I am so annoyed about Zinedine Zidane.
The World Cup ended on Sunday (alas!) and Italy were crowned champions. Fair enough. I was backing France, but at the end of the day, what Zidane did makes me glad they lost. Actually, I'm not glad at all. I can't be. I'm upset, disappointed, disgraced, and angry. In a fraction of one second, "The Beautiful Game" turned very, very ugly.
I think the fact that I'd spent the last 2 France games praising ZZ's beautiful style of play, his strength, his unmatched talent... he is a LEGEND. He is more of a legend to me than anyone in any sport (besides Michael Schumacher, of course). And then he goes and acts the arse. Probably even worse than just acting like a hothead (which he HAS done before, which we AREN'T surprised about, really) are the following facts:
1. France probably lost the world cup because of him getting thrown out (Italy won in penalty shoot-out and HE is the best penalty taker that France has), and
2. It was his last game EVER. He would be retiring from football after this World Cup. He needed to go out with the pride and glory that he so definitely deserved.
What he did was unforgivable. True, the whole country of France will hold this against him forever, but more importantly, fans all over the WORLD will hold this against him. Kids everywhere, from Ireland to Australia to Africa are wearing their "Zidane" jerseys to school every single day, hanging his posters up on their bedroom walls, looking up to him, wanting to be him. Hell, *I* want to be him. What I don't want, is football continuing to grow toward this dirty word, associated with drunk hooligans and hot-headed millionaires who can't behave for 90 minutes.
There is no excuse, Zinedine. There were HOW many minutes left to go in the game? 1 and a half? Your team was the better team on the day, the team who deserved to win. You owed it to them on your LAST MINUTE EVER in a championship football game, to think twice before chucking your temper tantrum and jepordizing glory for your country, your fans, yourself. Everyone knows you wouldn't have missed a penalty shot, if you hadn't been sent off. Everyone knows, because everyone has an astronomical amount of faith in you, and everyone has seen you do it before. We were waiting this WHOLE WORLD CUP to see the Zidane we all know, go off the field with the Cup in hand, for the last time, his last shining moment in football history, in the radiating in the glory that only the likes of Péle and Maradona have ever known.
The French sports daily L'Equipe wrote: "This morning, Zinedine, what do we tell our children, and all those for whom you were the living role model for all times?" Damn straight. What now. What have you done to the beautiful game?
Now the greasy Italians have it. The team who is about as rock bottom as a team can get in terms of football and ethics. Sure, Marco Materazzi insulted him. Typical. Rise above it for ONE BLOODY MINUTE. They're ITALIANS. Their whole football league is in the shit right now for this huge match-fixing scandal. Do NOT sink to that LEVEL! The Italians as cup champions?! All for the price of one penalty goal. And the reputation of the greatest football player in the world... which is tarnished forever. Which can only be blamed on the incredible Zinedine Zidane.
The World Cup ended on Sunday (alas!) and Italy were crowned champions. Fair enough. I was backing France, but at the end of the day, what Zidane did makes me glad they lost. Actually, I'm not glad at all. I can't be. I'm upset, disappointed, disgraced, and angry. In a fraction of one second, "The Beautiful Game" turned very, very ugly.
I think the fact that I'd spent the last 2 France games praising ZZ's beautiful style of play, his strength, his unmatched talent... he is a LEGEND. He is more of a legend to me than anyone in any sport (besides Michael Schumacher, of course). And then he goes and acts the arse. Probably even worse than just acting like a hothead (which he HAS done before, which we AREN'T surprised about, really) are the following facts:
1. France probably lost the world cup because of him getting thrown out (Italy won in penalty shoot-out and HE is the best penalty taker that France has), and
2. It was his last game EVER. He would be retiring from football after this World Cup. He needed to go out with the pride and glory that he so definitely deserved.
What he did was unforgivable. True, the whole country of France will hold this against him forever, but more importantly, fans all over the WORLD will hold this against him. Kids everywhere, from Ireland to Australia to Africa are wearing their "Zidane" jerseys to school every single day, hanging his posters up on their bedroom walls, looking up to him, wanting to be him. Hell, *I* want to be him. What I don't want, is football continuing to grow toward this dirty word, associated with drunk hooligans and hot-headed millionaires who can't behave for 90 minutes.
There is no excuse, Zinedine. There were HOW many minutes left to go in the game? 1 and a half? Your team was the better team on the day, the team who deserved to win. You owed it to them on your LAST MINUTE EVER in a championship football game, to think twice before chucking your temper tantrum and jepordizing glory for your country, your fans, yourself. Everyone knows you wouldn't have missed a penalty shot, if you hadn't been sent off. Everyone knows, because everyone has an astronomical amount of faith in you, and everyone has seen you do it before. We were waiting this WHOLE WORLD CUP to see the Zidane we all know, go off the field with the Cup in hand, for the last time, his last shining moment in football history, in the radiating in the glory that only the likes of Péle and Maradona have ever known.
The French sports daily L'Equipe wrote: "This morning, Zinedine, what do we tell our children, and all those for whom you were the living role model for all times?" Damn straight. What now. What have you done to the beautiful game?
Now the greasy Italians have it. The team who is about as rock bottom as a team can get in terms of football and ethics. Sure, Marco Materazzi insulted him. Typical. Rise above it for ONE BLOODY MINUTE. They're ITALIANS. Their whole football league is in the shit right now for this huge match-fixing scandal. Do NOT sink to that LEVEL! The Italians as cup champions?! All for the price of one penalty goal. And the reputation of the greatest football player in the world... which is tarnished forever. Which can only be blamed on the incredible Zinedine Zidane.
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