WITH only fleeting knowledge of their respective backgrounds it might easily be assumed that Shaun Maloney and John Carew have more in common than just a link to Aston Villa. But, in reality, the difference in the players' personalities contrasts almost as much as their height.
Maloney's Malaysian roots – he lived in the south-east Asian country until he was five, then moved with his family to Aberdeen – has always identified him as someone with a cosmopolitan view of the world, while Carew, who has played with seven clubs in nine years, has enjoyed the itinerant lifestyle of a rover. It is obviously in the latter's genes. Carew's father, a goalkeeper, hailed from Gambia but ended up in the east Norwegian town of Lorenskog, while his son's footballing journey began at Valerenga IF, in nearby Oslo. From there it has taken in Trondheim (with Rosenborg), Spain (Valencia), and Italy (AS Roma). Carew moved further east to Istanbul, and Besiktas, before heading to Lyon in France. The 6ft 5in striker is now in Birmingham, which he claims feels just like home.
Maloney, a full ten inches shorter than his old colleague, was not able to settle with the same success at Aston Villa, and brought his Premiership experience to a premature end earlier this season when he rejoined Celtic. While it sounded like the depressingly familiar tale of a Scottish footballer traipsing back to a comfort zone in his homeland, it was, in Maloney's case, also an attempt to breathe life back into a career which had stalled on the Villa bench.
Carew is sympathetic to an extent, and even hinted that, if he had his way, then Maloney would be his ideal foil on the wing. But he has also questioned whether Maloney, with whom he will be reunited at Hampden Park this afternoon, was right to throw in the towel after just 19 months in English football.
"In training he was always the best, but maybe for our way of playing he didn't fit in a physical sense, because of his height," said Carew, who joined Villa in January 2007, nine days before Maloney. "But at other Premiership clubs I think he could have been perfect. I don't know if it was the right choice for him to go back, and have that stamp that he was not good enough.
"Maybe be should have stayed a bit longer, and proved he could play in the Premiership," continued Carew. "I thought he was a great player, and was really impressed with him. And the fans loved him because he usually scored when he came on, from free-kicks or whatever. It was difficult for him to get into the team at Aston Villa, but that does not mean he could not have played at another club, one maybe not as good as Aston Villa. There are a lot of teams in the Premiership, a lot of them are below Aston Villa."
Carew was 19 when he left Norway for Valencia. The striker is clearly born to be an adventurer, although there is a strong bond between him and the country where he remains an icon. He became Norway's first black international footballer when he made his debut against Egypt in 1998, and has since played a further 71 times for his country, scoring 21 goals. It is in club football where he has really made his name, however. Eighteen goals in as many games for Rosenborg brought him to the attention of Valencia, with whom he reached the Champions League final in 2001. Although Carew scored with his effort from the spot, Bayern Munich defeated the Spanish side 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Carew moved on to AS Roma in 2003 on loan, and scored seven goals in 25 appearances in Serie A, helping his side finish runners-up behind Milan. Roma, however, were bankrupt, and could not afford to sign him on a permanent basis, so Carew turned his face to the road again, making his way towards Asia. Istanbul seemed an unusual strange destination, but he was attracted by the occupant of the Besiktas manager's seat, Vincent Del Bosque.
"He was one of the hottest managers in Europe at the time," explained Carew earlier this year. "He had won everything at Real and they sacked him after they'd won La Liga. Crazy." Another season, another 13 goals, and Carew was off again. Gerard Houllier took him to Lyon, and although the French club finished champions in his first season the goals did not come so freely. Houllier agreed to swap him for Milan Baros in January 2007, and Carew seems finally to have cured his wanderlust at Villa.
"I have been in different countries and I am very grateful for that," he reflected yesterday. "I have played for big clubs all over the place. For the first time I really feel at home. England is very similar to Norway. I love it there."
Carew has enthused about the level of team spirt he found at Aston Villa, and has revelled in the sense of togetherness engendered by having to excel each weekend in such a competitive environment. Carew has scored 21 times in total for Villa, although he has not yet managed to strike against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal. Last season he said: "I have found it much better after being in teams that cruised to the league title. At Valencia and Lyon we were cruising through the first stage of the Champions League as well and sometimes that makes players drift off into their own little world."
Carew is clearly a thoughtful individual and displays the easy manner of someone at ease with himself, and his life choices. Carew returned to the subject of Maloney when asked to consider what he had gained from a well-travelled existence, and concluded that some are perhaps built for it, while others are not.
"I was younger than (Shaun] when I first left my country," he said. "I coped with it and had a fantastic time in Valencia. I can't complain. We have different personalities. I am a bit more out-going and he is a bit more quiet, and perhaps needs to be with his family more. He is very family orientated and I could see he was missing his friends, and I think maybe his girlfriend still lived here as well."
Carew is clearly fond of Maloney, and has already warned his team-mates about his talents. He described him as "one of Scotland's weapons" and is aware that the player can have a decisive impact on the result, by dint of one sweet connection from a free-kick, or dash of devilry on the wing. Now back in the home he pined for, Maloney can concentrate on expressing himself. Carew, meanwhile, is merely looking forward to savouring the sights and smells of another visit to Hampden Park, where he helped Norway record a 1-0 win against Berti Vogts' team in a World Cup qualifying fixture 2004.
"We have a big expectation and hope we can take three points here," he said. "We managed to do it last time but we know it will be even more difficult this time. If you want to qualify you have to believe in yourself in these types of games. We look forward to the atmosphere. It will be a beautiful game to play for all the players."
Log on to live commentary of all the action from Scotland v Norway as the match unfolds at Hampden todayThe full article contains 1271 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
