Unlike the average American sports fan, I really love international soccer. Or, as 99% of the world would call it, football. I'm not quite sure why Americans started calling the sport played by NFL teams "football." An entire NFL game could be played with only just a few uses of the foot to kick the ball (which is actually not even a sphere - hence can it even be called a "ball"?). I think the whole idea of American football was part of Americans' general desire to thumb their collective nose at England and the rest of the world (kind of like the way they discarded the metric system and took the "u" out of words like colour and behaviour). We do stuff our own way, even it if makes no sense. That's just the way we roll over here in the US of A.
Anyway, yesterday I watched the championship of the Euro 2008. The final was an exciting match between Spain and Germany, with the Spanish earning a hard fought victory for their first Euro championship since 1964. Spain was impressive throughout the tournament, going undefeated and knocking out World Cup champions Italy along the way.
Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured below with his weird European mini-mullet) were on a roll at the Euros until they got hammered by Germany in the quarter finals.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy (below, and also heading in a goal at top of post) and Holland also put on quite a show for their orange-clad countrymen in the opening rounds, only to be ousted by Russia in the quarterfinal as well.
If you don't like football, er.... soccer, and didn't see any of Euro 2008, you missed out on a thrilling competition. There were several incredible games, with many last second goals to win games in dramtic fashion. Watching the Euro games made me all the more excited about the World Cup, coming up in 2010 from South Africa. Since these major championships only happen once every four years, and since the teams represent an entire nation's hopes and dreams being placed on the line, it makes for some of the most compelling and dramatic sports competitions in the world.
