Euro 2008 has the final, the purists would have hoped for. With all respect to the Turks and Russians, European football’s great overachievers will start as second favourites against the joint holders, with Holland, of the underachievement award. The sensible, unromantic among us were all predicting Spain to falter against Russia, and now that they have done exactly the opposite, even this hardened heart believes they can win.
There is nothing like international football to awaken the inner dreamer. Best of all, there has been almost no talk of money. Even as news continues to break about the likes of Mathieu Flamini, Cristiano Ronaldo and, it seems, Emmanuel Adebayor jumping their respective ships, it all seems prosaic, sterile and a little bit classless
compared to the Euros.
If the names mentioned above show a bias towards Arsenal, there is a reason. That club, in the form of Arsene Wenger, have a clear understanding of the difference between playing for a club and for your country. One is a question of employment; it can end at the behest of either side. The other is an intrinsic part of a player’s character, and can never end. Undying, unrelenting loyalty towards a club is for fans, not footballers.
Manchester United fans, and managers, who would mention the word loyalty to Ronaldo are ignoring this fact, and they would do well to emulate Wenger who seems happy to let his striker go for enough money to buy three unknown youths of similar talent.
It would certainly satisfy the basic business principle of buying low and selling high. Thankfully, very few fans think this way, otherwise football would become as exciting as non-alcoholic business lunch.
Even if you are writing an MBA thesis on commerce in football, the European Championships should have provided a welcome break. Not only have financial affairs taken a back seat, except in the mind of a certain Portuguese youth, but Spain have powered to the final with a unity that they will hope never ends.
They have not fought with each other, and watching Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol playing in perfect harmony with skipper Iker Casillas of Real Madrid gives the feeling that, someday, mankind might just see the bigger picture and learn to get along.
For that, even more than their lethal football, the Furia Roja deserve to win.
