Sangria is a heady Spanish drink made of red wine, brandy and vermouth. Spain loves its football. It loves its Sangria and Flamenco. On the night of 14th July, this beautiful Iberian country raised a toast to its heroes and drank and danced as if there was no tomorrow.
Back in the days at the boarding school, that majestic gramophone in the billiards room often played:
‘The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain’
This July of 2024, by George, the rain in Spain was not limited to those soggy blasted plains of Spain!! As the Euro-24 concluded on Sunday, the 14th of July, the Reign of Spain was proclaimed in Berlin as its young crusaders overwhelmed the men from across the strait of Dover to win the battle for the crown of Europe. In fact, the Reign of Spain extended even beyond.
In the week preceeding the conquest in Berlin, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, all of 21 years, was crowned at Wimbledon, after swiftly brushing aside any signs of resistance from Djokovic of Serbia.
Hosted every four years, UEFA Euro represents the creme da la creme of European football. The 24 best teams that had qualified for Euro-24 assembled in Germany to compete for the glory of the sport and the crown of this football crazy continent.
A philosopher once said “football is an art form; a dance of joy and tragedy”. Euro 24 was replete with all these and more. But the momentous event will be forever remembered for the emergence of supremely talented, fiercely competitive, yet admirably selfless young men headed for greatness in the years to come.
Having blitzed its way past Croatia and Germany, Spain came face to face with Mbappe’s France in Munich on the 9th of July.
Recall the 21st minute of the game. A sixteen-year-old, still wearing braces, going to school by the name Lamine Yamal, unleashed a wonderous strike, curling the ball in the far-right corner of the French goal post. France could never recover from that lethal blow. ‘Bend it like Beckham’ is now passe. The new football lexicon is ‘Curl it like Yamal’
Flamenco is a dance of joy in Spain. The goal, outsmarting the genius of Mbappe, triggered spontaneous flamenco on the streets of Mataro, Yamal’s hometown!
Legend has it that results at crucial junctions of world events have been affected by divine interference. Diego Maradona’s goal for Argentina against England in the QF of World Cup-1986 was not scored by any legitimate part of his torso. It was the ‘Hand of God’!! Instead of being declared a foul, the divine goal sent England crashing out of the championship.
On the 11th July, in Dortmund, divine forces were back in play during the England-Netherlands SF. Blessed was the foot of Harry Kane, the captain of England. After a routine tackle by the Dutch Danzel Dumfries, Kane clutched his foot, feigning grave ambush and injury where there was none. Divine intervention followed; Referee Felix Zwayer awarded penalty a stroke to England for the ‘wronged foot’. The Dutch exploded in protest but England were through to the Finals!!
In the other half of the draw, though France was a strong contender, ill luck dogged the previous World Cup winner all through this championship leading to its dismal exit.
Kylian Mbappe, arguably one of the finest strikers in the world, collided with Kevin Danso of Austria in its opener, ending up with a broken nose. He tried out several shapes and designs of nose masks while playing the remaining matches; an experience he called ‘an absolute horror’.
If not the Golden Boot, Mbappe went home with the title of the most masked nose of the tournament!!
Euro 24 was also a celebration of multiculturism.
More than Mbappe appealing to his countrymen to defeat the radical right wing in the National elections, it was the golden boots of players like Jamal Musiala of Germany, Eduardo Camavinga of France, Jeremie Frimpong of Netherlands, Bukayo Saka of England and above all, Yamal and Williams of Spain that were louder than the words.
Euro 24 signaled ‘time up’ for one of world’s Greatest Players of All Time (GOAT). Christian Ronaldo, 39, was a pale shadow of his GOAT status that was earned over a decade of sheer brilliance. His missing the penalty kick against Slovenia was akin to James Bond missing the target with Eric Goldfinger in full view!
The Euro Final in Berlin was billed as a clash between a charismatic Spain and a dogged England which had prodded its way all the way up.
After an uneventful first half, recall the 47th minute as Nico Williams fired a stinger for Spain. Though England managed an equalizer, brilliant footwork of Mike Oyarzabal in the 82nd minute, brought to an end, the rollercoaster month of football.
Sangria is a heady Spanish drink made of red wine, brandy and vermouth. Spain loves its football. It loves its Sangria and Flamenco. On the night of 14th July, this beautiful Iberian country raised a toast to its heroes and drank and danced as if there was no tomorrow.
Cheers to this beautiful sport and its young crusaders!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
V K Verma is a former President, Badminton Association of India and a former Commercial Director, Air India.
