Still hard to believe he actually played for us.
He didn't, really. He stood around on the pitch wondering what was going on.
By the way, for me, Merlin is not merely the signing of the decade, but the best signing in the history of the club. Sergio's right up there, very close, Vin, too. If you put a gun to my head, and forced me to choose, I wouldn't like having to do it, but David Silva edges it, for me. The iconic
moment of the decade is obviously Kun's goal — it's not even really necessary to discuss it, Leicester's winning the title is not a
moment, as I understand the word — but ask yourself this: would we have even been at that point, or close to it, without the astounding performances, match after match, for the first two-thirds of that season, by our Spanish wizard? It is still, to this day, an utter travesty, and something that intensely annoys me, that he didn't get POTY. But beyond that, it is the consistency of the man, match after match, month after month, season after season, since then, that just about gives it to him. He's dropped off recently, no denying it, but he was brilliant as recently as the Centurions season. He wasn't exactly poor last season. I like playmakers, midfielders. Others will choose Kun, and that's fine. He's the best striker we've ever signed. Others again will choose Vinnie. Probably the best centre-half we've ever signed (although Dave Watson, at the time, was a rock at the heart of the defence for several seasons, and certainly the best centre-half in the country). Some will choose Yaya, for his ability to step up and turn big games right round, from that famous semi-final onwards. That, too, can be justified. But when that man from the Canary Islands goes at the end of the season, there will be a hole in my heart, and tears in my eyes (there are now, as I type) because I will not see greatness of that sort again in sky blue until my dying day.