Editor's Blog By Clint Roper
Editor's Blog By Clint Roper.
I'm writing this column to you having just returned from Berlin. I'm a little tired from the travel, but exhilarated from the experience. A big thanks to adidas who extended an invite to me to head to Berlin to live the excitement of the Champions League in the host city, as well as to cover the launch of their new range of adidas soccer boots, the Adidas Ace and the Adidas X. I was, at first, quite shocked to hear that the Predator range, a range that I grew up with and one my mates and I always waited eagerly to see, has been discontinued. But the X and the Ace will no doubt have footy fans stoked. The trip itself afforded me the opportunity to spend some time getting to know a few of Mzansi's top writers, editors and football personalities, something I haven't really had time to do in the past. I've always been a big fan of BBK. I've read his work every weekend and have never really met the man behind the pen, so it was refreshing to celebrate my 40th in Berlin, having a couple of cold ones with him and others like OG Molefe, Richard Maguire and even Minnie Dlamini. While we're all working for different titles and there is obviously a massive level of pride and competitiveness, what is clear is that we're all fanatical football fans, and that really shone through on the trip! Those who were following me on twitter would no doubt have giggled at a couple of the updates and pictures sent from Berlin. It was great to be there as a fan, just letting the excitement wash over me as I became part of it all. The only way to really describe the feeling in the city to someone who has not felt European football vibes is to say that it was something similar to 2010 here in South Africa. The shirts and colours of the two teams involved were on display everywhere you went. The singing Italians trooped through the streets and the colours of Barcelona were proudly displayed as more and more Spanish and Italians poured into the city. By Friday afternoon, the sidewalks, street cafes and bars were starting to fill up, and by Friday night Berlin was heaving. As part of the trip, adidas set up a basecamp. Basically they converted a building into what can only be described as a footballing oasis. There were two versus two fields, big screen TVs and football boots for days! The media from around the world were clearly taken by it all. The South African contingent got to spend some time talking to Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Manchester United's Ander Herrera, who both, much to my surprise, still feel that, despite the poor showing of English clubs in Europe the season past, the EPL is still the strongest league in Europe. I guess one needs to take it with a pinch of salt as they have English fans to keep happy, as well as their pay masters. They both agreed, however, that in other leagues, while two or three teams dominate the season, in England there is more overall competitiveness. My column is not long enough to shoot this logic down right now, so let's let them have their day in the sun. Ozil was ecstatic about the FA Cup win, but feels that it's Arsenal's time to really shine in the new season, with specific focus on the league and the Champions League campaigns, where he feels Arsenal will be a threat. Herrera seems to think that Man United are about to turn a page as the season past was one of new players gelling as well as getting used to a new coach and his way of thinking. Personally I think Man United are way off the top echelon of world football, but let's reserve judgement until the new season. Perhaps the highlight of the adidas football base was the opportunity to see the next generation of the Zidane family in action. On the two versus two court, Zinedine Zidane and his sons, Luca and Enzo, played against Herrera and company, and more than once the young Enzo put the ball through Herrera's legs. He is a player that looks set for the bigtime one day. Zidane has four sons in total, with all of them coming through various levels of the Real Madrid youth system, which means we might all once again be screaming 'Zizou' in years to come. As far as the final itself, what more can anyone write about this Barcelona team? Say what you want about 'Tiki-Taka', say what you want about La Liga, but if I was forced to watch just one team for the rest of my life, I would pick Barcelona. I imagine their training sessions are more exciting and competitive than some of the biggest derby games in the world. I love that Neymar is speaking out and defending his need to entertain. I hope our own players in Mzansi have the balls to defend their own need, which is so often coached and scolded out of them, and the results are there to see if you look at the empty stands our teams play in front of. There can be no argument from anyone that there is a team currently in the world that plays more beautiful soccer, or more deadly soccer, than Barcelona. On their way to being crowned champions of Europe this season, they have defeated the champions of England, Germany, France and Italy to rightly be crowned kings of Europe. The Catalan club flies the flag for beautiful football in a time where power, pace and physicality threaten to turn the game into a wrestling match, rather than an art form. As their official club anthem rightly proclaims... "Blue and scarlet in the wind, Our cry is bold, We have a name, That everyone knows: Barca, Barca, Barca!" Shappa, Clint
