David Trezeguet: The Second Coming ?

Many will have been unsurprised when David Trezeguet rolled into Alicante, Valencia. Having played little in the last 2 years of his time at Juventus mainly due to injury, it was decided it was best for everyone to release him from his contract with 12 months remaining. However the shock factor was clearly that he wasn't arriving at the Mestalla but joining newly promoted Hercules.

Having recently turned 33 the promise of regular football may have been enough to persuade David to jump on the plane. His record of 170 goals in 317 games for Juve speaks for itself, becoming the highest scoring import in the club's history. At International level he fared just as prolific with a better than 1 in 2 ratio. Few players in Europe if not the World have such a scoring rate so consistently throughout the years. An ability to score with either foot comfortably and being good in the air made many defender struggle to cope with him. His partnership with Noel Gallagher's friend Alesandro Del Piero has been the envy of many a team in the last decade. With a loyalty rarely seen in modern day football he stayed in Turin even when they were relegated to Serie B for there part in what came to be known as Calciopoli (The 2006 Italian football scandal). So with all due respect to Hercules, why not a bigger club ?

From a club prospective Lazio and Roma were thought to have been interested, he was even touted to join his close friend Thierry Henry in New York. Many of the big names in English football have been linked with the Frenchman for several years most recently in the summer Liverpool as a potential back up to Fernando Torres. The player himself declared that they were in the process of sorting out Javier Mascherano's future and didn't want to start anything else.

"After 10 years in Turin, above all I needed to find sun and sea again. And the fact that my wife is from the region also played a part in my decision." he told French newspaper L'Equipe.

"I wanted to know the Spanish League, for me it was an important objective in my career," and "A new adventure" was what he told a local radio station.

The above quotes along with Liverpool's failure not for the first time to act swiftly enough in the transfer market certainly explain the decision.

Now having signed for Hercules on a 2 year deal, this free transfer is looking like one of the signings of the summer. A debut against Barcelona doesn't come much bigger in Spanish football especially as they went on to win the game 2-0. Having notched 6 goals in his opening 9 games its clear that he is enjoying his time in Spain. A self belief that ensures he thinks positively and a level head in his attitude are all contributing factors to his early success. His goals having come against Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal and Real Madrid show that he is still a player for the big occasion. But last Sunday's finish against also newly promoted Real Sociedad will be what the fans are really looking for. An ability to fire the goals against their nearest competitors could well be the difference for Hercules this season. Having thrown his hat back into the ring for a return to Laurent Blanc's France side, things are certainly on the rise. While some teams may have thought he wasn't worth the risk David Trezeguet is proving them all wrong. Providing he can stay injury free in the battle for survival he might just give Hercules the edge come May.