WHY??WHY???
“I just witnessed the most outrageous piece of skill from zizou.It has spurred me on dedicate a piece on my blog for this great legend of football. It was his bald head which sprung him to fame in 1998, when as a youngster he was part of the French world cup winning side, contributing in part with his two goals against brazil. 8 years on, he still has the fire burning in him, and I am sure anyone who saw that chipped penalty over buffon, would agree with me when I say only a player of zidane s class could have done that.”

These were my instant thoughts after seeing Zidane score the penalty in the World cup final against Italy. Little did I know that, what was to follow would be even more dramatic and leave us all dumbfounded. And yes it was bald head again in the thick of the action!With ten minutes left on the clock, a rush of blood through Zidane makes him go head first into Materazzi’s abdomen. An act of utter frustration, he saw red and brought an abrupt end to his illustrious career No wonder they say sport is unpredictable. Within a spate of 100 minutes, the genius went on to being a lunatic..

A true ambassador for the sport , Zidane represents the success of Algerian immigrants in modern French society. His success represents the success of this community. He is also a UN ambassador and has been known to a very philanthropic person.

Sadly though, despite whatever he has achieved and done for club and country, “Zizou” will always be remembered for his last act………..THE ZIZOU!!

No wonder they say in cricket parlance “you are as good as your last innings”.

This is to toast to one of my favourite footballers!

The history of chokers

There are certain cultures which are born to be winners. This seems quite a sweeping statement to make at first, but I have noticed this too many times for it not to be a valid hypothesis. Germany Vs Argentina, the penalty shootout and you just knew that the solid germans would not crumble under the pressure. The way they were walking to take the penalty said everything. The captain, despite carrying an injury, stood up to be counted and delivered the vital kick. Historically, the Germans have suffered humiliation a number of occasions and this lead to their developing a very tough generation of germans which has been carried to this day and age.

In February of 1999, Chennai played host to what I reckon has been the toughest day in any Indian cricket fan s life. India, thanks to a superlative century from Sachin, were on the verge of scripting a historic win against arch rivals Pakistan. The tension in the air was palpable. And , succumbing to that pressure, within a spate of 3 overs , the Indians wound up shop and bit defeat from the jaws of victory. I think somewhere deep within us, is embodied the Gandhian spirit of non aggression, which prevents us to go the full distance. On the other hand, the Pakistanis, are by birth used to fighting for everything, whether it belongs to them or not. This spirit manifests in every action of theirs and sports is no exception.

Another very hard and aggressive culture is that of Australia. A nation, which until recently accepted the queen of England as its ruler, the Australians know how to play and play hard. No wonder, Australian teams are so successful at the international stage In various sports.i attribute their fighting instinct from the nature and terrain of their land. The continent is barren to a great extent, and considerably sparsely populated. In such situations, survival needs one to be tough both physically and mentally. It would make an Indian go bonkers to not see another soul in sight for miles, but not an aussie, born and brought up to live alone and face the wild.

Its amazing how a football match can lead to such a fascinating line of thought!