EDITOR’S NOTE
Written by Writer on Friday, October 3rd, 2008
EDITOR’S NOTE
Sports fanatics have always known the game is one of God’s more evil tricks. There’s a fine line between being good, strong and lucky. If you have all three, you will definitely win the game. If you are not the better player but are strong enough to keep the balance at your end and have enough luck, you can go on to win, leaving the ”better” side _ the one with possibly the more beautiful, creative and entertaining game that unfortunately doesn’t produce ”the score” _ to return home empty-handed.
That’s a plain tragic fact. Success in sport is defined by winning and losing, and winning and losing is not always about being ”good”. Being good is subjective and I take the liberty as writer of this editor’s note to say that being good, for me, means playing a beautiful, creative and entertaining game _ like the Netherlands’ ”Clockwork Orange” game at the 1974 Fifa World Cup, with Johan Cruijff thrilling the world with the god-gifted, sublime talent that makes Cristiano Ronaldo’s fancy steps look like a toddler’s tumbling.
Sadly, the Oranje lost the World Cup title to host country Germany, and Johan Cruijff is remembered as a king without a throne. As even his arch-rival, 1974 West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer, would note _ ”He [Johan Cruijff] was the better player, but I won the World Cup.”
Bloody evil indeed!
Then what’s the point of playing an awe-inspiring game that produces no medals and zero trophies? Perhaps the answer is here. The answer is I, 34 years after the Netherlands’ tragic loss in Munich, typing this piece to glorify all sportspeople who believe in their love for the game, the answer is Man United’s legendary Eric Cantona, Marco van Basten and many other world-class players who grew up watching ”El Salvador”, as he was known at Barcelona, shining in his national orange jersey, believing that the beauty of ”total football” was inspiring enough to exist, to be watched and admired, whether or not it produced the silverware.
The answer is, Cruijff and the Oranje taught us throughout the luminous 90-minute final that trophies are just another piece of metal that are only one indicator of strength. The answer is, he has inspired us to learn to see and admire the excellence of sportspeople, whether or not they bring home the medal.
