Ninety minutes of pulsating action during which your living room could well have morphed into one of those roller coasters maneuvering gravity defying death drops, your plasma screen is a magic portal into a different astral plane, when even the best of friends can transform into foes and when … well, who even spoke of the girlfriend!
Football, the heartbeat of millions (and not to mention the blood pressure variation) is probably the most widely watched sport today. It has captured the imagination of people across all five continents …and even as we speak is gathering more fans.
But what we know as football today (soccer in America! :P), came into being 3000 years ago! Historians claim that references to a sport similar to today’s football has been made in several ancient civilizations including the Chinese and the Greek.
But the modern version, we are familiar with, was presented to us by the English, formally in 1863. Over the ensuing century it has transformed into a global industry with revenues soaring well over the eight figure mark. Footballers are modern day Gladiators and stadiums like the Santiago Bernabeu, Old Trafford, CampNou, Emirates etc. to name a few are on par with the Colloseum!
The popularity of the game has ensured that players / Gladiators have been elevated to demi-god status. Raul Gonzalez, Christiano Ronaldo, Kaka’ have a fan following that could put a good number of Hollywood celebs to shame. And talking about fame and fans who can forget David Beckham, the man who sends scissors around the world snapping with every snip of his famous goldie locks! And thus, with fans comes fanatism. A rather extreme version of idol worship, which has marred the game with a number of scuffles off the field. Hooliganism and racial slurs have unfortunately snaked their way in, leading to forgettable incidents across Europe. Amongst the more violent incidents include one in Italy where a policeman was fatally wounded in a clash between rival fans (rather fanatics). But FIFA, the governing body of football has put in place an effective programme to rid the game of such evils.
…And talking of football, let’s not forget the players who have stolen the hearts of millions of (read female) fans. It started with the likes of Platini, Gasgoine, and Linekar in the early days when football was brought home by the dawn of the television era; Zidane, Raul and Beckham took it to new heights towards the late nineties. Today a majority of the feminine population is football(er) aware. Athleticism, supreme skills and chocolate boy looks processed by these guys have sent their popularity soaring and the female fans swooning. An opinion pole amongst teenaged fans reveals Brazilian Kaka’ as the hot favourite while ManU’s Golden boy Christiano Ronaldo is not far behind. A considerable number have taken a liking for Stevie G and Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. Spaniards Xabi Alonso and David Villa also send quite a few hears fluttering. Arsenal midfielder Francesc Fabregas is breaking through the ranks (unfortunately a vast majority haven’t heard of him… yet!) But when the writer is his fan, it’s just got to be Fabregas all the way!!!
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