteran's graceful summer exit in what would be his testimonial year.

But this winter has been anything but graceful for Santi. Along with David Albelda and Miguel Angel Angulo, the 'keeper declared himself shocked at how he was treated by Koeman and club president Juan Soler. In a year when another player would be celebrating ten consecutive, mostly successful years at a club, Cañizares was instead hit by this bombshell.

Indeed, while retirement was not far off, Santi was a major part of Los Che until days before his demise. Just before Christmas, he stood between the posts as his side let in three against Barcelona, being heard psyching up his teammates before stepping out for the ill-fated second half.

The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak - and not just for Santi. That 3-0 home defeat was abominable across the board at Valencia, and may have been one humiliation too far for Koeman, who felt that a sea change was required.

Rumours had persisted, too, that Cañizares and parvenu Hildebrand's relationship was becoming dangerously rocky. The two had exchanged the occasional terse remark via the media, and although the official party line was that the pair's competition for the number one spot was professional, if not quite amiable, mumblings around Valencia suggested that in fact it was growing increasingly bitter, with Cañizares said to be particularly hostile to his counterpart. Perhaps this played a part in what happened next.

(Of course, there were also mutterings that the club president had more than a small say in the matter. Not that it's easy to tell: Soler later appeared in public, brow furrowed, hands wrung, to state that the exiled trio were in fact still members of the squad, looking all the world as bewildered at Koeman's "sporting decision" as anyone else.)

Knowing who threw open the trapdoor would be of little consolation to Cañizares, who would nonetheless still be sitting in a footballing oubliette.

Even looking back on an incredible career would be of little consolation. But, again, let's not get too misty-eyed. Cañizares' performances had begun to fade not even this season, but perhaps last. Valencia finished fourth in 2007 with a rather poor goals conceded record.

Before that, though, Cañizares was regarded as Valencia's top man, and one of the best in the world. Cañizares has won four Zamora trophies - second only to the legendary Antoni Ramallets, the mid-century hero of Barcelona - and had an uncanny knack of saving penalties.

Further, winning over 40 Spanish caps from the mid-1990s onwards saw him achieve some modest successes on the world stage - perhaps he could have done so for even longer, were it not for dropping an aftershave bottle on his foot in 2002 and thus missing the World Cup. (A certain Iker Casillas borrowed the number one shirt, and has yet to give it back.)

With Celta Vigo and Valencia, then, Santi remains a legend - Real Madrid fans, too, will look back at his tenure with some measure of happiness.

But what now?

Rumours persist that offers are flying in from the United States, the Gulf, and even South America. Of these purported interested parties, though, only one - Fluminense - has come close to making public their intentions.

It's fair to say that the Brazilian league would offer no end of competitive, meaningful action for Cañizares in his twilight years. But to uproot his family, if only for a year, to an unfamiliar land . Cañizares can't be termed a mercenary, but he has the same concerns as anyone else.

Football in the Gulf could prove more tempting, if only for the reason that the paycheques are lavish. But, with all due respect to football in that region - it's improving, and quickly - it still carries the stigma of being an "Elephant's Graveyard", not befitting of a professional that can still compete at the top level. Perceptions are changing, but not quite fast enough.

The graveyard metaphor was famously applied to Pele's adventures in the North American league, but one may say that Major League Soccer - founded in the mid-1990s - has held somewhat more respect than its predecessor competitions. Could a move Stateside be an option, then? Perhaps, but once again there has been precious little concrete interest shown by the Americans. In any case, Santi would most likely not be offered a superstar wage anywhere near that of fellow Liga alumnus David Beckham.

Maybe, then, bowing out no would be the best idea. Cañizares previously hinted that he was seriously considering doing so - a lack of agent-borne speculation as to his imminent departure from the Mestalla would indicate that it might come to fruition.

It'd be a sad end to an otherwise impressive career if Santi was to sit in the stands for five months collecting his wages, but it's worth remembering that, up until two weeks before the transfer window opened, he felt that he was still a part of the first team. That's no longer the case.

Futbol, then, is seemingly destined to lose one of its goalkeeping stars in an abrupt and perhaps ill-fitting way. Whether or not such an incident serves Valencia - and Koeman - well in the long term remains to be seen.