THE DREAM IS OVER...

I was almost fighting back the tears last night when the realisation began to hit me...
The World Cup was coming to an end. Yes, as many have been stating already in newspapers, blogs and digital magazines, it hasn't been the best World Cup ever, infact it hasn't even come close. South Africa put on a great show, provided a great atmosphere (despite the sometimes annoying vuvuzelas), I just feel slight disappointment that the players couldn't provide the world and South Africa the entertainment and quality they deserved.
The tournament has always held a special place in my heart and never ceases to fill me with nostalgia every 4 years when it blesses our screens. For me, the greatest show on Earth takes me back to a time when my father was at home and my love for football was unmatched. A time when some of the greatest players ever to touch a ball were in their prime. Ronaldo was re-inventing the meaning of No.9, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos were tearing it up in their own their own right whilst Zdiane was fast establishing himself as the greatest midfielder of all time. Not to mention the up and coming talents of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and a whole host of midfield and forward talents. Watching the 98 World cup with my father and sister is one of my happiest memories although i doubt they know this and would most likely not believe it if i told them.

That was back in the day when i didn't even focus that hard on the games, i would begin watching Italy, Germany, Brazil and quickly become inspired to start kicking my soft, spongy house football around the living room. One thing is for sure i know my mother is pretty glad that phase of my life has passed because an estimate can surely not be made on the number of ornaments and pictures frames i smashed.

The World Cup is what gave me that inspiration and love for the game. However sometimes i ponder over whether it be nostalgia that ties me so much to International football in the 90's. A post i'm about to make in the near future explores the possible implication that nostalgia is what causes everyone to say Hip Hop was better 'back in the day'. Because after all, everything was better back in the day.....wasn't it?

Maybe my excitement as a youth and a faded memory (from those times) as now a young adult deceives me in believing football was so much more magical back in those times. Players and nations seemed to mean so much more. My Father worked abroad a lot, therefore he always brought cultural knowledge and understanding to teams like France, Germany and Italy. He knew of the rivalries, local customs, the way each country liked to play etc..This gave everything so much more substance. I began to become a fan of the beautiful game without caring who was playing. Friends i have today expose this difference in our upbringings and attitudes towards football by immediately switching off once England are eliminated from the tournament. Going in to this tournament, i knew England had little chance of winning, therefore it was somewhat of a relief once they were finally knocked out as i could now focus firmly on enjoying the football that was being played. My mixed heritage as well as my family's and my own expansive travel also allows for a neutral mentality not found in many East London kids. Most have rarely left East London and if they have it will only have been on family holidays to Spain or Booze holidays to Napa, Ibiza, Magaluf, Malia and the likes. Though i fell in love with the artsy, sofisticated arhitecture and set up of cities like Paris, Rome and Barcelone long before the kids of London's art school became fascinated with the art culture in such cities. The image of mediterranean kids playing street football on cobbled, narrow meandering Italian alleys/street was my idea of football heaven. That stereotypical image, with the clotheslines hanging from side to side (yes you know the one i mean) and a 'Mama' shouting from the balcony for her son to come in for dinner or to stop smashing up the neighbours windows...playing in courtyards...ah so much nostalgic imagery. I know there was a car or credit card ad that was set a that kind of setting, dang, if i find it i'll be sure to post it.



So anyway, before i digress you in to a deep sleep (i may have done that already) lets get back to this current World Cup. The Brazilian samba was not in effect, the French and Italians as many predicted, were none existent. So this left the door open for many of the worlds mediocre teams to progress to heights never achieved before or in the case of Uraguay, for many years. Despite most saying the talent of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't turn up on this occasion i have to disagree. Messi created numerous chances for himself and others, sure he wasn't completely on top of his game but he still entertained me. As for Ronaldo, I'm the first to say straight up i don't like the man, he dives, he asks for others to be carded and has an over inflated image of himself and his role in any team. However, on this occasion i do feel he was hard done by. Trapped inside a team thats only real concern was protecting their goal, Ronaldo found no help when attacking and was stuck with a coach intent on defending to win games. This tactic was successful in getting them out of the groups, however it became obvious when the time came to play a really good team such as Spain, they would faulter.

Rooney, is overrated anyway so i have nothing to say there.

No there were no real stand-out players (if my opinion were more respected Iniesta would certainly be up there, but alas....) But there was a selection of good players who made this World Cup enjoyable. They include; Forlan, Iniesta and Xavi, Suarez, Klose, Oezil, Mueller to name a few.
Germany certainly played exciting football (for a change,) shedding their ever present tag shared with the Italians of most defensive boring teams ever! They played efficent football, almost one touch play up the pitch to a one touch finish. This style contrasted patient style of Spain who preferred, sometimes to their detrement, to wait for the perfect opening to be exposed. Nobody really backed Germany during the run-up to this World Cup, classified as too young and inexperienced people should have known better, that a German team will always come with organisation and committment (unlike a certain England team i know.) After the group stages everyone was questioning whether Germany could take this emphatic style to a higher seeded team. They answered back with a resounding yes, they certainly could. Exposing the weaknesses in Argentina's defense and simply making England look like school boys.

However even from Spain's first match loss to Switzerland, it became clear in my mind that they could go the whole way if they could just find more attacking prowess up front.
They pass the ball better than any other team i've seen with the exception of Barcelona who, for those that don't know, contain most of the spanish internationals anyway. Xavi and Inesta is the best midfield partnership possibly ever witnessed, Allen Hansen will back me up on that one. Iniesta can sometimes be said to be the Steve Nash of football. He has so much talent when it comes to passing, that's obvious, but what is becoming more and more apparent is his astounding dribbling ability and quickness of feet. Sometimes he could just go it alone and bang in goals galore. Though a few times his hesitation to just go for it has hurt him. A few times in that final game he could have scored had he just been willing to use his left foot or just take one last man on.
Yet after their first game, the media had a ball. Writing Spain off and slating individual players was on the menu for tabloids across the Globe. The media have a knack for doing such things. Though it has to be understood that they do it to sell papers rather than to paint a realistic picture and portray an actual opinion. To exaggerate Spain's faults to reflect the score rather than to touch on their obvious positives was typical. Not surprisingly also, the football pundits and commentators followed suit. Most not wanting to appear stupid by tipping Spain to still go on and win it when they could have infact tumbled out at the group stages.

As for Holland, well, I have a couple of Dutch friends who share probably as much knowledge on football as i do. They agreed that Holland performed badly in all of their games leading up to the final with the exception being the second half against Brazil. Despite their constant praising of Sneijder as the saviour of the Tournament, i think they knew deep down, the dutch weren't on top of their game and for a team to win the world cup without any convincing performances, would be bad for football. Robben was the only player with a spark of creativity about him and i always knew the likes of Van Persie and Van Bommel would resort to typical dirty dutch tactics when faced against Spain. Not being able to get the ball back is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a footballer, especially one that performs better with the ball at his feet. A team that should have received as many red cards as Holland in that final, do not deserve to win.

The last thing i have to say on the topic of the final is, if Spain had more active Strikers who made more energetic and creative runs we surely would have seen nothing but goals from them. Xavi and Iniesta (Alonso also) can thread a pass through the eye of a needle and see movement that even the replays can't catch so, the possibilities would have been endless. People complained of an anticlimactic final but in all honesty, what do you expect. It's such a tense match, nobody wants to make the mistake of costing their nation the World Cup. The pressure is enormous. But, that being said, i still thoroughly enjoyed the tension of the game and movement of Spain. Thinking back to recent past finals, when have they ever been as good as certain group games. 98 was tainted by Ronaldo's bad health and his teams worry for him. 02 was an easy win for Brazil though i found that tourney real entertaining. 06 was tainted by Italy being crap and Zidane's headbutt (he became even more legendary for that one in my eyes).
Anyone that has played football at a high level would have loved watching the offside line in anticipation for through balls and runs in this particular final. It's what's happening off the ball often that is most riveting. It was definitely a game for the purists if not for the ages.


See you in one of my other homelands in 4 years time.
Brasil, i'm coming baby!