“Someone get that man a colossal caipirinha, a bevy of Brazilian beauties and a bumper box of johnnies!” the Guardian’s Sid Lowe says of Real Madrid winger Robinho. He’s referring of course to the little Brazilian’s penchant for women and late-night partying, which got him into trouble barely three weeks ago.
But none of that will live nearly as long in the memory as his performances since: six goals and several assists later, Robinho has emerged as the driving force behind Real Madrid’s title defense, orchestrating Los Merengues’ attack almost single-handedly. On Sunday, his two goals and an assist against Mallorca were again the difference as Real came from behind to win another thriller, 4-3, at the Bernabeu. “Every day he looks more like Pele”, “Robinho gives Madrid wings,” “Robinho is the real star” ran the headlines in Spain.
“What a difference a month makes,” says Lowe. Indeed, Robinho, once again on his way back to Brazil for national team duty, will find the climate has changed considerably. Last time he was at the Madrid airport, he was chased by reporters who wanted to know why he missed training. This time, his beaming face is gleaming the cover of the sports section in every major Spanish paper. And to think that barely a month ago the odds looked good that Robinho would leave Real Madrid in January.