My World Cup finals (post #100)

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For once I will talk about sports seen only on television. My 13th World Cup final, the third at daytime, is about to start. I tried to watch it live, but I was unlucky with the draw. I then thought back to 12 I've seen so far, from the age of 6 (now I'm 54, and I write it also to help me realize it).

1974 West Germany - Netherlands 2-1: I had just started to follow football. The first national team match I had seen was the last friendly pre-World Cup against Austria (0-0). So I did not realize how much we hoped to win that World Cup: the elimination in the first round was therefore a disappointment for me, but not an incredible event. In the final my father was a fan of the Netherlands, I was for Germany. I do not know why, I've always been a bit attracted to that country. Not so much then, but after seeing it in the following years, I realized what a fantastic game it was and how the attention for the Netherlands at the time had made us forget that Germany was also very strong

1978 Argentina - Netherlands 3-1 (ET): this time my father and I agreed to cheer for the Netherlands, especially after the farce that had qualified Argentina (6-0 with Peru).The Netherlands equalized when we were losing our hopes, hopes that would die in extra time.

1982 Italy - West Germany 3-1: I'm in Scotland and I watch the game with my house mates, four Italians and one Frenchman. At the end we celebrate on the streets of Edinburgh: we are really many and some Scots are scared.

1986 Argentina - West Germany 3-2: we support Germany, both because it's European and because of the presence of an Inter player, Rummenigge (the presence of an Inter player will remain constant from 1982 until today). Germany completes the comeback with a few minutes to go, only to be later fooled by a player, Burruchaga, whom I had never heard of, despite having played against Inter in the Uefa Cup of the year before.

1990 West Germany - Argentina 1-0: no doubt about supporting Germany, both for the presence of Inter players, and for the way in which Argentina qualified, not only against Italy. Very boring match, resolved by a Brehme penalty in the final minutes. I had seen most of the matches with Gialappa's band fun commentary, but for the final I follow the RAI commentary. Only at the end I switch to Gialappa's to hear the final comment "Argentini do not take it that way: take it in your ass!.

1994 Brzsil - Italy 3-2 (PK): it is the World Cup that I lived with most misgivings. I was not so happy to support Italy because of my strong aversion for its manager. Over the years I have acknowledged some merits to Mr Sacchi, but I still consider him one of the most overrated people in sports' history, at least in Italian sports'. Then political events added up: after Berlusconi's government took advantage of the semi-final to approve a very controversial measure, I announce that in the final I would support  Brazil and I also consider watching the match in a Brazilian local. After the conclusion on penalty kicks of a match even more boring than the previous one, I do not have the courage to cheer: I remain a bit sad. I do not know how I would have felt if Italy had won.

1998 France - Brazil 3-0: this time I really watch it in a Brazilian restaurant, in Carpi (I'm there for work). Great collective disappointment, with Brazil never in the game. In the car I hear Gialappa's ask the French guest "How is it to win a World Cup abroad?" and I think about my days in 1982

2002 Brazil - Germany 2-0: first final in the afternoon. I'm happy for my idol Ronaldo's Brazil victory. I did not know I was going to hate him in less than two months.

2006 Italy - France 6-5 (PK): Italy reaches the final as a favorite. Everybody find resemblances with 1982, but I see more between France and Italy at that time: a manager generally considered an idiot, the first round passed painfully against an African team, before changing pace in the knock-out phase. We win, but this time, with two young children, I can not go to celebrate.

2010 Spain - Netherlands 1-0 (ET): I support the Netherlands, not only for Sneijder, but I'm happy that the match is decided by one of the players I admire the most: Iniesta.

2014 Germany - Argentina 1-0 (ET): I'm in Germany. I cheer for my host country, also for the curiosity to see the celebrations, my children for Argentina, for fear that the Germans will boast too much. I have some doubt comes when Palacio enters the field and gets also close to scoring. Germany wins and I can therefore see the celebrations, however smaller than they would have been in almost all countries, starting from Italy.

2018 France - Croatia 4-2: it's the first final I haven't seen in full. In fact, I see it started for about twenty minutes due to the coincidence with the Wimbledon final. I support Croatia for a variety of reasons, including the presence of an Inter player on the pitch and another on the bench, but with some embarrassment about the political connotation that some reactionaries and racists give to it. Perisic illudes, and it's also the 8th goal by an Inter player in a World Cup final, but then it ends as expected. Good match anyway, at least among the best three finals he has seen, perhaps more if one were able to admit that my youth's myths may be overcome.

Source: il Corriere del Pallone