Maradona

[crisaor]

Given the fact that this forum is visited by people from all around the world, I'm curious as to what everyone thinks of him. Have you ever seen him play? Do you know who I'm talking about? or about his current situaton? I'm guessing most people know him, that's what I'd say is his most distinctive attribute.

[IWilKikU]

I for one am not afraid to admit that I have no idea what you're talking about :confused:

[simon]

Neither do I.

[ajoe]

I know Madonna. :p

No, actually I've heard of him. A soccer player, right? Don't know anything else about him other than that, though. Is he from Brazil?

[emily655321]

I thought you said "Madonna" at first too. Well... as of five seconds ago I know that he's a soccer player (possibly). :D

[Jay]

Never heard of him myself. But then if he's a soccer player, I'm not a fan... do they play 'soccer' in Brazil (if he's from Brasil)? Still have no idea if there is any difference between 'soccer' and 'football' other than being different names for the same game.

[ajoe]

I actually know how soccer and football are used to describe the same sport, Jay. Well, sort of. The original word used in Europe was football, and when they moved it to the United States they used association football or something about that level. Because association football is just too darn long, they shortened it to "soccer."

Wow, I just read about this recently, but for the life of me I can't remember where.

[ajoe]

lol, yea, they have soccer in Brazil.
It's funny cause I used to think I'm the most illiterate person in sports but I still know this much! :p

[emily655321]

Someone call the most illiterate person in sports? Right here. Hate 'em. Hate. Hate'emHate'emHate'emHate'emHate'em. But for some reason even I got into the World Cup when we were in Britain. Well, probably because we only had the main channels and I was so bored of just watching Countdown and Time Team. *shudder*

[Koa]

Oooh I had no idea so many people didn't know about Maradona...it's one of those names we give from granted here (as you from other sides of the world may give for granted other people...). Well crisaor, of course in Italy the mass media are talking a lot about him as probably the best part of his career was spent in Naples... I dont know much about that times cos I wasnt into football (soccer for Americans, but I speak British, posh me) at the time... but it certainly remained in the history of sport.

[amuse]

i like "give for granted" waywayway more than "take for granted." what a warm fuzzy thought.

[Jay]

Thanks ajoe. Think you didn't get the other thing, if they play 'soccer' in Brasil was meant in the way if they play 'soccer' or 'football' in Brasil.

[Koa]

Originally posted by amuse
i like "give for granted" waywayway more than "take for granted." what a warm fuzzy thought.

oops...was it TAKE? I only now realised i wrote 'from' instead of 'for' too...I was a bit in a hurry... oopsie oopsie...

Football is the name of the sport... But the Americans had the other football, so call this one soccer.

Brasil is one of the places where it's more popular...(5 times world champion, more than any other country) But Maradona is from Argentina anyway :D
Here in Italy football is one of the basis of life. Really, this damn country is based on football, it gets 99% of the attention in all the medias, leaving the 1% to all other sports. So it feels so strange to me to talk to people who dont know much about it, as it's something else I give or take for granted ;) The world is really wide...
I used to be very into sports a few years ago, now I dont follow them much anymore, unless there are big events...

[ajoe]

hehehe... never quote me when I talk about sports... :D
Wait, is it Brazil or Brasil? :confused:
Also, don't you wonder why they call it football in the U.S. when you can't even use your foot? :rolleyes:

[Koa]

I've been wondering for ages if it's spelt Brazil or Brasil...

Where can't you use the foot? In the American football??? LOL

[crisaor]

Originally posted by Koa
Oooh I had no idea so many people didn't know about Maradona...it's one of those names we give from granted here (as you from other sides of the world may give for granted other people...).
Me neither. I'm astonished. I was curious about this topic. Interesting turn of events.

Originally posted by Koa
Well crisaor, of course in Italy the mass media are talking a lot about him as probably the best part of his career was spent in Naples... I dont know much about that times cos I wasnt into football (soccer for Americans, but I speak British, posh me) at the time... but it certainly remained in the history of sport.
Yes. That was his finest moment along with the Mexico World Cup (and maybe the Championship with Boca in the '81 :D). He practically led the team on his own, just like he did with Argentina.

Originally posted by Koa
Here in Italy football is one of the basis of life. Really, this damn country is based on football, it gets 99% of the attention in all the medias, leaving the 1% to all other sports. So it feels so strange to me to talk to people who dont know much about it, as it's something else I give or take for granted The world is really wide...
I used to be very into sports a few years ago, now I dont follow them much anymore, unless there are big events...

So Koa, do you support any soccer team in particular?

Originally posted by ajoe
Wait, is it Brazil or Brasil?
It's Brasil in the original (portuguese). The same goes for spanish. In english, it's Brazil.

[IWilKikU]

I had only heard the name once I came to the UK. The US hardly cares about soccer at all. Everywhere else it seems like a way of life. While I'm here in England I support Arsenal. *Curses at Chelsea under breath* The premiership is the only league that I really know ANYTHING about though. So I don't really know anything about Maradona, just the name.

[GapingStarling]

Ha, Kik, have you seen the Colin Firth movie Fever Pitch? He's a teacher, and his life parallels how Arsenal is faring in the playoffs :)

[crisaor]

Originally posted by IWilKikU
I had only heard the name once I came to the UK. The US hardly cares about soccer at all. Everywhere else it seems like a way of life. While I'm here in England I support Arsenal. *Curses at Chelsea under breath* The premiership is the only league that I really know ANYTHING about though. So I don't really know anything about Maradona, just the name.
Congratulations then. The Arsenal has won the championship, if I'm not mistaken. BTW, don't go around calling the name of Maradona, the englishs don't like him very much. And for good reasons. Try to see his second goal against England in Mexico '86. I'll doubt you'll ever see a goal as good as that.

[IWilKikU]

It doesn't matter how Arsenal fares in the Premiership playoffs, because they were eliminated by Chelsea in the European Championship league :( :(. Oh, and thanks for the heads up Cris, I'll keep that in mind, but honestly to me a goal looks like a goal. I guess I'm just an uncultured philistine. :(

[Koa]

Originally posted by crisaor
Congratulations then. The Arsenal has won the championship, if I'm not mistaken. BTW, don't go around calling the name of Maradona, the englishs don't like him very much. And for good reasons. Try to see his second goal against England in Mexico '86. I'll doubt you'll ever see a goal as good as that.

...the hand of god??? :D was it then?

Crisaor, as for your question (sorry I'm bad at quoting), at the moment I hardly care for football so I dont support any teams in particular, I only have a sympathy for a local team called Chievo, a team from a small part of my city who managed to get to the main league (serie A) and stay there for years, fighting at the same level of 'big' teams (and when i say big, I mean their budgets!!!), which is interesting in these times when sport is ruled by money and tv broadcasts (which are the reasons why I lost my interest in sports, especially football).
I used to be a great fan of Fiorentina because of Batistuta!!! That's also where my interest from Argentina came from... But the team has been swallowed by debts, as happened to my favourite basketball team too...so I'm sportless now :D

[Shea]

Count me in with those who never heard of Maradona. I've never understood American football. I'd much rather watch soccer, but since we don't get cable, the chances of that are rather slim, though sometimes it comes on the spanish channels. But like Em, I'm not a big sports fan either. My husband loves watching football so I just stitch away, basically ignoring it. Soccor is more exciting, they don't need all that wimpy padding that American football players use!

[amuse]

my love is 6 feet and 260/270, was a college lineman (actually small as far as lineman go, and short to boot)...he's not wimpy or weak but it does help to have padding when it comes to taking a beating from someone bigger than you!

[Shea]

Sorry amuse, I guess I've let all that pent up energy from years of watching a sport I didn't understand come out. When football season is in, that's what's blaring though the house and it's been that way since I can remember.

[amuse]

it's ok Shea, i don't understand it either! his little brother tried to explain it to me a couple of years ago though...:D

[crisaor]

Originally posted by Koa
...the hand of god??? :D was it then?
Yes, that was then. But that was his first goal. I don't like it that much. The second is the important one. He practically passed 9 english players before scoring. Everytime I hear the comment on that goal I get the shivers, but in a good way.

Originally posted by Koa
Crisaor, as for your question (sorry I'm bad at quoting), at the moment I hardly care for football so I dont support any teams in particular, I only have a sympathy for a local team called Chievo, a team from a small part of my city who managed to get to the main league (serie A) and stay there for years, fighting at the same level of 'big' teams (and when i say big, I mean their budgets!!!), which is interesting in these times when sport is ruled by money and tv broadcasts (which are the reasons why I lost my interest in sports, especially football).
I know that team. You're from Verona then?

Originally posted by Koa
I used to be a great fan of Fiorentina because of Batistuta!!! That's also where my interest from Argentina came from... But the team has been swallowed by debts, as happened to my favourite basketball team too...so I'm sportless now :D
Yeah. Shame about that one. But it's a sign that things work there (despite your favourite club went bankruptcy). Here, some teams are saved (only the ones some of the politicians support) and the poor ones suffer the same fate of the fiorentina, or worse.

[Koa]

Originally posted by crisaor


Here, some teams are saved (only the ones some of the politicians support) and the poor ones suffer the same fate of the fiorentina, or worse. [/B]

Well...do you think that the real important ones wouldnt be saved? Roma and Lazio are swimming in debts but still going, and I doubt that Milan would ever have to face any problem (and I'm not going to discuss further about how referees seem to favout it, but if you know his owner you know everything about it)... the government in the past week has been discussing about some sort of decree to save football... This country is really based on football...oops...soccer :D

Yeah I'm from Verona, I thought everybody knew but since I removed that info from my profile, I guess I have to remind it sometimes ;)

[IWilKikU]

I'd just like to clear somthing up about American Football:

First of all, someone said something about the players being whimpy and needing padding. Well, these guys slam into eachother at breakneck speeds, and are permenantly injured often despite thier "whimpy pads", and have you ever seen a soccer player get kicked in the shin, they fall down and cry like its the end of the world. "WAAAAAAHHHH! SOMEONE STEPPED ON MY FOOOOOOOOOTT! WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHAAAAHHHAAAA!!!" Come on! American Football players are the real gladiators of modern sports. The only other sport that comes close is rugby. Even Hockey players are more mighty than soccer players. American football players, brutes, Soccer players, artists.

Money:
American football is the last remaining professional sport with a salary cap. This dissallows clubs from selling alot of merchandise and than using those funds to monopolize the player market. Other sports have salary caps, but they have a luxery tax that the club can pay to exceed it, making the orginization even more money. I'm disgusted with sporting economics, but US football is a close as the world comes to keeping the sport based on Athletes and coaching rather than who can afford who.

Thats all I have to say about that.

[emily655321]

*starts to say something about the gazillions of dollars spent each year on novelty football merchandise, tickets, concessions, million-dollar-Superbowl-ad-spots, players hawking fast food and soda in commercials* *stops herself* My lips is zipped. :p Clearly I must concede the cap is due to the NFL's high level of integrity concerning athleticism.

[IWilKikU]

:p. Don't missinterpret me em! Its silly to think that American football isn't a huge capitalist gimmick, but for the most part they keep the economics off the field itself. The Yankee's, the Lakers, and Manchester United all can afford to pay their players WAAAAAAYYY more than the competing teams. So the best players go there. So those teams win championships. It CANNOT work like that in American Football. The negative effects of the Salary cap are that players usually don't stay on a team for more than about 4 years. There's no team loyalty among the players anymore :(:(. But at least a team can't buy the superbowl.

Also, there is a huge amount of advertising DURING THE COMMERCIALS of football events, esp. the Superbowl. But the Premiership teams actually have thier sponsers logos on thier jerseys. I can't even tell what team a players on. At a glance it looks like the Vodafones are playing Oranges. Stupid advertising. Yuk!

Didn't I already say "That's all I have to say about that"? :D

[emily655321]

I get what you mean. But your post gives me an idea... perhaps the world of politics would be better off were they to go the way of the Premiership. I propose mandatory advertisement of financial contributors by politicians to be worn on politicians' suits at all time. Once special interest groups contribute more than a certain percentage of his/her chest, that politician will have the choice of wearing either a sandwich board or a big Barney-type suit at all times in public. I look forward to the presidential debate between Bush's eyes peeking out of an oversized cloth oil drum, and Kerry as a large bottle of Heinz ketchup!

My petition will be drawn up soon for everyone to sign. Whaddya say? :D :D

[Koa]

Good point about football...damn, soccer players being crybabies...
And I understand your point, I wish sports here had a salary cap...if I understood what you mean. Or anyway, there that would be rules about how money has to be used there... It' soooo boring to say so, but a foot...nah, soccer player earns in 1 year what an ordinary worker won't earn in his whole life...

[verybaddmom]

my son plays minor league football here in Canada (so that's the manly sport of knocking each other down) and i tell you...i had NO idea what the heck the whole point of this game was. then one day they had an exhibition game day where it was parents against the kids...and i was sort of forced to learn. however, i found that once i understood it, it was actually pretty cool. my boy plays center, so he's the guy in the middle of it all at the beginning with his butt in the air, and then he chucks the ball between his legs to the guy standing behind him. its actually very technical....

anyhow, the point of this is....well i have no idea.

i guess the point is that i think it's a good sport for kids (and grown ups). there is actually alot of mental skill required (planning and executing strategies as well as being able to think on one's feet) as well as the fact that the energy that is burned off is usually agressive energy. its great when our youth are channelled in that manner. my son talks sometimes about getting a football scholarship to college too, so while he may not ever go pro, there is still a future attached to it. does it get any better than that?

[emily655321]

Just tell your son to tell his football buddies not to beat up the kids who *don't* favor his particular method of energy-channeling, agreed? :p

[fayefaye]

Is he out of hospital yet? hope he's ok. the soccer guy in hospital, right?

me love soccer and rugby. :D

[random_hero]

Here is what happened: pure enjoyment of outdoor activities met capitalistic old men ina one on one, winner take all fight. The old men won, and now it is all about the money.

[crisaor]

Originally posted by fayefaye
Is he out of hospital yet? hope he's ok. the soccer guy in hospital, right?
me love soccer and rugby. :D
Glad to hear that, faye. :)
Actually, the day he woke up (he was in a chemical coma for about a week), he signed a note giving his aknowledgement that it was fully his responsability and he left the clinic, and then he went to a house in the country to play golf. The next day, he was already playing soccer with his doctor and eating roasted meat.
Ese es el Diego.

[Edmond]

I thought this website is about literature, though to show that I am not merely a bookworm or a nerd, I do watch a lot of sports, and Maradona is a great soccer player, he lead Argentina to WorldCUp championships, he was short, but lightling quick, the players today remind me of him are:
Michael Owen
Javier Saviola

[crisaor]

Originally posted by Edmond
I thought this website is about literature, though to show that I am not merely a bookworm or a nerd, I do watch a lot of sports, and Maradona is a great soccer player, he lead Argentina to WorldCUp championships, he was short, but lightling quick, the players today remind me of him are:
Michael Owen
Javier Saviola
Edmond, as you can see, the description below General Chat says: "Discuss anything and everything, except politics." So, this is not a 'wrong topic', as you put it.
That aside, both of the players you mention are great, but they lack several of Maradona's qualities: neither of them usually makes free kicks, they're both forwards (maradona was a middleman, the head of the team play-wise, we call that "enganche"), and they both use speed as thir main method to pass enemy players. Maradona was quick, but that was just due to his young age, and it didn't do much for him, there were other players in Argentina who were faster than him. His ability with the ball was the thing that made him the greatest.