New Stars, Old Football | Eurocup Germany 2024

We didn’t expect so much, and yet Spain deserved it all. The initial calculations showed us a group of considerable quality and only one undisputed standout – Rodri. This seemed inadequate compared to Croatia’s experience, Italy’s skill, Germany’s confidence or France’s individuality. They all surrendered to Spain, armed with the simplest of arguments: play well. Much better than anyone else. There are…

We did not expect so much, and yet Spain deserves it all. In the initial calculations, we had a group of considerable quality and only one undisputed standout: Rodri. This did not seem enough compared to the experience of Croatia, the skill of Italy, the confidence of Germany or the personality of France. They all surrendered to Spain armed with the simplest of arguments: to play well. Much better than anyone else. Around this genius of pure intelligence that is Rodri, several players have lengthened their stride to extraordinary achievements. The intelligence and poise of the best midfielder in the world serve as a barrier to defensive security and an axis for Olmo and Fabián to unleash their confidence and talent. If Spain win and Rodri does not win the Ballon d’Or, I will think that football is not only confused, but also blind.

But a good game is about achieving goals. Spain seem to have learned this after they exaggerated the tiki taka, lost in the multiplication of lateral passes. The solution, as always, lies in the profile of the players, not in the omnipresent tactics. Two fast, technical and brave teenagers were enough to change the rhythm of the entire team and show disrespect for the polished European football. Niko and Lamin expose us to real football, the old one, the kind that no methodology can cope with. Particularly striking is the case of Lamin Jamal, a boy who has not yet come out of his shell and, thanks to his colossal intuition, tells us the truth about football. If this is going to confuse him, don’t teach him anything else, please. Be it as it may. Seeing the viral photo, I wanted to ask Messi to bathe my grandchildren so that they could at least hit the far post spectacularly.

England awaits its own collection of bewildered talents, who have arrived here stumbling, as if they don’t believe in what they’re doing, as if the team has robbed every one of its great personalities of opportunities. This tactic is so celebrated that we only talk about its achievements. We say nothing of the disasters it causes. I can only hope that football will, for once, stop embarrassing its personnel by rewarding the best.

On the other side of the world, the Copa America is celebrated not by the young but by the old. On one side, Messi, who continues to express his wisdom. Messi is another axis, a footballing one, of course, but also a moral one, with the legitimacy of his vast experience and the recent World Cup he won. He walks around the pitch, spotting the places where his teammates are running. The ball thus moves towards Argentina at an ever-increasing speed. And all this in a militarized football in which the referees are decoration. There is no chance to watch three minutes of football in a row. In the final, he will face Colombia with James, who seems to have aged 10 years when the freshness of his pure-as-water football brought him to Madrid. He is currently the best player in the Copa America, caressing the ball to add venom to his passes. In San Pablo, he finds it difficult to play in the starting lineup. Apparently, the coach does not have enough room in the team for the best player on the continent. Doesn’t that seem strange?

It is clear that these young Spaniards and these old South Americans give lessons that contradict the trend of this increasingly algorithmic football, which does not surprise the opponents and, even less, the fans. If in the two finals the best players are more visible than the worst, we will not only be worried, but also have fun.

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