This article on Zigic always cracks me up:
La Liga
Little and Large deliver the perfect punch-line for Racing
Racing Santander's very own dynamic duo might look pretty comic, but Nicola Zigic and Pedro Munitis are seriously effective, as Sid Lowe explains
One's a right-footed, 26-year-old Serbian with a girl's name; the other a left-footed, 31-year-old Santanderian called Pedro.
One left his homeland in search of glory, ready to make the leap to one of Europe's biggest teams (or Spurs); the other returned home the prodigal son, ready to save his local team after winning the European Cup with Real Madrid. One's a massive 6ft 6in tall, the league's biggest player, the other a pint-sized 5ft 4in small, the league's shortest after Ludovic Giuly. Together, they're the original odd couple, a footballing Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox. Racing Santander's very own Little and Large.
Except that Nicola Zigic and Pedro Munitis are funny. And really rather good. With over a foot separating them, they've been giggled and gawped at, likened to Ent carrying the Hobbits to Isengard, and subjected to a thousand comedy photos -
however much Munitis, a man who uses one of those plastic kiddie's steps to reach the bathroom sink, insists on pictures being taken with the pair sitting down. Unfortunately for Pedro, there's no escaping the cameras when they're out on the pitch together and unfortunately for his partner, there's definitely no escaping the label: it's as if his name is not Nicola Zigic at all but Giant Zigic. As if, like the stern in Stern John, Giant isn't an adjective but a noun.
And yet while Giant Zigic and Pint-sized Pedro look pretty comic, they're seriously effective. They compliment each other flawlessly, combine brilliantly and understand each other perfectly - even if
Munitis does have to tug at his shorts and leap up and down shouting for Zigic, doubled-over, hand cupped round his ear, to hear him.
For while Munitis is a pocket rocket on furiously rotating legs like Roadrunner, racing round the pitch, diving round the area, throwing himself into tackles and delivering ball after ball into the box, Zigic is the ideal foil: cool-headed, strong in the air and blessed of a Good Touch For A Big Man, the perfect player to nod on and lay off as Munitis sprints through beep-beeping.
He's also a tidy finisher in his own right, clever with his feet and convincing with his head, scoring more headers than any other player, except Ronaldinho - much to the embarrassment of Harry Redknapp, who turned him down after a trial at Portsmouth, closing his eyes as Peter Crouch walked past to insist: "I've never seen a bloke so tall head the ball so badly."
Known as the
Duo-Sacapuntas (the Points-winning Pair), Munitis and Zigic have been this season's revelation, rescuing Racing from another year fighting against the drop. Last season Racing finished 17th, a single point from disaster, in 2004-05 they were 16th and the season before they finished 17th - again, just one point clear of the relegation zone. It is 11 years since Racing finished in the top half of the first division and yet this season, they currently lie eighth, 14 points off the relegation zone. More importantly, this weekend they racked up the 40 points that mean they are already safe. And they did so with a 2-0 win at Mestalla, against league title contenders Valencia.
It would be pretty unfair to claim that Munitis and Zigic have rescued Racing all on their own, but almost. Beardy midfielder Gonzalo Colsa, his partner Víctor Bermúdez (Vitolo to his mates) and Ezquiel Garay (disappointingly not 25:17 to his mates), have all had excellent seasons, while the defence has been pretty mean. But it is Zigic and Munitis and their comedy double act that has really been behind the Racing revival. After all, Racing are hardly subtle: their success this season has been based on the long ball to Little and Large.
Racing lost their first three matches without scoring a single goal and coach Miguel-Ángel Portugal was on the ropes. Then, Munitis and Zigic appeared. Two goals for Zigic
rescued a 2-2 draw with Nastic in week 4, a
1-1 draw with Celta followed, Zigic again the goalscorer, and then
Racing beat Osasuna 1-0, thanks to a penalty committed on Munitis. The following week, Racing
drew 2-2 with Espanyol, Zigic creating for Munitis. It was mid-October, Portugal's job was safe and between them Munitis and Zigic had been behind
every single Racing goal.
They didn't stop there, either. In the last seven matches, Racing are La Liga's most in-form team. Zigic has been the signing of the season at 4.5m from Red Star, boasting the sixth-best average rating in the whole of the league. The man who has committed more fouls than any other player in the league - the foul in question normally the heinous crime of being tall - has scored seven times. Munitis, meanwhile, has scored four, as well as providing more assists than anyone else in La Liga, with only Sevilla's Dani Alves outdoing him on assists that lead directly to goals. Their goals totals may not be huge but between them, Munitis and Zigic have hit over a third of Racing's goals and been responsible for a whole lot more. Centre-back Garay has scored six, four of them penalties - three provoked by Munitis, the league's most, ahem, "fouled" player - and Munitis also takes the free kicks and corners, from which Racing have scored nine times, often via Zigic flick-ons.
This weekend was another perfect example of the odd couple's success. With Valencia again wasting chances and blowing it against a supposedly little team - having already lost in Santander, four of their remaining seven defeats have come against Betis, Celta, Getafe and Recre - Racing caught them Racing-style. The second was a perfectly delivered, fast corner from Munitis, headed in by Oriol Lozano, but it was the first that really summed them up: a superb lay-off from Zigic to Munitis, zooming in, to score with an acrobatic volley. For once,
Racing are safe - and with 11 weeks to spare. The dynamic duo have done it again.
