Farewell Marouane Fellaini, Frankenstein's monster at Manchester United



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Goodbye, grotesque prince who has never asked to be born

There are certain periods of life – in all areas – in which particular individuals represent something greater than themselves.

People like Neil Armstrong, Rosa Parks and Marie Curie are among the first to think of different periods of the strange experience of nature known as human existence.

They represent a spirit, a state of mind, a moment that remains in their memory.

Marouane Fellaini, who left Manchester United this week for Shandong Luneng of the Chinese Super League, is arguably of lesser importance to the world's history than those mentioned previously.

The Belgian midfielder left those shores after a little under eleven in a way that, unlike his usual playing style, was more whimsical than a blaze of elbows and knees.

He has been a central figure in Manchester United for five years, but he will not be missed.

There have been occasional testimonials from revisionist supporters, describing him as "a fighter" who "always gave 100%". A nice way to remember the man whose very existence has caused ridicule.

In short, his departure was universally welcomed, even celebrated.

During his stay at Old Trafford, Fellaini played – without his fault – the incarnation of everything that was not on the field since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Recruited by David Moyes in the football version of Gil in The Simpsons, Fellaini was immediately considered a kind of default by United fans, as something that should not be.

If it had been signed by Ferguson, it would have looked like a real welcome. Ferguson could do nothing wrong, even the presence of this footballer Daddy Long Legs would have been acceptable at worst.

But it was signed by Moyes, the man unable to conceal the cracks around which Ferguson had built a mansion during his last years at Manchester United.

Every decision made by Moyes was rightly called into question, but that meant that Fellaini was swimming against the tide immediately and the more the discomfort persisted in the club, the stronger his position was.

While Ferguson was able to produce a team that was more than the sum of his games and who often played (but not always) an attractive football, Moyes could only produce a team that was much less and was playing attritional football than a single mother could love.

It was in this climate that Fellaini became the bad of Manchester United, Frankenstein's monster.

At the Theater of Dreams, a stadium whose spectators had become accustomed to beauty, they could not accept this monster that had been unintentionally introduced into their world. They arrived every fortnight at the stadium equipped with metaphorical forks by hand.

Throughout Moyes' tenure, his successor Louis van Gaal and the latest man to fail at the club, Jose Mourinho, he was often booed when he entered the field.

Despite this, he has progressed, marking important goals, making the most of his limited skills and using his large, uncoordinated body to do what he was designed for: destroying.

Although Moyes and van Gaal use it as a practical option, Mourinho seems to rejoice in the terrible horror with which the outside world sees Fellaini and his football.

His selection was one of protest, his manager told his supporters: "If I can not inspire love, I will scare."

Nevertheless, Fellaini played and performed the acts for which he had been built. He never complained, often appearing simply as a man who knew that he did not belong, but who wanted to cherish playing for a world-clbad club as long as he did it. could. An impostor who knew that he had been caught years ago, but was happy to be involved.

When Jose Mourinho was sacked by the club in December 2018, the supporters welcomed him, not only because he was gone, but also because, maybe – finally – it meant that Fellaini was going soon to leave too.

The acting manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, seemed to recognize him when he took over from Mourinho, as evidenced by the two solitary appearances of Fellaini under the Norwegian between the departure of Mourinho and his.

He had to point out that his management of the club would be different, and not including Fellaini was the fastest and clearest way to achieve it.

The injuries suffered by the 31-year-old have been helpful, making it less vicious dumping and more conscious decoupling.

The Frankenstein Monster never asked to be created, it was simply the product of an experiment that went terribly wrong.

He should not be blamed for what he was and Fellaini either.

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