Football: I LOVE you!!

Today I have had a football overdose, lifting my joy of a perfect sunday to unexpectable levels. The only thing I regret is not having my brother next to me to enjoy minute by minute the three matches I just have watched.

The first match was Barça - Real. I can not deny my preference towards Barça, but it shall not be confused nor over-posed to my greater love towards football. the game was amazing, two different styles punching each other, displaying all its potential, and two players showing why they are the best...I must recall CR7 when he says "Messi and me are differents, like you can not compare a Porche and a Ferrari", and to Seu Mourinho ("it should be forbidden to say who is the best"):

When my father used to talk about the Brasil of the 1970, with Ribelinho, Socrates and Pele I was jealous, and even more when then he was telling us about that Argentina from 86 with Baldano and Maradona...well, now that wound it healed, now when I can witness other two genious at double-dose in a single age, Ronaldo and his power plus Messi and his magic. Real Madrid playing one way, Barcelona playing another, still hurting each other and giving joy to all of us. Conclusion: This game is un-exhaustible .

After that I watched another derby, Italian y global: Milan and Inter, Yepes and Guarin. other football, other type of game, still full of passion.

Just to close I reached the game of the humbles, the football by the love for the football, the football that acknowledges its lack of magic but its abundance of love, sweat and sacrifice.  The football that confirma that this game has place for everyone, regardless all this times it doesnt seem to. Atletico de Madrid from Cholo Simeone, against Malaga from the Chilenian Pellegrini. Roque Santacruz, respecting his  Paraguayan origins, scored with the head in an unexpectable moment, Cebolla Rodriguez showing that the Garra Charrua is not a matter of wearing the Celeste but a matter that goes in the blood, and Falcao Garcia proving  that he is a world-level player:

If in the Eurocup my love for football fell down, today it has grown up again.

"and in the seventh day, when god saw what he created and saw how beautiful it was, he realized something was left...and he created Football, then the world was perfect!"

Joyas de lavanderia

En esas lavanderias publicas a las que hay que ir cuando uno no tiene lavadora en la casa ni amigos que le dejen lavar la ropa en la de ellos hay siempre unos numeros viejos y ya manoseados de revistas de vanidades o peor aun, de costura, y para mejorar el panorama en mi caso, esas revistas estaran en Frances.

Esta semana hice un viaje bastante cargado a la lavanderia del barrio y entre tanto paquete olvide el librito que me libra de esas revistas de puntos de cruz en frances, de modo que no tuve mas remedio que buscar desamparadamente algo interesante entre el bultico de revistas para matar mis 50 minutos ahi sentado. Para sorpresa mia habia una revista diferente, era desactualizada como las otras, ¡pero esta era de Futbol! oh alegria la que me invadió y más aun cuando ví que no estaba tan desactualizada, de hecho era de este año.

En primavera de este año el Montpellier, un equipo humilde de media tabla, ganó por primera vez en su historia el torneo francés dejando atras a un Paris Saint-Germain lleno de petro-euros y estrellas compradas por los nuevos dueños Cataríes. La revista hacia un especial sobre el campeonato, la historia del club y las legendas que han pasado por ahi. Oh jubilo inmortal cuando abro la pagina de las Leyendas y lo primero que me encuentro es esto:

Carlos Valderrama, El Mago.

No solo lo llaman inolvidable por su cabellera sino su talento como organizador y generador de futbol entre otras, y que fue traido al club despues de haber sido el mejor jugador de la Copa America de 1987, jugó desde 1987 hasta 1991.

Pero la mayor sorpresa del dia vino al seguir viendo los otros inolvidables del club y me encuentro que una de las mas grandes nemesis del futbol colombiano jugó con nuestro querido Pibe en el Montpellier:

Roger Milla, La Legenda.

Asi que Roller Milla y el Pibe Valderrama jugaron juntos, al menos las temporadas 87, 88 y 89. Dos grandes compartiendo los grandes momentos de sus carreras, de las cuales nos podriamos remitir a un solo evento para mostrar porque el Pibe es mago para nosotros y a la vez Milla es una dolorosa legenda en nuestro futbol: Copa Mundial de Futbol, Napoles-Italia 1990, juego de octavos de final entre Colombia y Camerun.

Atención: El siguiente video contiene imagenes dolorosas para los Colombianos, vease con precaución.

¡Que lindo que es el futbol! y que lindo es encontrarse estas joyas, asi sea en las lavanderias públicas.

Football takes and gives back

Three different games, two different tournaments, one common actor: England

Under construction [include this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_FIFA_World_Cup_Final]

June 27th 2010, SouthAfrica's world cup. England and Germany are playing the quarters of final in a brilliant match, Germany stroke first, and stroke again, 2-0 was the score after just half an hour of game.

But England woke up and score after a corner kick, it gave them the energy to keep pushing to get the tie before the break and gave us (the football lovers) the hope to get a memorable match, indeed it was, England tied but the referee disallow it! look:

The ball clearly was in! but the referee clearly didnt see it because he didnt allow it!! it was a decision that killed the game, England went pissed to the break and for the second half had its head rather in the referee than in the game, Germany scored two more goals. 4-1 final score, England victim of a bad decision.

June 19th 2012, almost two years after that, England was playing against Ukraine, again a quarters of final, this time of the Eurocup. England was leading 1-0 after a goal from Rooney, and the Ukranian Marko Devic shot this ball:

Again, clearly the ball crossed the line, goal for Ukrain!! no wait, John Terry was fast enough to clear the ball out before the Hungarian referee and his assistants noticed the clear goal. They didnt allow it either. Just that this time England was smiling.

Football takes away from you but also gives you back!

A week to remember

The last week of April of 2012 shall be remembered in the history of football.

This week the god of Football showed us, reminded us that in this game nothing is written, that there are no unbeatable teams and that even the greatest can fall on their own field. And as once is not enough, this week it happened twice.

First, Barcelona, the best times of last times (some say that the best team ever) was defeated in his own field by Real Madrid.  With this victory Real submitted papers for its new championship. But that was not that special.

The week started to become historical, when the same Barcelona was kicked by Chelsea from the final of the champions league. An epic accomplishment that even Chelsea's coach couldn't believe. Barcelona played the same style of game that made them unique, but failed to find more creative ways to score one its cracks were out of the top (Even Messi missed a penalty and Xavi missed unbelievable oportunities) while Chelsea managed to keep the score with a notorious defending strategy (with Drogba, one of the best 9's of this time, defending as a 4 in the right side). Football reminded that everyone has a chance to win.

Not enough with that, the next day, the Real Madrid, the other super favorite to reach the final, was also kicked out by Bayer Munich. After a soon 2-0, every body thought that the game was over, but not that soon! Bayer scored through a penalty and since then dominated as a visitor the team of Mourinho. Extratime was needed, but still no definition. It was necessary then to move into penalties shout-out. Cristiano Ronaldo missed the first one, Kaká (once the greatest) missed as well, then Casillas stopped two penalties in a row, to then let Ramos send the ball to a new galaxy.

Twice in the same week, football showed that everyone can win!

Later at the end of the week, Josep Guardiola, the coach of the Barcelona announced his non-continuity next season. Some have compared this with the end of the Beatles, because it was him who constructed one of the best teams of history, playing beautiful, and winning continuously, the best things of the Menottism and Bilardism together.

The end of an era seems to end. I am just happy of living this chapter of football history

Football: A ball in the foot!!

Just to avoid any uncomfortable misunderstanding, here we are going to talk about FOOT+BALL, not about other sports with doubtful names!

A poem to Football

I just realized that I have barely written here about one of my passions:  Football.

To remedy that situation, I am officially opening right now the label Football in my blog, where I expect to write down a bit about my love for this game, love inherited from my father and brother, love nurtured by my culture, love enriched by friends from many countries who share it, love that grows with any episode worth to be over-interpreted.

To open this label, nothing better that: A Poem to Football (by Walter Saavedra).

(please forgive me for the translation, I did the best I could, but it is simply impossible to replicate its beauty from Spanish to English)

"How are you going to know what love is,
if you never became a club fan?
How are you going to know what pain is,
if a defender never broke your tibia and fibula?
or being in the "wall" and the ball hit you just there!
How are you going to know what pleasure is,
if you never ran an Olympic Lap as a visitor.
How are you going to know what tender is,
if you never curled the ball hitting it with the outer of your boot
leaving the ball spinning in below the net.
Listen to me, how are you going to know what solidarity is
if you never went to defend a partner kicked from behind?
How are you going to know what poetry is
if you never dribbled.
How are you going to know what humiliation is,
if you were never thrown the ball between your legs,
How are you going to know what friendship is
if you never returned a triangulation,
How are you going to know what panic is
if you were never taken in bad position
during a counterattack
How are you going to know what is to die a bit
if you never picked up the ball from you own goal.
Tell me mate, how are you going to know
what solitude is
if you never stood below the three posts
12 steps away from someone who wanted to shoot you and kill your hope
How are you going to know what mud is
if you never jumped to someone's feet to trow the ball to the side,
How are you going to know what selfishness is
if you never dribbled one more time than you should
while the 9 was alone waiting for it
How are you going to know what art is
if you never ever created a rabona.
How are you going to know what music is
if you never sang from the ultras,
How are you going to know what injustice is
if you never got red card by a bias referee.
tell me, how are you going to know what
insomnia is
if you never went to second division.
How are you going to know what hate is
if you never scored in you own goal.
How, how are you going to know what crying is,
yes, crying,
if you never lost a World Cup final
through a doubtful penalty over the time.
How are you going to know, my dear friend,
How are you going to know what LIFE is
if you never ever played Football"