Call it 'World Cup fever' but there's something about national anthems in football that I find remarkable. Don't know if it is having the whole stadium singing together or merely watching the 11 players whispering the lyrics as they're about to play.
It is a unique moment prior the match and I admit there a couple of national anthems - apart from the Portuguese that is - that give me the shivers.
Here are the ones I find more powerful (in no particular order):
Russian Federation (hard not to think about Rocky IV, right?)
Italy (Check Gattuso with his eyes closed...)
Netherlands (Beautiful rendition of Wilhelmus with the addition of Maud Mulder....)
England (love how the people in the stadium take over the song!)
Portugal (how could I forget this one, especially when played at the Euro 2004...shame we didn't win it though!)
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Clutch: Rivaldo wonder goal against Valencia
Clutch is a term often used in America to describe the ability to perform extremely well under pressure. It is mostly used in basketball and American football with all their timeouts and game plans, but it can also be used in other sports.
Brazilian wizard Rivaldo - still playing at the age of 38 for Uzbek side Bunyodkor - was at the top of his game in 2000/2001 in a Barcelona team that lacked the quality it today possesses.
It was the last match of the season and Los Culés needed to win at home against Valencia to grab a Champions League spot. With match delicately poised at 2:2 and with only a few minutes of injury time to play, Rivaldo did the following:
The Brazilian scored his hat-trick in the most amazing way and sent the legendary Camp Nou into raptures. To score such a wonder goal at such a critical time and take his team to the Champions League....is the definition of clutch.
Brazilian wizard Rivaldo - still playing at the age of 38 for Uzbek side Bunyodkor - was at the top of his game in 2000/2001 in a Barcelona team that lacked the quality it today possesses.
It was the last match of the season and Los Culés needed to win at home against Valencia to grab a Champions League spot. With match delicately poised at 2:2 and with only a few minutes of injury time to play, Rivaldo did the following:
The Brazilian scored his hat-trick in the most amazing way and sent the legendary Camp Nou into raptures. To score such a wonder goal at such a critical time and take his team to the Champions League....is the definition of clutch.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Underdog topples superstar: Powell vs Lewis
This story is unique to me as I can still clearly remember watching it live, even though I was just 6 at the time.
The year was 1991 and the event was the World Championships in Athletics, held in Tokyo.
Typically, the most thrilling events are the quick events (100m, 200m, 400m), but this time the lacklustre long-jump stole the show and brought one of the most spectacular finals ever.
Two Americans were fighting for the gold: Carl Lewis and Mike Powell. Lewis was the undisputed superstar, having won 4 gold medals in Los Angeles ’84 and considered one of the best sprinters and jumpers of all time. As a matter of fact, he had not lost a long-jump competition over a decade. Powell had been the runner-up in Seoul '88 and long-jump was his sole specialty. I was rooting for the underdog.
The long-jump record has some intriguing history. In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Bob Beamon set the world record with a out-of-this-world jump of 8,90m, 55cm more than the previous record. Beamon was never able to reproduce that kind of mark again, but his record was able to last 23 years; that is, until Tokyo.
On the 4th jump (they had each 6 attempts), Lewis was able to make an astonishing 8,91m mark. My oh my, the best jump ever, even if it wasn't the world record as the wind was beyond the legal limit.
Powell’s turn and his 5th jump. He ran, he jumped and he made an immortal 8,95m jump , setting a new world record (wind speed was well within the legal limits). Lewis still pushed for the win in his final two attempts, with 8,87m and 8,84m legal jumps, but in the end Powell won in a competition that produced the best series of jumps ever.
Unlike Mexico, Tokyo’s weather conditions were far from ideal, which made the achievement even more remarkable. Powell’s record still holds as of today and currently, there is nobody close to touch those distances.
Whatever the explication for the quality of the finals was, it was one of the most beautiful events I have ever witnessed and another golden moment in sports.
The year was 1991 and the event was the World Championships in Athletics, held in Tokyo.
Typically, the most thrilling events are the quick events (100m, 200m, 400m), but this time the lacklustre long-jump stole the show and brought one of the most spectacular finals ever.
Two Americans were fighting for the gold: Carl Lewis and Mike Powell. Lewis was the undisputed superstar, having won 4 gold medals in Los Angeles ’84 and considered one of the best sprinters and jumpers of all time. As a matter of fact, he had not lost a long-jump competition over a decade. Powell had been the runner-up in Seoul '88 and long-jump was his sole specialty. I was rooting for the underdog.
The long-jump record has some intriguing history. In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Bob Beamon set the world record with a out-of-this-world jump of 8,90m, 55cm more than the previous record. Beamon was never able to reproduce that kind of mark again, but his record was able to last 23 years; that is, until Tokyo.
On the 4th jump (they had each 6 attempts), Lewis was able to make an astonishing 8,91m mark. My oh my, the best jump ever, even if it wasn't the world record as the wind was beyond the legal limit.
Powell’s turn and his 5th jump. He ran, he jumped and he made an immortal 8,95m jump , setting a new world record (wind speed was well within the legal limits). Lewis still pushed for the win in his final two attempts, with 8,87m and 8,84m legal jumps, but in the end Powell won in a competition that produced the best series of jumps ever.
Unlike Mexico, Tokyo’s weather conditions were far from ideal, which made the achievement even more remarkable. Powell’s record still holds as of today and currently, there is nobody close to touch those distances.
Whatever the explication for the quality of the finals was, it was one of the most beautiful events I have ever witnessed and another golden moment in sports.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
I Love This Game: The old school NBA commercials
My sport of choice is football. It is the most popular sport in my country, my dad used to play it professional and well...I have grown playing it with my mates.
Still, it was the NBA that first caught my attention in the early 90s. It was the golden age of basketball and the league was simply brimming with talent: Jordan, Magic, Bird, Pippen, Drexler, Malone, Stockton, Ewing, Barkley, Dumars, Mugsy...not only great players but also colourful characters.
I used to spend Sunday afternoons watching the 'Match of the day' and the highlights of the week and I can still remember the great commercials that propelled the NBA to worldwide recognition.
Having said that...here are some of my favourite old-school kick-ass commercials of that era:
Barkley's highly-sensitive nose
"It's alright, have a good time!"
Placido Domingo feat. Cliff Robinson
MJ oozing class
And how can I forget the 'I Love This Game' song?
Still, it was the NBA that first caught my attention in the early 90s. It was the golden age of basketball and the league was simply brimming with talent: Jordan, Magic, Bird, Pippen, Drexler, Malone, Stockton, Ewing, Barkley, Dumars, Mugsy...not only great players but also colourful characters.
I used to spend Sunday afternoons watching the 'Match of the day' and the highlights of the week and I can still remember the great commercials that propelled the NBA to worldwide recognition.
Having said that...here are some of my favourite old-school kick-ass commercials of that era:
Barkley's highly-sensitive nose
"It's alright, have a good time!"
Placido Domingo feat. Cliff Robinson
MJ oozing class
And how can I forget the 'I Love This Game' song?
Why we love sports
Whether it is the thrill of competition, the athletes we look up to and try to mimic or the unique performances we are able to witness if we're lucky, sports is a worldwide phenomenon that is special due to its ability to bring people together regardless of colour, gender, religion or political affiliation.
This blog intends to showcase several moments in the history of sports that are worth remembering for some reason or another.
Welcome to the blog, feel free to add your opinion and stay tuned.
Cheers,
Sérgio
This blog intends to showcase several moments in the history of sports that are worth remembering for some reason or another.
Welcome to the blog, feel free to add your opinion and stay tuned.
Cheers,
Sérgio
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