Most of the others who have tried have failed to adapt, not learning the language and shocking locals with their drinking. Ian Rush came back from two miserable years with Juventus saying it had been like a foreign country. Such failures make the transition of the continentals. Vialli has even begun to speak estuary English. This is crucial, because mobility of labour is a central EU ideal.
Footballers show that it can be done.
When it came to the England team in the 1990s, the europhile victory was even more complete. The manager at the start of the decade, Graham Taylor, favoured a traditional game. Part of a nation's culture is the way it plays its sport. And the British way is with passion and commitment. It proved a disaster.