The 2014 FIFA World Cup is only a few months away. All avocations in life (girls, books, films, politics, music) will be put aside when the tournament starts in June. This is how I show my passion for the beautiful game but not for the sport in general. I do not follow silly Latin American leagues, the MLS, or unknown European teams; the beautiful game is at its best in the World Cup.
Life is composed of how many world cups you have seen so far, how many you will get to see and the one that you will not be around to enjoy. I don’t have a reason to watch the World Cup because I don’t have any friends or relatives that play in the tournament and sadly my home country never gets to participate. Regardless, the passion for the sport is there alive, buried inside, as if watching a good World Cup match beats every pleasure in the planet. There is no situation that will make me turn off the T.V. when a World Cup game is on. I cannot pay attention to my girlfriend if Argentina or Spain are playing, I cannot be your friend if you make me miss a game and my job can wait if Italy or Germany are on the field.
Every World Cup game must be watched live without discriminating weak teams. Sometimes an unusual team can demonstrate a delightful performance and turn the match around. It could turn into an exciting game; it’s always unpredictable.
The world is divided by people who enjoy the tournament and people who don’t; then by people who like Argentina or Brazil. No one in my family can explain my support for the Argentinian team. I have been a fan since I was ten years old, always with the latest jersey and all the posters in my room. Maybe because dad would always talk about Maradona at dinner and how fascinating was his style in the field. Back in Middle School I even let my hair grow to look more like an Argentinian soccer player.
So why not Brazil? What has Brazil done to gain my apathy? Why do I get upset every time Brazil wins the World Cup? Honestly, I don’t know. Perhaps I envy that they are born with essential soccer skills, they always dribble and control the ball so easy and their performance in the field comes out naturally. Playing against Brazilians in High School was so difficult; I could never take the ball away from them. I’m sorry to all my Brazilian friends but you guys have been champions of the world too many times and it is fantastic when a team defeats you, especially if it’s a weak one.
This is the beauty of the tournament; the World Cup offers you the possibility to acquire a new nationality or to adopt different ones at the same time. I can choose to be Argentinian, Spanish or German. Also, I can choose to not be Brazilian, Mexican or French. The World Cup takes you back to when you were a kid who would get excited looking at the tall athletes running after the ball, dodging opponents at high speed. I would have done anything to be one of them…
If there really is an afterlife I hope it would still be possible to watch the World Cup on T.V. Otherwise, it would really feel like hell.
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