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Great form displayed throughout the season and potentially claiming the top-scorer crown in the Serie A may not be enough for Carlos Tevez to get a place at the 2014 World Cup. |
The Argentine is currently the league’s best striker, on 18 goals, in his first season at Italian champions Juventus and has become a hero as the club is poised to secure a third straight championship.
His brace at the weekend gave Juve a 2-1 win over Parma, keeping the Bianconeri 14 points clear of chasers Roma with eight games remaining.
Around 10 million euros ($13.7 million) was paid for Tevez’s transfer from Manchester City and the 4.5 million euro he will earn for each of the next three seasons is proving to be a fruitful investment for Juve.
In addition to his goals, he has provided six assists to his teammates, and at the weekend will miss only his fourth game of the season, through a suspension, in the match at Napoli.
Besides the domestic title and the top scorer prize, Tevez also hopes to lift the Europa League trophy if the Bianconeri make it to the final to be played in Turin on May 14.
“I really care for it,” he said. “It is the only trophy I have not won.”
The Apache, as he is dubbed after his native Fuerte Apache neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, won his first league title with Boca Juniors in 2003, then triumphed in Brazil with Corinthians, and in the English Premier League, with Manchester United and Manchester City.
In addition to five titles in three countries, he has also won the Copa Libertadores and Champions League, with Boca and Manchester United, respectively.
His respectable list of honours, current physical fitness, and the 13 goals scored in 64 games with Argentina, however, have cut no ice with Argentina selector Alejandro Sabella.
The coach is yet to call up the Apache since taking over La Albiceleste squad in August 2011 and seems to have no plans to take him to the World Cup in Brazil beginning on June 12.
A simple explanation could be the abundance and quality of Argentine strikers. Barcelona star Lionel Messi captains a national squad also including the regularly capped Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
But Sabella’s disregard for Tevez has triggered curiosity and comments in Italy, including alleged political reasons based on the striker’s popularity in working-class neighbourhoods.
Tevez, who has dedicated goals to his native Fuerte Apache, is believed to be more popular in his country than Messi, who has played all his professional career in Spain, moving to Barcelona when he was 13.
It’s speculated that having Tevez in the World Cup roster could create pressure to have him fielded on each game. “It is just a choice of Sabella,” Tevez said after his smashing drive sank AC Milan 1-0 on March 2. “I do not know if it is a political decision. I think it only depends on Sabella.”
La Repubblica this week quoted Tevez as saying that he is not planning to telephone and ask to play with Argentina. “I do not want to talk about this. I do not mention it even with Argentine journalists,” he said. “In the end, instead of going to Brazil, I will have a vacation with my family and play golf a lot.”
Rooting for Tevez to be on the golf courses will be Juve coach Antonio Conte, who also said he had no interest in calling Sabella on Tevez’s behalf as Juve already have so many players in national teams. “If I were to use the telephone, it would be to tell (Sabella) not to call Tevez,” Conte quipped.