Peninsula/text The first time I met football was the 1998 World Cup. Before that, I couldn’t understand how charming this little ball can be, and it can make hundreds of millions of people crazy, cry, beat their chests and feet, and stay awake …
That summer of 1998, my first impression of football was colorful. In the stadium, there are Nigeria’s green, Brazil’s yellow, Italy’s blue, Holland’s orange, Spain’s red, Argentina’s blue and white, Croatia’s red and white plaid … Football is really beautiful! In the stands, there are flags and banners flying everywhere, and all kinds of graffiti on the faces of the audience. From a distance from the TV, there are uniform and consistent colors, and there are also mixed and competing … Football is really beautiful!
I love the World Cup because it is everywhere. Teams from different civilization backgrounds meet and confront each other in the same venue to show their skills, tactics and team features. Moreover, the story of football is not just 90 minutes on the court. Why are Italian and Spanish players depressed and sunny, while German players are introverted? The answer may be found on the map. Brazil and Argentina like dancing when celebrating goals? Think about the story of samba and tango! They say Americans don’t know football? They have more favorite sports! How is the core of the French team descended from Algerians? Read the history of the Middle East!
This is football, which is not only a physical confrontation on the court, but also a conflict between civilizations. This is football, which is not only the subtle cooperation between teammates, but also the integration and coexistence of different cultural styles. I love football, I love it, I love football, I love it. I love football, love it makes people passionate, I love football, love it makes people calm as ice. Just like in the game, everyone is fighting for every inch of land, even blocking each other with rude fouls. After the game, they shake hands, hug and exchange jerseys and appreciate each other. It is the fire and ice of the modern world.
In the football match, the winner is king, and the loser is never a coach. Next to every champion, there are many respectable opponents. Behind the carnival of every winner are the tears of countless losers. In the world of football, the ultimate victory is the jewel in the crown, and failure is the main theme. But this is the greatest charm of this sport: real fighters will not bow their heads because of failure, and real fans will not quit because of failure. Instead, they still choose to love and fight after setbacks. This is football. Never give up hope until the last moment, so countless stadium miracles will be born. No matter how ingenious the director and screenwriter are, they can’t create a script about football.
Don’t judge heroes by success or failure, and create a belief that belongs exclusively to football. There are too many stories about "one person, one city" in football, and more people will always have ideals in order to support the team, and they will not hesitate to get from youth to old age. If you understand football, you can understand why under the same roof, there will be hardcore rivals; Why the same city, the same country, and even the same world, will give birth to enemies who are at odds and incompatible with each other. Because of the belief in football, it can penetrate the gains and losses of victory and defeat and carve it into the blood.
I like a friend’s words very much. He said that football is still classical today when capital erodes everything. Capital can buy players, but it can’t take away victory; Capital can determine strength, but it can’t replace faith; Capital can create a giant team, but it can’t stop grassroots from springing up like mushrooms after rain. It is true that there are high salaries, luxury cars and feasts in the football world, but if we trace the past of the stars and review the experiences in slums and mud pits, what made them choose football? It is love and hope.
This is football. Even though I’m a poor player, even though I’m no longer young, even though I’m from hopeful to disappointed again and again, I’ll still cheer for it, applaud it and stay awake at night for it.
Image source: the idea of the worm