I have always been surprised by the little treatment that football has had and still has in literature. It is strange, not only because it is an activity that stirs the emotions of hundreds of millions of people, especially because it brings together the great themes of the literary universe. Soccer offers epic, lyrical, drama, love (that unbreakable passion for colors), desire (that desire for victory).
a), death (represented in defeat)… The great novels of history revolve around some of these approaches, and the beautiful game is capable of condensing them all in a single work, in a single match. What better example than the plot unfolded on Wednesday at the Bernabéu. A
epic
worthy of any classic, and as such it will be recorded forever in the legend of football, not only Real Madrid. The already famous comeback had an embryo, which is the fundamental principle of football (and of life): believing that it was possible. Mentally visualizing the comeback was the first and essential step. Without that conviction it would have been impossible. On
BRAND
We apply that initial premise:
we believed in the comeback
, and this was reflected in our covers, which illustrate this page. When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first leg, in the midst of a slump for Real Madrid, with the most absolute disenchantment invading the atmosphere, some of us were sure that the mood would undoubtedly change for the second leg. So it was.
As the game approached, the confidence was increasing
. And that’s how the magical, magnetic atmosphere of the Bernabéu was reached on Wednesday. Then, on the pitch, the screenwriter didn’t hide a single detail: the drama of the disallowed goals, the tragedy after the goal
Mbappe
the fierce desire after drawing, the epic to come back, the hero of the narrative, a star role that fell to
Benzema
, the well-drawn secondary characters, the case of Modric, the evil character, played by Al Khelaifi, the death of the Parisian team, the lyrics of an electrified Bernabéu, the love of a devoted public, and (like any novel worth its salt) a tremendous ending and a happy ending. In short, a masterpiece.
§
in the bosom of the
World Anti-Doping Agency
A major sanction had been passed against Ukraine… just the day before the Russian attack. Someone, with good judgment, decided to keep the notice in a drawer and not continue with the paperwork.
§
Tomorrow, enjoy rugby.
