Chasing my World Cup dream

 I just read an interesting note by Irish journalist and author Paul Howard: "You spend your life chasing the way the World Cup made you feel when you were 11". The title says it all, and as this next world cup is slowly creeping up I can completely identify.

I have some vague memories of 1982, when I was 7 years old and living in Argentina: supporting Italy in the final, Hungary winning 10-1 against a country named "El Salvador" (first time I heard about it, and later in fact becoming very important in my life), and most of all, Argentina and the unfulfilled expectations of Maradona.

But in 1986 I was 11 years old. With my parents we were coming from Argentina, and spent some months in Mexico just before the World Cup. I was gripped by the fever, also because it was Denmark's first World Cup. I watched most of the World Cup in Denmark, who played some of the best football Denmark has ever played in matches against Uruguay and West Germany, as well as the debacle against Spain, that was indeed very difficult for an 11-year old Denmark supporter. But I also remember so many magic matches: USSRs extraordinary thrashing of Hungary; Mexico's wave and Jorge Negrete's special goal against Bulgaria; Belgium's great but lucky side against USSR; France-Brazil, which to me at that time was the best match I had ever seen; and most of all I remember Argentina and Diego Maradona, bringing the trophy home to a country that I had recently left physically but not by heart.

It was magic indeed, and I have since been searching for that feeling. I have enjoyed and vividly remember every World Cup since: 1990 living in Spain but still bitter at Spain's victory against Denmark, and wholeheartedly supporting a boring Argentina; 1994, opening match Germany-Bolivia, on the very day that I got my "studenterhue" and being in Colombia when Pablo Escobar was shot; 1998, painting a kitchen with my best friends and enjoying every crazy match (1998 is the closest I have come to feeling like in 1986); 2002 while finishing my Masters' and early breakfast matches that have since been difficult to remember from the least memorable World Cup; 2006 in Ghana, loving the atmosphere of the Black Stars' first world cup and disappointed about the final; 2010, recently living in Venezuela and thinking back of my time in Africa (Ghana and Mozambique) and watching the final (and finally able to celebrate my dear Spain) with my best friends in France; 2014, when I really went hunting for the "feeling", and traveled to many countries to watch matches, starting in Liberia, and ending in Denmark, and accepting the nevertheless disappointing loss of Argentina, against a German side that I admired for the first time ever; 2018, when I went to Russia with the best friend and enjoyed the atmosphere that the tournament brings, but also saw more clearly FIFA's obvious destruction of the game; 2022, the winter World Cup where I remember my enormous happiness seeing Argentina finally win again with best friends after a Julefrokost.

A four-year diary of my life, but while I have enjoyed, nothing comes close to the footballing magic of 1986.

It is serendipitous that now, 40-years later, I am living in Mexico for the biggest World Cup in history... But I am also older, worn-out, and more cynical person than that happy and dreamy 11-year old in 1986... I have seen my favourite teams win and lose; ups and down in life, and will surely not be as emotional about winning or losing. 

Behind my cynicism about FIFA and the destruction of the game I learnt to love 40 years ago, I am perhaps hoping - maybe still searching for that football romantic in my soul, like the great Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano once said: "Yo no soy más que un mendigo de buen fútbol. Voy por el mundo, sombrero en mano, y en los estadios suplico una linda jugadita, por amor de Dios. Y cuando el buen fútbol ocurre, agradezco el milagro..." ("I am nothing more than a beggar for good football. I wander the world, hat in hand, and in stadiums I plead for a beautiful play, for God's sake. And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle").

That is why, that despite it all, I am going to two matches here in Mexico. Behind all of my anger about the greed and ugly nationalism that I feel the World Cup has become, I am still pleading for the magic of a beautiful play and to feel some of the passion and beauty that made me fall in love with football and life as an 11-year old in 1986.... 

The Big Mac of football

I am old. I have seen plenty of football. I have suffered and I have celebrated. I have been overtly emotional (often too much) and learnt that being emotional is probably one of the worst things a human can be. 

And so in football: I have preferences, but I have seen it all, and I know that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But as important as winning or losing, is the question of how you win or how you lose. 

Just like in life. Arsenal are efficient, effective, get results: just like a Big Mac.

Don't mistake me. I recognise that Arsenal are a great team, and today they showed it. When Kai Havertz brought them ahead early on in the match through a splendid run down the left side, Arsenal pulled back and defended with discipline and tactical intelligence, cancelling Vitinha in midfield and the threatening runs of Karavashkelia. Despite possession, PSG, perhaps the best attacking side in the world right now, could not get through the tight defense, while Arsenal played on a possible corner kick.

I am a football fan, and I don't want football to turn into a contest of corner kicks, and I think that with Arsenal's quality they could and should have tried to score a "real" goal in the first half, when PSG were clearly confused as to what to do about Arsenal's defense.

I was happy for the the game of football more than for PSG when the Parisians managed to equalise by Ousemane Dembele on a penalty kick. 

Home-made food had finally scored against the Big Mac of football. 

At the score 1-1 Arsenal again started to attack more, but still seemed to go more for a corner-kick than they did for a goal...?

PSG fortunately won on penalty kicks, with Gabriel Magalhaes missing the last kick for Arsenal in an intense contest.

People may be annoyed at PSG; they have won their second title since last year's trashing of Inter Milan, but for the game of football it is surely better to have a team like PSG win, than a team who plays like Arsenal. 

Arsenal's 2006 CL final side were amazing, but lost to an even more amazing Barcelona side. This Arsenal side would have gone into history for winning, but nobody would remember how they played.

I am a romantic; even worse, I am emotional. I like the art of football: enjoying a great game between footballers with quality and who are not afraid to show it; just like enjoying a delicious home-made meal rather than a BigMac.

Arsenal are the BigMac of football. They excel at the only thing that counts in the today: efficiency, results, numbers and winning.

Fortunately they lost. 

Arsenal champion

 It was bound to happen, finally, that Arsenal would be declared champions of the Premier League, but it did not happen on the last match-day, but instead happened on the 37th match-day when Bournemouth and Manchester City tied 1-1, and gave Arsenal the title. That said, Arsenal also won their last match 1-2 over Crystal Palace, enough to claim that nothing had been given away.

After 22 years the title returns to Arsenal in style under a successful Mikel Arteta, who still has a chance for a bigger title in the Champions League final next Saturday against PSG. Arsenal may not have been the most exciting side, but they are solid and have perfected the corner kick to become a winning (but boring) formula. 

Congratulations to Arsenal fans, including my cat Whisky.

 

My teams in the 2026 World Cup

In every World Cup, I have my favourite teams, countries that I in some way have some personal relationship to. That said, it is particular that in this World Cup with 48 teams, some of my favourites like Denmark and Chile have not qualified. That said, these are the countries I will follow:

• Argentina: where I lived as a child, will still be my favourite as I hope that they are able to defend their title
• Colombia: country of my mother. I hope they do well and will be supporting them as they play in Mexico City as well, with the certain invasion of a yellow army of fans for an overpriced match.
• Spain: Country where I lived and have family from, will be one of the favourites to take the title with an extraordinary team, and they will also play in Mexico, specifically in Guadalajara, against Uruguay
• USA: Lived there one year as a teenager; they may surprise at home, but I do not think they can go all the way, neither will I particularly support them.
• Ghana: My favourite African team since my time there 2003-2006, and their first World Cup in 2006, I have many lovely memories, and will be wearing my Black Stars shirt for the matches against England and Croatia!
• Mexico: I will surely support Mexico as they try to shine at home, mainly because of their fantastic fans as I do not find the squad very exciting. Perhaps it is good that they won't face Denmark!

All this said, it is not easy to get excited by this excessive, over-priced, over-hyped, and highly politicized World Cup; but I will watch nevertheless.

And Barcelona champion again

I could not watch the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. No matter how many subscriptions to different TV platforms and cable, these special matches are only shown on some other special channel, and it is increasingly annoying.

Money rules, and money rules in particular when these two teams play. Real Madrid will end its second season in a row without a single title and with serious crisis in a squad where the superstar Kylian Mbappe has never won a title, and the club he left, PSG, has only appeared to become better without him. In the meantime, their archrivals of Barcelona have under Hansi Flick taken their second league title in a row, today with a 2-0 victory on goals by Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford.

There is no doubt who is the best team in Spain right now.