The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Football could have a trinity

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Tuesday, Jul 04, 2006

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Opinion - Editorials

Football could have a trinity

It took just three games in the 1986 FIFA World Cup finals for Diego Maradona to prove he deserved a place alongside Pele at football's summit. As the 18th edition of the championship heads for a thrilling endgame, football's divine duo could become a trinity. Zinedine Zidane might display his genius with less flamboyance than Pele and Maradona did in their heyday. But there can be little doubt that he has the sublime touch, game-vision, and creative imagination to be rated on a par with them. These qualities were reaffirmed in a tournament in which several matches played by France were billed as Zizou's last. With two magical performances, the hero of the 1998 Cup achieved so remarkable a turnaround that an ageing team looms like a mountain before younger pretenders. While another veteran, Patrick Vieira, sparked the revival of French hopes in the opening round, that victory was hardly top quality. Zidane, who missed that game thanks to a suspension, returned refreshed in mind and body to orchestrate the systematic stifling of a Spanish side that had romped through the first round. Legions of Brazilian fans across the globe might believe their demi-gods went out in the quarterfinal because of a performance that was incoherent and showboatingly individualistic. If they do so, they grossly underestimate a great French captain who inspired his men, above all the magnificent Thierry Henry, to a level of play superior — in strategy as well as tactics — to that of rivals equal in talent. In a team sport, a pivot's greatness is measured by the quality he can draw out of his men.

The 2006 tournament has reached a stage in which the generals must come into their own. Germany's Michael Ballack has done this in good measure — his influence over the team and this World Cup has grown visibly from game to game. The Germans have added a dimension of flair to their traditional efficiency and their captain has shown he is tough enough to handle the enormous pressure and keep them in the hunt for the title. Most football-followers outside Italy are likely to hold that it does not deserve a place in the last four; the Azzurri certainly had the luck of the draw and reached the last eight through a dubious penalty against Australia. But the home team knows it must fight hard to get past a bunch of blockers marshalled with certitude by Fabio Cannavaro. Portugal versus France is expected to offer more elegant and attractive fare than the first semi-final. Luis Figo has been a great motivator for his young side but Portugal, deprived of Deco's creativity in the killing zone, seemed short of ideas in its last game. A string of marvellous goalkeepers aside, the players who have provided their teams with valiant performances in this World Cup can be counted on the fingers of one hand. It is time for the heroes to step forward and for the greatest player of this generation to embrace the immortality that is within his grasp.

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