CRESPO: BLUES CAN RULE WORLD '
In three years Chelsea will be as good as Real and Juve'
Daily Mirror
HERNAN CRESPO last night predicted that he will help
Chelsea become a global power to match Real Madrid.
The Argentine hitman was paraded at Stamford Bridge ahead
of his Premiership debut against Blackburn today, admitting that
Gary Lineker was one of his footballing idols.
Crespo, the £16.8million capture from Inter Milan, admitted
his aims could not be higher and he said: "Chelsea do not have the
reputation of some clubs but here there is everything to win.
"The prestige will come, the history can be written.
This is the challenge I put upon myself.
"In three years I want us to be up there with Real Madrid and
Juventus. That is my idea.
"What I want to see is the growth of this team. If we can achieve
this idea among the players we can go far.
"You can't forget that Real, Juve and Inter have a long history.
"They have built their name over time but we can now write our
history for the future. I think the whole world has been surprised
by what has happened at Chelsea and I have great expectations.
"To go to the latter stages of the Champions League this season
will take a lot of quality and a bit of luck. Hopefully we will have
the luck because I'm convinced we have the quality here."
Ranieri claimed on Thursday that 28-year-old Crespo can outstrip
both Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry.
And Crespo, once the most expensive player in football when
Lazio paid Parma 35.9m pounds to land him in 2000, believes
he can prove his manager right - and revealed his own boyhood
striking gods were both European.
He added: "I was very proud to hear my coach say that.
I look forward to proving him right.
"I am convinced that I will score goals here in England.
"I'm a very positive and optimistic person and I believe things
will go this way. I will do everything to make it happen.
"It is not my way to speak about myself. I would rather show
it on the pitch and let you judge.
"But I will say the English player I remember most was Gary Lineker.
He was a great player in the penalty area.
"He scored so many goals and his movement in the box was superb.
"He took advantage of every opportunity. I remember watching him
in the World Cup in 1986 and 1990.
"My other favourite striker was Marco Van Basten. I wanted to model
myself on him because he was the complete player."
Crespo admitted that he was excited by the Champions League draw
that sends Chelsea back to his former club Lazio, although not entirely
for football reasons.
He added: "The chance of playing in a stadium that is familiar is going
to help me do well.
"But if you want the truth, when I heard we'd drawn Lazio
I was happy for my wife - she's from Rome."
The striker, top scorer in Serie A with 26 for Lazio in 2001,
accepted that it may take a while for him to settle as he comes to
terms with a new environment.
But he is thrilled at the prospect of linking up again with Juan Sebastian
Veron, who helped to persuade him to swap Serie A for the Premiership.
The South American explained: "I talked to Seba, who spoke very highly
of Chelsea and told me that we want to win and to grow. That's why we're here.
"I will depend on Seba a lot although I will need help from everybody,
especially coming to terms with the language and life in London.
"Football here is different and I will need time. But the desire is there
and I'm ready to take it on."
Crespo added that he believed the pair can recall memories back
home of the last time two high-profile Argentines came to London.
He said: "I hope that Veron will be a key to my success. I've played
with him for the national team and at Parma and Lazio.
"We have always had the chance of winning things and I do not
want this to be the exception. He will get the best out of me for Chelsea.
"I remember what happened when Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa
came to London to sign for Spurs.
"Now we have myself and Veron here and we can revive the same
interest in English football in Argentina that there was back then.
"I have seen Manchester United and Arsenal.
"Our intention is to break them up and fight for the title."
[此贴子已经被作者于2003-9-24 0:25:34编辑过]
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