Come May the white feather might not be pulling the red top over his head simply to

Come May the white feather might not be pulling the red top over his head simply to shut out Teesside’s distinctive industrial air.He might be savouring the sweet smell of success in a Boro shirt.. They point to the fact that until last year he was regarded as a sub, although of the Fairclough-esque super variety, that he won his first international cap only last year, and that his Euro ‘96 performance against the Czech Republic at Anfield did little to prevent the azzurri returning home early fearing the tomato treatment.His new boss, however, has no doubts about his pedigree. “Fabrizio is one of the best goalscorers in the world,” Robson maintained. “He is direct and positive and he complements the players around him.

He reminds me of Alan Shearer.”At less than half the price, Robson and his millionaire chairman, Steve Gibson, will consider they have got a bargain if Ravanelli’s trademark celebration becomes as familiar a sight at the Riverside as Shearer’s typically restrained acknowledgement of another goal rolling off his personal production line at St James’ Park. Having seized upon the moment’s indecision between Frank de Boer and Edwin van der Sar to score the opening goal in the European Cup final, the white feather was less than tickled to be called to the bench. He swore and gestured at Marcello Lippi and, though he issued a public apology, his number really was up.Despite that brilliant opportunist goal, and others like it in European competition in recent years, Ravanelli has his critics. It was easy to choose between a team which made me feel wanted and one which would entertain selling me.”It was ironically on the night Ravanelli hit the zenith of his time with the Turin club, in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on 22 May, that it became clear Juventus might entertain such a proposition. But once I was told the two clubs had agreed a fee I knew it was time to leave.

He could not hide his tears, in any case, while saluting the 25,000 Juventus fans who watched his debut in Middlesbrough’s 2-1 defeat against his former club in Cesena on Wednesday night “I did not think Juventus would sell me,” he said “That they did hurt and saddened me. I thought I was going to be made captain this season and I was looking forward to defending the European Cup.”I have always been a Juve fan and at one point I would have been happy to sign a contract for life. Something around the 30 mark from the robust son of Perugia would be considered value for money – within the Riverside at least. A home encounter against the precocious talent of Liverpool next Saturday will be a demanding introduction to the Premiership, but the promising thing for Middlesbrough is that the the 27-year-old has come with a point to prove as well as a fortune to collect.Ravanelli has not disguised the fact that he did not want to leave Turin and the crowd that adored him in the Stadio delle Alpi. Nick Barmby was Middlesbrough’s top scorer with nine goals last season. Victory earned Middlesbrough a place in the Amateur Cup final of 1898. They won the trophy for a second time and were paraded through the town with what reports from the time describe as “a gay brass band” when they returned from Crystal Palace with the cup.Bands of all persuasions would be on the streets if Ravanelli and Boro’s Brazilian boys managed to bring a non-antique trophy to Teesside.