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Roberto Soldado: Spanish Expert On Spurs' New Striker

by Garreth Nunn
1 August 2013 6 Comments

Tottenham Hotspur agree a club record £26m deal to sign Valencia's Spain international striker Roberto Soldado. Here's what they're getting for their money...

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Not that he did, but Spurs new striker Roberto Soldado would have been forgiven for smiling when David Villa took to Twitter to announce he would not be fit in time for Euro 2012. With Fernando Torres having a wishy washy time at Chelsea, it looked like Soldado might get his chance and that Vicente Del Bosque may listen to fans and bring him to the Euros but even though he was the top Spanish goal scorer, El Guerrillero or The Soldier was left watching a tournament at home as Álvaro Negredo was picked instead. It was a bitter blow to the Valencia forward but he bounced back more determined to prove his doubters wrong and answer his critics and this summer he finally made it into a Spanish squad for a tournament.

Soldado was born in Valencia but the 28 year old was snapped up at the age of 14 by Real Madrid when Vicente Del Bosque personally convinced him to pack his bags and move to the capital. He made his senior debut against Valencia in 2005 and was used as a bit part player. They sent him out to Osasuna where he earned his nickname, The Soldier, for his hard working and non-surrendering attitude. He returned to Real Madrid and won a league under Fabio Capello despite the fact that he hardly played (In Spain players that are listed as part of the squad get medals even if they don’t play any games) and when Bernd Schuster arrived he shipped the forward out to Getafe. He did quite well at Getafe and when Barca bought Villa, Valencia turned to Soldado and he enjoyed three very successful years but he has always had a cloud hanging over him.

One of the main reasons for Real Madrid letting Soldado go is the same reason people still don’t rate him. Critics claim that he lacks sharpness in the box and that his conversion rate is poor. It is an incredible thing to say about a striker that has scored 197 goals in under 400 games but at the start of his career there was a shred of truth to this. Soldado often hesitated in big matches and even last season looked nervy when he came face to face with Víctor Valdés or Iker Casillas but taking them out of the picture, apart from Messi, in the list of players that scored over 20 goals last season, nobody had a better conversion rate. He also has a great record of goals in Europe.  Soldado really knuckled down last summer and worked out his issues. Once seen as the type of player that could only score tap ins, he developed the other aspects of his game, including his movement and his passing. He got 22 goals last season and averaged 2.1 shots a game and there is another interesting stat when it comes to those shots.

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Soldado is no Messi or Falcao. Although now and again you may have seen him do it, he traditionally doesn’t shoot from 30 metres out, he won’t dance around defenders with the ball and despite the fact many nominated him for Goal of the Season last year, traditionally he doesn’t score fancy or spectacular goals. Spurs fans may not like this next part but Kevin Keegan once said that Arsenal’s Ian Wright was a player that could be completely invisible for 85 minutes and then out of nowhere score the winner. Soldado is very similar to Wright in that aspect. He can remain anonymous in games and then suddenly appear out of nowhere and nick a goal. All of his shots last season came from inside the box and he does have a great eye for goal, as the stats prove. He is a gritty, hard working forward who isn’t afraid of getting dirty. When the chips are down, he can be counted on. He was once laughed at for his inability to read a game but that has all changed. He knows how to give defenders the slip, has this amazing ability to be in the right place at the right time and he also knows how to play the offside trap. But does he have any negative aspects?

Unfortunately he has quite a few. Apart from the ones already mentioned. Soldado can go on a run of scoring in five or six straight games and then disappear for a month. This inconsistency is one of the things that has hinder his international career, although in 11 games for Spain he has scored 6. He stills needs to work on his performances during big games and he does have a bit of a temper. Soldado gets wound up very easily and picks up a lot of cards. Last season he picked up 15 yellow cards, the year before that 16 and so he needs to learn how to hold his tongue. He isn’t the bulkiest of players and although he isn’t bullied off the ball easily, in the air he needs to improve.

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Zanz Kedah 10:29 am, 22-Jul-2013

When we talks about Attacking Midfielder,it is meaning Downing,Borini,Henderson and Lucas never funtion very well and succesfully.We need to find out new players to ship out all of them.Lucas is very perfect as holding ball but not too good when assist foward players.He cannot score more than 5 goal per season like others flops players.We need to bring more talented players who can firing many goal and protect the fortress very solid and tough.Before transfers window nearly to be slam,much better atleast LFC can release out Downing and Borini first.I confident same mistake will repeat again if LFC still want to using Passenger players who get high salary.They all don’t having good skill but the pressure is still need to used this players because high payment need to playing every week and the cheapest players who have good quality as Assaidi,Coates can st down on the bench.Why?? They will not effect the wage bill whether playing or not playing.LFC will solve their main problem if they ship out deadwood players.Please bring in Bernard and Soldado to strengthen the foward areas with 1 or 2 new defender or centreback.Mamadou Sakho,Toby Alderweireld,Kryiakos Papadoulos will be great signing for new centreback candidates.

Lawal Kolapo Saheed 10:31 am, 22-Jul-2013

Liverpool should try & sign SOLDADO in order to reach champions leaque nxt season.

mahad 12:38 pm, 22-Jul-2013

pls go and buy soldado that means sell un happy suares and bring soldado and and erikson his many also sell borini

stuart gane 1:02 pm, 1-Aug-2013

Well the fact he is on EA sports website on the cover of FIFA14, would tell anyone he is staying? as anyone in the know would state, it would be a breach of consumer LAW that if you are pre ordering the game, that is what you expect to receive. If he is not on the cover of the game you receive you will be entitled to compensation...Fraudulant advertising.. Maybe its a case of ROPE and HANG YOURSELF for Marca and Real Madrid with the silence, a legal case in the making.. Watch this space!

Ben 1:03 pm, 1-Aug-2013

Hmmm "Soldado can go on a run of scoring in five or six straight games and then disappear for a month." We have Defoe and Adebayor. Disappearing for a month has got nothing on either of those two

Paul 1:03 pm, 1-Aug-2013

Soldado means Soldier in Spanish not because of anything else!

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