Video uploaded by You Tube user bws001.

I am back from Jammu earlier than I expected. Who cares. Let’s talk football. 2002 was Ronaldo’s redemption. Will 2006 be Zidane’s? On paper, it is any one’s game with the Italian defense versus the French brilliance giving us an unexpected but just perfect final. However, with the Zidane magic on display, most people except the Italians will be behind France to win the world cup. The French are the sentimental favourites.

Zidane placed himself in the history books forever when the 1998 finals ended. The more you see him playing football, the more your admiration grows. It is such a joy to watch Zidane that many admit to watching Real Madrid play in the last few years just to watch Zidane. How do we describe the way Zidane plays?

People have called him an acrobat on display in a football field. To me, he doesn’t seem like a footballer playing with a ball. He seems like a swimmer swimming past the pantheon of tacklers and defenders. If that seems extreme, you will at least agree that he doesn’t seem to be running at all. Is he sliding? Is the football field smoother for Zidane than it is for mortal footballers around him? We do tend to romanticise when great teams or players play!

Also, when great players play, it looks utterly simple. When you watch Roger Federer playing tennis or Sachin Tendulkar bat or Tiger Woods hit a golf ball, tough feats in tough sports seem like child’s play. With Zidane, the simplicity in execution looks apparent. However, the result - an out of nowhere pass or a chance or even a goal, is so shockingly unexpected, we are usually left open mouthed in plain admiration. You don’t even have to be a football expert to savour the brilliance on display.

Zidane was all over Brazil a few days back. We love to compare in sports. So, now, people are asking the Ronaldinho vs Zidane question. I am a huge Ronaldinho fan but this wasn’t to be his world cup. More than fans of a specific player or team, we are fans of the beautiful game. So, we find ourselves rooting for Zidane and in that, also France. It is said that great men transcend nationalities and are world citizens. Great teams and players also do. Team loyalties and individual player devotions don’t matter any more.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 6th, 2006 at 11:08 am and is filed under Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.