Carlos Tevez Bio Send To Friend  

Tevez's time at Manchester United ended in the type of controversy that has dogged him throughout his time in football, most eminating from relationship with a third-party company, MSI, who owned what frontman Kia Joorabchian termed his "economic rights".

In joining Manchester City, it is said that Tevez's third-party ownership, the cause of scandal, big headlines and reams of legalese has come to an end, for which City have paid MSI handsomely as well as a huge wage to the player. For that, some may be grateful since Tevez's on-field exploits have been outweighed by all the talk about him since his arrival in England.

Tevez had joined Manchester United in August 2007, in the hope that the controversy over his time in England would finally come to an end. After saving West Ham from a relegation it was always unlikely he would remain at the Hammers and many still believe the Hammers should have been deducted points for the scandal which surrounded his move to east London.

The Argentina international joined West Ham on the final day of the summer 2006 transfer window in a move that rocked world football. And continued to rock it for nearly a year. One of the only players from Argentina's 2006 World Cup squad not to ply his trade in Europe, the then 22-year-old was regarded as one of the most promising talents in the world after two high-scoring seasons with Corinthians in Brazil.

Tevez's first professional match with Boca was in 2001 against Talleres de Córdoba. While playing for Boca he won an Argentine Championship (2003), a Copa Libertadores (2003), an Intercontinental Cup (2003), and a Copa Sudamericana (2004).

Tévez has also won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics with his Argentina and scored eight goals in six matches to be the top scorer in the competition. The Argentine Football Writers chose him as Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and also Sportsman of the Year 2004. He was the world's second top goalscorer of 2004 in international competitions with 16 goals, one less than Ali Daei from Iran.

In December 2004, he transferred to Sport Club Corinthians Paulista for $20m with a five year contract worth $10m, following the Brazilian club's deal with Media Sports Investment (MSI). The deal was the biggest transfer ever in South American football.

Tévez became the captain and star of the team that won the 2005 Brazilian league and the fans' favourite player, and was being linked to Chelsea FC as a result of Roman Abramovich's link to MSI.

However, in August 2006, he refused to play for the club and insisted he was keen on a move to Europe. That move materialised as he joined West Ham with international team mate Javier Mascherano as part of a controversial deal arranged though sports group MSI, who had links to a possible bid being prepared for the East End club.

Arriving at West Ham, Tevez struggled to settle into the under-fire side, as they failed to win in their first nine games of the Premiership campaign. Following the dismissal of West Ham manager Alan Pardew in December 2006, Tevez's form improved as he was given a run in the side by new boss Alan Curbishley.

The Premier League fined West Ham £5.5m for breaching the rules over the signings of Tévez and Mascherano, they got off lightly. He scored the winner again Manchester United on the final day of the season to ensure their top flight status. It was the final star performance in a three-month period which had fired the Hammers to safety. Despite deciding to leave he will never be forgotten by West Ham fans.

Tevez joined United in a deal that saw MSI pay £2m to West Ham. He joined United on a two-year loan deal that will see the Glazers have to shell out a multi-million transfer fee should they choose to keep him at Old Trafford.

He made his United debut in a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth and bagged his first goal in a 2-0 home win over Chelsea. Though his start at United was slow, he eventually bedded down to become an important player in a United side which did the Premier League and Champions League double.

His second season was not the success of the first, despite a second league title and United's reaching of a second Champions League final. The signing of Dimitar Berbatov meant Tevez faced greater competition for places and he failed to rise to the challenge, netting a fairly paltry goals return. Even when the Bulgarian struggled it never seemed likely that Tevez would cement his place alongside Wayne Rooney as the two-year loan drew to a close.

Negotiations between United and Joorabchian never looked likely to land a more permanent tenure at Old Trafford for Tevez. Despite him winning the favour of many a United fan and some important goals as his team closed in on the title, Tevez's wave to the crowd in the last home game of the season - against Arsenal - signalled that the relationship was at an end.

Tevez's exit was confirmed by Joorabchian on June 25 amid much back-biting between the two parties. City, and a stay in England, were favoured by Tevez as he was keen not to uproot his daughter from Cheshire, where he has made a home. Perhaps stability and permanence has finally occured in his career...