Bundo sent Vital Manchester City the following.
The summer, ladies and gentlemen, is here. The wasps, the sunburn, the hay fever, the incredibly British conversation about the weather, the shorts, the BBQs, the sweat, the dehydration…yes the summer is here at last, and we all know what that brings don’t we? The wonderful World Cup!
We have watched all the playoffs and saw the tangerine army join us in the Promised Land. We have watched the dismal defeat for Fulham in the Europa Cup Final. And, we have now watched the Italians triumphantly win in the Champions League final…to then watch Jose Mourinho leave them! It has been wonderful, however the club football is over now so welcome with open arms International football and the best competition the world has seen.
The World Cup
It has already swept the nation off its feet! Poundland is filled to its rafters with flags, shirts and those annoying horns at ‘low, low, low prices’ with the John Barnes’ rap on repeat as you enter the shop. All the nation now have their World Cup wall charts pinned up on the wall above their bedside cabinets of which they read countless times and could recite back to you in their sleep.
The television adverts are revolving around this wonderful competition; James Cordon’s wonderfully funny advert on ITV, Lou and Andy’s ‘Nationwide’ advert that always gets me chuckling, and the Nike advert where we see Rooney from knighthood to gypsy are just to name a few. They will all keep coming; the flags will be cut down in price, the wall charts will be joined by posters up against that wall, and the adverts will continue to be joined by more adverts and more programs where jokers like Piers Morgan try to cash in on the World Cup.
I have decided not to look forward to South Africa 2010 in this article though, but look back at past World Cups and what truly spectacular players they have brought us.
Zinedine Zidane
(ZiZu as the French call him) was one of the best footballers to grace this Earth. There is no ‘in my opinion’ or ‘he could possibly’ about it – he was one of the best footballers ever! His ability was mouth-watering at times and the Frenchman lit up the 2006 World Cup like he did best and got his French national side all the way to the final. His nation was rocking with excitement as they came up against a side that they usually beat with ease – Italy. You can just imagine it now – the flags, the non-stop shouting and jeering, the anticipation – France would be rocking! However Zidane did something in this match that would make him remembered by some more than for his technical ability. Zidane decided that he would just generally head-butt his opponent, Marco Materazzi!
Despite whatever was said from the Italian, Zidane found himself walking across the field, past the cup and down the tunnel with a red card to his name. The man, the hero, the legend had left the dream and his team behind as Italy picked up the trophy that he had had to walk past.
Maradonna
If there was any doubt in your mind that Zidane was one of the best to walk the ground we live on, this man’s name should be music to your ears. The short hairy man was…and still is legendary; to put him into words would be an insult to him, however I shall try anyway! His little legs were so fast and so skilful it was enough to drive some mad! His odd bit of skill here and there to just run past anybody at all and rip them to pieces – immense. However, just like Zidane,
Maradonna somehow managed to make himself remembered for other reasons too. He will be remembered for his magic feet there is no doubt about that, however he will of course be remembered for that goal against England. No – not the magical ‘best goal of the century’ goal as he ran us ragged – the one I am talking about is where the little Argentinian…rose his hand above all of our players…above the goalkeeper…above his own head to palm the ball into the back of the net! Just thinking about it makes my blood boil; in fact I’ve had to listen to Ant and Dec’s ‘We’re on the ball’ three times until I began to type again here to calm me down!
The man, the hero, the legend…no I’m not calling him a legend! Cheat. And of course the crazy man played a World Cup drugged up to the wire so I am deliberating whether to call him a hero or a man. (Maybe I’m letting my love for my nation get in the way here – the man is of course a legend).
If Maradonna didn’t take your fancy, or either did Zidane, Edison Arantes do Nascimento should do – the man was a legend if there ever was one…Pele as his friends called him.
Pele was way before my time however I have heard the old folk stories about him; everybody has heard of the man. For generations to come people will still be talking about Pele and his amazing footballing talent. ‘I was born for soccer, just as Beethoven was born for music.’ he once uttered, and he was right. If Nigel Reo Coker had said that we would all be raving at him for his pure cockiness and arrogance, but this was Pele – the Brazilian magician that some of us had the pure luck be able to watch! With 77 goals in 92 matches the man is just unimaginable to me.
Pele
For every good player out nowadays to be straight away compared to Pele…’Wayne Rooney the white Pele’…it speaks for itself by what an impact the man has left. With Zidane and Maradonna I have looked at their downfall at the end of their careers however with Pele there really wasn’t one – the man was magnificent to say the least. He was a magic footballer. He will be remembered for his football forever.
These three men are the three best footballers to grace the earth in my opinion (I do also adore the real Ronaldo for what it is worth) and the World Cup is wonderful at giving them the stage to grace us with their productions. So South Africa 2010 will be great for us to see the players that will be working their magic football for the future.
Kaka, Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Torres, Rooney, Tevez, Lahm, Henry, Iniesta, Xavi, Gerrard, Lampard, Ribery, Gourcuff, Aguero, Di Maria, Higuain, Mertesacker, Schweinsteier, Kroos, Huntelaar, Van der vaart, Van Persie, Pirlo, Cannavaro, Chiellieni, Alves…the names go on. This is the time that any of those names could become legendary!
The adverts, the World Cup songs, the anticipation, the flags, the waiting, the patriotism, the guessing, the watching, the ‘ooooh’ing, the stage is set; the auditions have taken place, now for the great performances. Bring it on! World Cup 2010 South Africa.
World Cup
Bundo over and out.
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