If only Matheus Cunha could do the simple things as often as he does the spectacular ones.
Ask an avid Bundesliga fanatic to pick their favourite memory of the £15 million Hertha Berlin forward and there is a good chance their eyes will light up as they remember Cunha’s outrageous solo effort against Bayer Leverkusen in 2019; a stunning piece of skill that earned him the Bundesliga’s Goal of the Year award.
They might then reel off a series of other stunning efforts the 21-year-old has produced in the colours of either RB Leipzig or Hertha.
Ask them to recall a time when Cunha finished off a chance with a simple tap-in, however, and their minds will go blank.
In short, the fleet-footed Samba starlet only seems to score stunning goals – which, in truth, is both a strength and his biggest weakness.
Yes, most of Cunha’s 12 Bundesliga strikes were nothing short of mesmeric, rattled home from miles out or flicked beyond a despairing goalkeeper with mind-bending brilliance, but if the Brazil U23 international wants to build on his vast potential, he could do a lot worse than to add a ruthless, predatory streak to his game.
Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance, exploded onto the scene at Manchester United with a million step-overs and the odd long-range rocket. But, as he matured, the Portuguese superstar blossomed into arguably the greatest goalscorer in history due to a penchant for doing the simple things with brutal efficiency.
And as Hertha fans will tell you, after a season flirting with relegation, they would rather Cunha scored 15 scruffy goals than five brilliant ones.
“He has a deadly shot, you can never stop him, and he has incredible acceleration,” Paolo Tramezzani, a former Inter Milan ace who won the UEFA Cup with the Nerazzuri in the 90s, told FCInterNews last year.
“He is an extraordinary boy. A hard worker with a great desire to improve, always focused and on the game. He is very mature from this point of view.
“He could be like Mourinho’s (Samuel) Eto’o at Inter: an all-out striker. Deadly up front, but also one who runs and sacrifices a lot for the team.”
According to Calciomercato, Leeds United, Napoli and an Atalanta side who secured Champions League football for another season at the weekend are all interested in Cunha, with Hertha Berlin expected to sell for around £25 million (Sky).
But while Cunha may be a player with ‘extraordinary’ ability, as Bayer Leverkusen found out the hard way, the Brazilian could learn a lot from Samuel Eto’o himself.
Goal of the Season awards are nice and all but the Golden Boot is a far greater award to receive.
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