US international Landon Donovan’s story is one of the mysteries of modern world football. A star in his homeland, the 27-year-old all-time US goals and assists leader has never quite made it at the highest level in European club football.
A trio of ill-fated stints in Europe, most recently with Bayern Munich last season, have given volume to the voice of doubters and snipers about Donovan’s ability to cut it at the top level.
But at last month’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, Donovan went some way to silencing the critics and winning over the unconvinced with a string of wonderful performances which almost took the US to an unprecedented international trophy.
Make no mistake, Donovan was the driving force behind the US’s unexpected run to the final, scoring two goals and setting up several more.
Indeed, it was no coincidence when coach Bob Bradley tried a new 4-4-2 formation with Donovan looming free behind the strikers after the US had emphatically lost their first two matches, that the American team suddenly bloomed.
Donovan’s free role enabled him to play his natural game and he utilized that opportunity, playing end to end football, defending, creating, attacking, scoring and ultimately leading the way for the Americans.
Put simply, Donovan was immense. And he was immense against world-class opponents like European champions Spain and South American giants Brazil, proving he can cut it at the top.
Donovan currently plays his club football with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy in the US.
He has pretty much achieved everything there is to achieve in US domestic football winning the MLS Cup with both San Jose Earthquakes and the Galaxy along with a long list of personal honours including the recent distinction of claiming the 2008 MLS Golden Boot.
Donovan also, as previously mentioned, leads the charts for the US national team’s all-time goal and assists tally. He is also the only player ever to have won the US national team Honda Player of the Year award five times.
Needless to say, he is an accomplished player back in the States, but Europe is a different story and for whatever reason he’s never been able to reproduce the form he’s shown in the USA over in the home of top-level football.
Donovan’s first European journey came at an early age signing with German club Bayer Leverkusen in 2001. At the time, Donovan was the youngest American to ever sign with a foreign club.
But Donovan’s time at Leverkusen never really worked out as he struggled with life in Germany and ended up spending a lot of his contract on loan back in his home state of California with San Jose.
The 27-year-old admitted recently, “I recognize Leverkusen wasn’t the problem, I was. I just wasn’t ready for it.”
And while it is easy to understand his failings considering he was still just a youngster, the fact that Leverkusen were a top club at the time having lost the UEFA Champions League final in 2002, suggests it probably wasn’t the right club for him with competition for places too strong for an unproven young American.
Nevertheless, Donovan did return to Germany, on loan to Bayern in 2009, but again he failed to impress making only a handful of apperarances.
Jurgen Klinsmann, who was the Bayern manager who signed Donovan, said at the time, “I’ve had the pleasure to see him throughout the years living in Los Angeles and I’ve always said to friends of mine he could make it in Europe.
“It’s more a mental thing than it is a football thing.”
Indeed, Klinsmann is probably right in suggesting Donovan’s inability to crack it in Europe is in some ways a ‘mental thing’.
But another attribute towards Donovan’s failures in Europe is also that he’s never really found the right club.
After leaving Leverkusen in 2005, Donovan had been linked with a number of English Premier League clubs and perhaps that may have suited him with the shared similarities in cultures between the two nations, but nothing ever materialized.
Eventually Donovan returned to Germany with Bayern but his time there was during a volatile period with Klinsmann sacked before the season’s end as the club’s title hopes slipped, so opportunities for an untried American were hard to come by.
Having returned to the US after his disappointing stint in Bavaria, Donovan has managed to reignite his career with that fine Confederations Cup performance.
And perhaps those performances might finally earn him the move he has been craving his whole career.
Indeed, Donovan’s finest performance in South Africa was without argument during the semi-final against Spain which the US won 2-0.
Spain’s Euro 2008 winning superstar Xavi acknowledged Donovan’s brilliance post-match, “Donovan was excellent. We knew he was a good player, but he really didn’t do anything wrong in the whole game and made it difficult for us.”
And Donovan, who actually speaks Spanish, may have impressed not only Xavi, but also a few potential suitors from La Liga.
There have already been some claims in the US media that Donovan’s style would suit the Spanish game due to his skill, creativity and ‘cultured rhythms’.
Whether or not something develops remains to be seen, but following an outstanding Confederations Cup from Donovan, there is no doubt he can make it in Europe.
And at just 27-years-young, Donovan still clearly has a burning desire to prove people wrong and achieve things.
After the Confederations Cup final which the US lost 3-2 to Brazil having lead 2-0 at half-time, Donovan was asked about the respect his side had earned by going so far in the tournament, “What is respect?
“Respect doesn’t mean anything. If we lose our next two qualifiers, nobody cares about respect. We need to be to the point where we’re winning in these kind of tournaments.”
Indeed, Donovan is clearly on a quest with his national team and his exemplary performances in the Confederations Cup proved in some ways, despite not being the captain, he is the leader of the US side.
Thus the success of the US national team depends on Donovan and his comments after the Confederations Cup final suggest he is desperate for the team to succeed.
At the peak of a footballers powers at the ripe age of 27, following a wonderful Confederations Cup and with the World Cup under twelve months away, Donovan is now ready to step up and challenge himself to show the world the true footballer he is.