Jermaine Pennant eases his frustrations in the freedom of Spain
• Real Zaragoza proves a breath of fresh air after Anfield
• Winger hopes to impress Fabio Capello against Barcelona
Sid Lowe guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 October 2009
The question is inevitable, the response a huge grin. What's a boy like you doing in a place like this? While Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the media spotlight, one of the most intriguing summer headlines read simply: "Jermaine Pennant signs for Real Zaragoza". For the first time since Stan Collymore's ill-fated 58-minute spell at Real Oviedo nine years before, an Englishman joined one of La Liga's "other" clubs, one that had spent the previous season outside the first division. For the first time in their history, Real Zaragoza had signed an Englishman.
People wondered if he was mad. People wondered if Zaragoza were. But there was a mutual need. To meet Pennant is to glimpse a man at ease, leaving behind the youthful frustrations of Highbury and the impositions of Anfield where, he reveals, he felt constrained under Rafael BenÃtez, the best of his game beaten out of him. You could almost hear the deep voice of the cinema trailer: "He was a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. They were a club down on their luck. One day, fate brought them together. Now, they're taking on the world."
Spain's fifth biggest city, landlocked and not especially lovely or lively, appears an unlikely destination for a revival but the offer was attractive: a salary the equivalent of £80,000 per week, no paparazzi ("There were places I just couldn't go in England," he says), an ambitious project and a club that really, really wanted him; plus the chance to play in a more technical league that "suits my game more" and a challenge. Pennant may not be taking on the world but on Sunday he will take on its best side: Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
As he talks, confidence is a recurring theme, with Zaragoza's support – their keenness to sign him was the "key" to a surprise move – providing what has not always been forthcoming during Pennant's career. His journey has been long but he has not travelled as far as he should have since joining Arsenal at 15.
He admits to being "too young, too naive" there, to being "affected" when the lack of opportunities left him so frustrated that he wondered why he bothered training "only to sit out on Saturday". At Liverpool, he encountered the wrong manager, a coach who neutered rather than nurtured him, leaving him exasperated on the wing, muttering: "Give it a rest. Can't I just express myself?" BenÃtez, Pennant says, "is a great manager but he can take the best out of you".
In Spain his manager cannot speak English – team-talks are delivered via Pennant's inseparable translator – but communication is good, the philosophy shared, freedom granted. Supporters have been impressed; Pennant has been told they believe he is too good for them. So far results have been promising, occasionally impressive rather than spectacular but enough to rekindle an old hope: England. "If I continue doing well, if [Fabio] Capello watches me, why not?"
He is realistic enough to know his chances remain slim. Aaron Lennon, David Beckham, Theo Walcott and James Milner lie ahead and he has been overlooked before. "I've played for every level and was leading Under-21 caps at one stage, so I wondered: 'What next?' There have been times I thought I should make it," he says. "In 2007 [under Steve McClaren], I kept thinking: 'What other right midfielder is playing in the Champions League final?' But still I didn't go. I thought: 'God, what have you got to do?'"
There is the frustration again. The popular image may portray a player who does not care but Pennant clearly does, maybe too much. The temptation was, he admits, to give up – just as it had been at Arsenal. "It's a kick in the teeth, it gets you down. You think: 'Is it my past?'" Well, is it? "Of course."
In 2005 Pennant was arrested after crashing his car without insurance while over the drink-drive limit and serving a 16-month ban. He was sentenced to 90 days' imprisonment and forced to wear an electric tag. So, are England scared of him? Pennant's response is immediate: "100%." For Pennant that fear is unfounded. "I've played at every level, why would I suddenly be a problem in the senior team?" he asks. "But the FA is all about clean and perfect images and I haven't got the best background, so ...If you've got someone with great ability and you don't pick him because of his background, that's a bit silly."
Silly but inescapable; Pennant's past casts a stubborn shadow. He was the most expensive ever teenager and a European Cup final man of the match but mention his name and it's the tag that springs to most minds.. "It does piss you off," he admits. "If that's all people can think, they're a bit sad. If you've got nothing positive to say, don't say anything."
Besides, that perception doesn't tally with the man with the ready smile and the blue training kit of Zaragoza sitting across a table at their training ground - sharp and likeable, refreshingly honest. Moving to Spain may challenge the public assumptions of a player. Pennant has been bolder, more open-minded than most.
"Learning Spanish is hard, very hard," he says with a hint of apprehension, "and people are worried about that, about loneliness and lifestyle. Going abroad is like going back to school and people don't want to break their comfort zone. It's a shame: it would be better for English football if more players went abroad – and Fabio Capello has said he'd like to see it more often." Perhaps on Sunday night Capello will take note of the English right?winger at the Camp Nou.
