8 Dec 2005(Thu)

December 6, 2005 -- If you are looking to buy a friend the perfect Christmas gift, try "A Miscellany of Football."

It is a small book, published by Past Times of Oxford, England, and is packed with "quips, tips and quotes for the football fan."

One of the quotes is from John Gregory, the former Aston Villa and Derby County manager, who once said: "Strikers win matches, defenders win championships."

But this does not apply to Gamba Osaka!

For Gamba it is exactly the opposite. They conceded 58 goals in their 34 league games, but fortunately scored 82 to keep the wins coming.

So, in Gamba's case, strikers won matches and also won the championship.

This is why I feel Araujo will be named J.League MVP at the awards night on December 20. His record of 33 goals in 33 games speaks for itself, and his two at Todoroki on Saturday were a joy to behold.

The first, after playing a neat one-two with Fernandinho, was struck beautifully with his left foot, curling inside the far post to give the keeper no chance. The second was a true poacher's goal, timing his run perfectly to be in the right place at the right time to score from close range.

If I'm looking for a Man of the Match or a season's MVP, I try to avoid the player who scores the crucial goal, or goals, as that's too easy a choice. I prefer to look for someone who has made a more solid, all-round contribution, maybe not as glamorous but just as important.

You may find this a strange criteria, but, there again, my favourite Real Madrid player is not Beckham, Zidane, Raul or Robinho but...Helguera! He's my kind of player, tough and does a great job every game (Javier Zanetti of Argentina is another).

But in the case of the J.League 2005, I cannot think of anyone who deserves the accolade more than Araujo, and it is a great pity he will not be at Gamba next season.

Whoever made the decision to sign him from S-Pulse deserves massive credit, as it's unlikely Gamba would have won the championship without him.

At the other end, it was not difficult to see why Gamba have conceded so many. Just look at Frontale's first goal, headed home by Terada. The Gamba defence had already given him one free header at a corner, and he sent it high over the bar. But almost straight away they gave him another, and he buried this one.

Despite the defensive blunders, Gamba are worthy champions because the league table does not lie after 34 games.

And Araujo, I feel, may have more trophies to come, for leading scorer and, quite possibly, for MVP.

ends