Helguera flying high with Real Madrid
Ivan Helguera admits to a great fear of aircraft but over the past year he has got used to flying high for Real Madrid.
Ivan Helguera admits to a great fear of aircraft but over the past year he has got used to flying high for Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old defender turned midfielder has become a vital ingredient in Real's expensive cocktail of world-class players and his club is hoping his flying phobia never reaches the level suffered by Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp.
Last season all eyes were trained on Luis Figo after his defection from arch-rivals Barcelona and this term they have turned to the new world-record signing of Zinedine Zidane.
But it is the work of the relatively unknown Helguera that has provided the freedom for these two stars to shine so brilliantly in the famous white of Real Madrid.
At the beginning of last season few would have given the Cantabrian much chance of holding down a place in the midfield.
In addition to signing Figo, the club also bought another ex-Barcelona player Albert Celades, Frenchman Claude Makelele and Deportivo's Brazilian Flavio Conceicao, all three of whom were competing for places in the centre of midfield.
But Helguera, who had started out as a central defender, took his opportunity after an injury to Flavio and the mediocre form of Celades freed up places in midfield.
Partnering the tireless Makelele in the Real engine room the two players provided the ball-winning strength that gave Figo, Roberto Carlos and Raul licence to attack as Real roared to their 28th title.
His new role released his dormant attacking instincts. Given a half-chance he now surges forward on anarchic runs into the opposition's penalty area.
He notched up six goals in Real's run to the Champions League semifinals against Bayern Munich and finished second to team mate Raul in the scoring charts for last season's competition.
It is no accident that Real's stuttering start to their title defence this season coincided with Helguera's absence after breaking a bone in his foot in a pre-season friendly against Inter Milan.
His return to action has seen a remarkable revival in the club's fortunes.
After languishing in 16th place in the table they are now back challenging for the leadership while an out-of-sorts Zinedine Zidane has suddenly clicked with the rest of the team.
In Helguera, Zidane has found the Spanish equivalent of his international colleague Patrick Vieira, a bodyguard to cover his back and someone capable of reinforcing the attack when needed.
When Helguera moved from Espanyol for $7.64 million in May 1999 many thought his signing an expensive gamble, now most Real fans believe it was a real bargain.