80 million can't be wrong!
If you are out and about in Essen and Bochum or Spandauer Forest and Müggelsee this evening starting from 9 pm - no problem, the streets will be empty! Tonight at 9 pm, Germany is playing against Denmark. This sentence works just as well without mentioning what they are actually playing. You can imagine. It's about football, isn't it? If they win, the Germans, they are the best ("I told you so, Gisela"), we are the best! The footballers save 80 million Germans, also known as coaches, from the darkness, the rain, the problems, into the summer, into the fairy tale, that we all so desperately need. They bring sunshine (although not so unusual in June/July without an EM or WM).
If they lose - they - then they are just a ragtag team, those football millionaires, so tired, so little ambition, so wrong, so dumb, and Nagelsmann, we all knew he couldn't handle it.
I admit, I really have no idea about football. Thomas Müller recently said the opposite in an interview, but I was well prepared.
It sometimes hurts to watch ten men trying to outmaneuver, outsmart, tackle and perform stunts like banana flanks, backheels, and Hollywood-worthy falls. Everything, to get the ball into the net for the eleventh man. Everything, to give the people bread and games.
All Experts
And of course, there are plenty of experts. I would have loved to include the news "Danish football professionals are forgoing wage increases until their female colleagues are equally paid," but unfortunately, it wasn't reported here. Shame. Until women's football or equal pay for all women in our country has arrived, there will likely still be one or two EM or WM tournaments taking place in countries that value women less than we do.
My interest in football comes down to this: Do the players look good? Are they tattooed to 80% of their bodies or just in parts? And where? Are they fair, both on and off the pitch? What do they all do after their careers? Not all can be like Schweini, flirting with Esther, trainers, trainer advisors, experts, second experts, commentators or co-commentators.
I enjoy commentary from Lothar the most. His Frrrrrrnnnnaaaaääääääänkisch, his record national team career, his expertise entertain me, clarify things, and give me that special feeling, whether on the couch or at a public viewing, during European championships or World championships. Otherwise, I'm not really interested in football, I have to admit. It's shameful that a report from the 3rd league still counts more than a solid report on first-class women's tennis.
From Lothar to Ronaldo
When the other record player, Ronaldo, strokes little children, distributes jerseys, and donates money at a height that would make normal citizens question whether they shouldn't retire early, before 60, he is the hero. When he is angry, rolling around on the ground, writhing in pain or crying, then he is a clown.
Football is brutal.
Football is also tender.
Football is crowd-binding.
Football makes people fight on the streets or in stadiums.
Football can make you rich, popular, or disappoint you. Football is arrogant and down-to-earth at the same time. Recognizing an offside is not even that easy. But doable. A life without football would be possible. But perhaps boring.
What's next?
When Georgians won against Portugal on a Wednesday and qualified for the quarterfinals, it wasn't a fairy tale. The commentator said. It's true, it was, it is, wonderful reality for the Georgians, a real treat for the - still unbeaten - Portuguese. The Turks also celebrated their entry into the quarterfinals as if they were already European champions. Can one even imagine - or can one? - what would happen next ...
But yes, football is a fairy tale: "Once upon a time there was a little boy who wanted to become a professional footballer." Professional? Professional player? Cool word, gender-neutral. So, back to the fairy tale, dream - it sometimes comes true in reality. It tells the story of many little children who kick and dream. Of men who buy houses for their hard-working mothers. Having their wishes fulfilled. Fulfilling the wishes of their entire country.
Let's hope that OUR TEAM leads us further in our summer fairy tale today. And if the Danes win, then "the Lusians" have messed it up. 80 million can't be wrong.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese football superstar, has been donating jerseys and money to children, earning him widespread admiration. Portugal's national soccer team had a setback when they lost against Georgia in the European Football Championship 2024 quarterfinals. Julian Nagelsmann, the German coach, faced criticism for his team's performance in the tournament. Ilkay Gündogan, a German player, is looking forward to playing in the European Football Championship 2024, representing his nation with pride. The Turkish national soccer team celebrated their entry into the quarterfinals with enthusiasm, setting their sights on the title.
