What do Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van der Vaart, Walter Samuel, Arjen Robben, Esteban Cambiasso and arguably even James Rodriguez have in common?
They are living proof of the fact that, just because things don’t work out at Real Madrid, that does not mean you cannot thrive away from the glare of the Bernabeu microscope.
Samuel, Cambiasso and 2010 Ballon d’Or candidate Sneijder were crucial cogs in the Inter Milan team who conquered Italy and Europe under Jose Mourinho a decade ago after all.
Arjen Robben, meanwhile, transformed Bayern Munich from perennial nearly-men into a continental force while Van de Vaart, during his brief but glorious time at Tottenham, helped lay the foundations for the Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho eras.
So, with Defensa Central linking Mariano Diaz with a move to the Premier League, West Ham fans should not for one second ponder on his enduring struggles at the Santiago Bernabeu; the fact he has started three La Liga matches in two-and-a-bit seasons while losing the iconic number seven shirt to Eden Hazard.
Mariano is no flop. He is merely a victim of Karim Benzema’s late-blooming brilliance; a casualty of Zinedine Zidane’s often restrictive selection policy.
In fact, it is only two years since Mariano was scoring goals for fun at a Lyon side who accumulated 78 points in Ligue 1, his ruthless two-footedness ensuring everyone on the banks of the Rhone forgot all about departed skipper Alexandre Lacazette.
In fact, it was those 21 goals in 45 games, those emphatic thumping finishes, those gravity-defying, Ronaldo-esque headers, that convinced Real Madrid to exercise the £30 million buy-back clause in Mariano’s contract after one season in France.
“Mariano is a traditional number nine, a finisher, the player that Real Madrid needed,” former Madrid hero Fernando Morientes told AS in 2018 of a man who, albeit briefly, took over Cristiano Ronaldo’s number seven shirt.
“He is very complete and very good. Madrid didn’t have the type of pure, central striker that reminds me of my time. He is a player who, in the penalty area, doesn’t forgive.”
Mariano has had his moments in Madrid, a Classico clincher against Barcelona living long in the memory. But whether he can embark on a James Rodriguez-esque renaissance in England remains to be seen.
West Ham would be taking a risk signing a striker without a league start since May 2019. But, during that one fleeting spell at Lyon, Mariano proved that he has the potential to be one of Europe’s elite centre-forwards.
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