AFTER a four-year build-up riddled with intrigue and controversy, Leon Bailey’s debut for Jamaica was bound to be an emotional affair. He admitted to being deeply moved as he stepped onto the National Stadium pitch in his hometown Kingston on Monday night. “I had tears in my eyes, knowing that I am actually here and people came out to watch me and gave me just pure love,” the Bayer 04 Leverkusen player said.
His appearance in the nervy 3-2 win over Honduras in the Gold Cup drew a line under a saga stretching back to his first and only appearance for The Reggae Boyz in 2015, in an U-23 exhibition game. Bailey had refused to get called up by his country, citing a need for structural reforms, and done little to quell (rather baseless) speculation that he might represent England instead.
Newspaper reports, meanwhile, hinted that a power struggle between his adoptive father Craig Butler and that Jamaican FA lay at the heart of his reluctance. The most talented Jamaican in decades finally agreed to wear the Black, Gold and Green at this summer’s tournament at the end of May. It remains to be seen whether his change of heart was prompted by the Jamaican footballing establishment making concessions but there’s no doubt that he’s come back into the fold just in time. Jamaica need him and he needs the exposure, having just completed a rather underwhelming season in the Bundesliga.
Dreams come true. First win on my debut. It felt special and an honour to finally represent My Jamaica now on to the next challenge to improve as a team with each game. Together we stand for country for family for our fans for the children who look up to us for our nation. pic.twitter.com/0yLKUgfZkb
— Leon Bailey ✞ (@leonbailey) June 19, 2019
Only a year ago, Bailey was one of the best attacking performers in the German top flight, scoring goals and terrorising defenders. A big move – to Bayern, to the Premier League or to Spain, were Real Madrid were rumoured to be keeping close tabs on him – seemed almost inevitable. Leverkusen took a hardline approach, bracing themselves for an auction that never quite happened. Many clubs admired the mercurial winger, but a valuation north of €60m scared them off. Bailey stayed – and his progress stalled. Minutes on the pitch (1400), goals (5) and assists (1) all decreased markedly in comparison with 2017/18 (2224, 9, 6) and so did his underlying performance indicators. He went from elite to being merely average for a player of his profile in the top five leagues. (Have a look at the radars by season here https://understat.com/player/5221)
Average does not mean bad, to be sure. Wilfried Zaha’s stats, for example, were roughly of the same level last season, albeit in a worse team. Bailey, to add more context, was also hardly the only Leverkusen player going through a lean spell in the first half of the season, while Heiko Herrlich was still in charge. As the team’s results picked up following the hiring of new manager Peter Bosz at Christmas, so did Bailey’s showings. He was on course of finishing the campaign strongly before a hamstring injury stopped him with three games to go.
Leon Bailey with the free-kick of the week here pic.twitter.com/dLIxNzVgKc
— Unibet (@unibet) February 5, 2019
He’s still only 21. Some ups and downs are both expected and forgivable, especially if your club is struggling for stability, on and off the pitch. But his outings for the Gold Cup – he’s promised “at least five goals and four or five assists” after playing a decent if not spectacularly first group stage game – could well be the start of a make-or-break campaign for him. Leverkusen will be in the Champions League next season, and there’ll be added pressure on him to perform in light of the arrival of French youth international Moussa Diaby from PSG. The Germans could yet be tempted to sell him this summer but won’t accept a low price – having signed him to a contract that runs until 2023, they can afford to wait until his valuation rises again. Either way, he’ll be one of the players to watch over the next few months.
