Adrian Mutu has always been a class act. At times it has been class A but thatâÂÂs another story as they say.
The Romanian may have cleaned up his recreational activities but he still canâÂÂt help getting up peopleâÂÂs noses.
The players of Catania certainly think heâÂÂs a dope for indulging in a piece of showboating last Sunday.
Mutu had already scored a scorcher to put the Viola ahead and with minutes remaining took us all back to a time when it was de rigueur for some long-haired winger, shirt outside his shorts, socks around the ankles run down the clock by leading some lumbering full-back on a merry dance.
However, such non-conformist behaviour comes at a price in the macho world of Serie A and MutuâÂÂs wiggle of the hips and little dance over the ball had the opposition descending on him like a pack of Roman youths spotting a Swedish pack-backer at the Spanish Steps.
Pushing to the front of the queue was CataniaâÂÂs troll-like captain David Baiocco who felt that his very manhood had been called into question.
âÂÂYou canâÂÂt go around taunting players like that,â he bleated. âÂÂHe needs to have more respect.âÂÂ
Even MutuâÂÂs team-mate, Dario Dainelli weighted in with a none too subtle: âÂÂI would have head-butted him if he had done that to me.âÂÂ
However, the former Chelsea bad-boy has heard it all before and no doubt he will be up for some more high jinx if he gets another opportunity to play keep-ball against AS Roma this weekend.
ItâÂÂs doubtful either he will be able to kick a habit of a lifetime even if heâÂÂs up against another wind-up merchant in Francesco Totti.
The thumb-sucking Roma captain taunted Juventus Igor Tudor mercilessly after the Romans racked up four goals a few seasons ago that the defenderâÂÂs nerves were so shot to bits that he hardly ever figured for the Bianconeri again.
Mutu has already claimed heâÂÂs better than the Roman man and faster over 20 metres but then again when was the last time we have seen Totti jog, never mind run 20 metres.
You have to admire Mutu, he has had to put with a fair share of racist chants and was even called âÂÂa crafty gypsyâ by Palermo president Maurizio Zamperini after he scored a goal when a Palermo player had gone down injured.
Like Totti, Mutu feels that his superior skill enables him to indulge himself when the fancy takes him and it just might be the turn of the Roma defence to feel like right charlies come Sunday.
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