Blog: Curls Swirls and Goals.

There are sports and there is football. The game that played with an equal passion where ever in the world you might be. It is as crisp as the samba on the beaches of Brazil, as it is on the maidans of the great city of Kolkatta. It is definitely one thing which is universal in the wide varied world. The goal remains a goal everywhere one may be.

Where to see?

The sports coverage is quite good so where to see is quite simply answered. There is a good coverage of European football. The viewers mainly consume the feed in from club football, which I must say is as good as International soccer.

When did I begin seeing it?

I being a cricket fan won’t mind following Sri-Lanka vs. Bangladesh being played in Sri-Lanka. The football fever struck me sometime during the last football world cup in 2002. By the way the next world cup is in Germany. The hosts are good contender with likes of Michael Ballack and Andriey Shivchenko and company. There are big matches all over the weekend and there is a big build up to the game.

What to watch?

Well football offers a lot of variety. The teams from Latin America play a very aggressive football. They play it the best because there is a lot of panache in their game. They have an entertaining display of football. One may be able to see big scores. There lots of goal being scored the score may often read 3-3, or 4-2. That’s why one will see great goal scorers from down there. Pele, Maradonna, Ronaldo and many more.
The Europeans play a more subdued and “cultured” game. They typical score may be 2-2, 2-1.
I like to watch a build up to the goal. How the ball is passed from the defence through to a must skill full mid-fielders to the goal scores or finishers.
There are goal scores which are lethal. I have kept names for few. Rudd Van Nilestrooy who plays for Manchester United and Holland is the “shark”. He will more often then not nets the ball in even if there is a slightest of chance of netting it in. He is as good as a finisher as one may see. Michael Owen too has great skills. Ronaldo is the greatest athletes among the present. There are lost of them and all fun to watch.
If there are great scores then there are great defenders and goal keepers. One name that always pops up is Oliver Kahn of Bayern Munich and Germany
The best part I like is exchange of jerseys at the end of a games play. It’s a great tradition.

Which Teams to see?

There is a big bouquet. There is The English Premier League, The Italian Serie’ A, The Spanish La-Liga the Bundesliga of Germany. Then there is the big one. There the top club teams from Europe wrestle for the UEFA Champions League, the biggest draw of them all. The teams to watch out are Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Valencia, Inter Milan and AC Milan, Real Madrid. It is easy to follow coz the big boys play on the weekends. There is a huge rush to it all. It’s fun to watch.
Why to watch?
If one can waste five days over a cricket Test Match or a day over one day international then two hours of football seem like peanuts. The adrenaline levels are higher than most cricket matches. The point is “most cricket matches” not “all cricket matches”. It was said before the Ashes that no one will watch it as it coincides with the starting of the English Premier League. The cricket matches in England sold like hot cakes.

The bottom line: "Football is great value for time of two hours."