It was a real pleasure to listen in the BBC to the comments of a constellation of amazing footballers during a few games of this ended European Football Tournament. Klinsmann, Vialli, Shearer, a lovely, lovely surprise. Klinsmann probably belongs to that interregnum between the old glories of Argentina and Germany and the new football of the late nineties, and his name has remained since then in the limbo. He is, however, a nice and likable conversationalist. Vialli, hostile in the field back in time, seems now a kind acquaintance. And no little was my surprise at identifying the host as Gary Lineker. He is good!... Regardless the obscene money and uncertain plans... .
The National team of Spain is legend. Everyone agrees. Alan Hansen was simply speechless on Sunday night, already at the half-time of Italy-Spain: "I... I've never... Never seen anything like that in my life". Nevertheless, apart from the figures -truly amazing-, the team is more than legend, if there is a word beyond the legend. It took Spain 45 minutes to become "the best team... And that's all", like the headlines of The Sun or The Daily Mirror stated this morning, don't remember which one. Minutes before the game, the ITV filled the time arguing "Fiesta or Siesta?", let's don't forget. And so many others. "It's laughable", Hansen said, but let's put it in another way: it takes an impossible quality of no less than 6 or 7 players to get people bored the way the Spaniards did. There is no other team in the world capable of putting fans to sleep like them.
I think that even when the game turned to be difficult and without shining, Spain still got it. Always got it, was so clear. Like champions do. The extra time against Portugal set huge distances. And in just 45 minutes of the Final, the Spanish team of football expand it to interstellar proportions. There is nothing like it. After the game on Sunday, one has the impression that they just pressed the starter, that they could keep playing for another month against any team in the world and, perhaps, also against the Martians. Nothing withstands comparisons; everything looks like an anecdote, including the great Platini and the victory of France over Spain in the final in 1984. I have only a vague vision of that sea of blue-white-and-red flags, and the memory of the words of my best friend H. casting the prophecy like a pundit on the previous morning: "They have Platini". (Platini sounded to me like "a banana", from the Spanish "platano").
The approach, the mentality has changed. It is the upside-down. The overturn came (and I think this is the most important moment) in the Quarters of Final of the Euro Cup 2008 when Spain eliminated Italy in penalties. Never before Spain had won Italy in knock-out competition and never, ever Spain had won anything at penalties, against Belgium (1986), against France (2000), against South Korea (2002), against almost anybody. Particularly, Italy had been our bete noire. Spain was out of the World Cup of USA in 1994 in Quarters of Final against the Italy of Baggio and Tasotti after a dramatic incident... . I was driving back to Madrid from a business trip in the night of June 29, 2008, when Iker Casillas broke the spell, finally.
The effect that this tremendous achievement of the Spanish team will have on the country society and its real problems, if any, -apart from the pride and satisfaction, and the prime sense of unity (my mother text me right after the game: "we are champions!")- it is to be seen. The Spanish sports are giving us quite a lot of satisfaction and unique heroes in recent years. It is probably one of a limited number of "institutions" that wok fine (some people say -kind of a joke- that it is because the Trade Unions are away from it). I don't expect much, that is the truth, but if I am mistaken, I will happily correct my error here.
John Carlin in The Evening Standard feels optimistic about that: "Those who expect Spanish joy to turn swiftly to gloom overlook the country's surprising potential for recovery". I guess those "who expect Spanish joy to turn swiftly to gloom" are the same who strongly supported Germany during the tournament and got bored, the same who wants Spanish football to be "a flash in the pan". However, I kind of disagree with final Carlin's statement: "they [the victorious national Spanish football team] have achieve their success not through flights of flamenco inspiration but on the back of sustained hard work, discipline, self-sacrifice and superior intellect". Well, I do not doubt of all these, but it is perhaps a little too hyperbolic. And what's wrong with flamenco? Is it not a form of art of tremendous history? Does it not required hard work and perseverance?
I hope parents will be able to ensure that their kids take this example of passion and discipline in the right way. The Spanish football is also a pool of mighty drop-outs. If the sacrifice, enterprise and passion of the brave individual were encouraged and prized in all situations like those of football players, perhaps everyone would start believing and creating his own dream, and the country would meet its starting point.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
The National team of Spain is legend. Everyone agrees. Alan Hansen was simply speechless on Sunday night, already at the half-time of Italy-Spain: "I... I've never... Never seen anything like that in my life". Nevertheless, apart from the figures -truly amazing-, the team is more than legend, if there is a word beyond the legend. It took Spain 45 minutes to become "the best team... And that's all", like the headlines of The Sun or The Daily Mirror stated this morning, don't remember which one. Minutes before the game, the ITV filled the time arguing "Fiesta or Siesta?", let's don't forget. And so many others. "It's laughable", Hansen said, but let's put it in another way: it takes an impossible quality of no less than 6 or 7 players to get people bored the way the Spaniards did. There is no other team in the world capable of putting fans to sleep like them.
I think that even when the game turned to be difficult and without shining, Spain still got it. Always got it, was so clear. Like champions do. The extra time against Portugal set huge distances. And in just 45 minutes of the Final, the Spanish team of football expand it to interstellar proportions. There is nothing like it. After the game on Sunday, one has the impression that they just pressed the starter, that they could keep playing for another month against any team in the world and, perhaps, also against the Martians. Nothing withstands comparisons; everything looks like an anecdote, including the great Platini and the victory of France over Spain in the final in 1984. I have only a vague vision of that sea of blue-white-and-red flags, and the memory of the words of my best friend H. casting the prophecy like a pundit on the previous morning: "They have Platini". (Platini sounded to me like "a banana", from the Spanish "platano").
The approach, the mentality has changed. It is the upside-down. The overturn came (and I think this is the most important moment) in the Quarters of Final of the Euro Cup 2008 when Spain eliminated Italy in penalties. Never before Spain had won Italy in knock-out competition and never, ever Spain had won anything at penalties, against Belgium (1986), against France (2000), against South Korea (2002), against almost anybody. Particularly, Italy had been our bete noire. Spain was out of the World Cup of USA in 1994 in Quarters of Final against the Italy of Baggio and Tasotti after a dramatic incident... . I was driving back to Madrid from a business trip in the night of June 29, 2008, when Iker Casillas broke the spell, finally.
The effect that this tremendous achievement of the Spanish team will have on the country society and its real problems, if any, -apart from the pride and satisfaction, and the prime sense of unity (my mother text me right after the game: "we are champions!")- it is to be seen. The Spanish sports are giving us quite a lot of satisfaction and unique heroes in recent years. It is probably one of a limited number of "institutions" that wok fine (some people say -kind of a joke- that it is because the Trade Unions are away from it). I don't expect much, that is the truth, but if I am mistaken, I will happily correct my error here.
John Carlin in The Evening Standard feels optimistic about that: "Those who expect Spanish joy to turn swiftly to gloom overlook the country's surprising potential for recovery". I guess those "who expect Spanish joy to turn swiftly to gloom" are the same who strongly supported Germany during the tournament and got bored, the same who wants Spanish football to be "a flash in the pan". However, I kind of disagree with final Carlin's statement: "they [the victorious national Spanish football team] have achieve their success not through flights of flamenco inspiration but on the back of sustained hard work, discipline, self-sacrifice and superior intellect". Well, I do not doubt of all these, but it is perhaps a little too hyperbolic. And what's wrong with flamenco? Is it not a form of art of tremendous history? Does it not required hard work and perseverance?
I hope parents will be able to ensure that their kids take this example of passion and discipline in the right way. The Spanish football is also a pool of mighty drop-outs. If the sacrifice, enterprise and passion of the brave individual were encouraged and prized in all situations like those of football players, perhaps everyone would start believing and creating his own dream, and the country would meet its starting point.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
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