random ramblings

Today is Messi’s farewell match in Argentina shirt. Few weeks back, when the international retirement news came out, my reaction was that this might be the beginning of the end for me as football fan. There is a precedence to it. I stopped watching any form of cricket after Sachin retired. Slowly the interest died and ever since haven’t watched any match. Like many Malayalees, Argentina and Messi (and Maradona before) was a “vikaaram” (a sentiment or an emotion). That beautiful journey ends today. As a kid, I used to play an entire imaginary world cup, all by myself. With a tennis ball sometimes. Making up rules as to what counts as a goal. One such world cup was played like this - I would kick the ball to the slanting tiled roof, one can’t predict how it will come down and when it comes down, hit the goal on the volley in one touch, two touch, three touch. I used to play group games, quarter finals, semis and finals and declare winner like this. Or play an entire tournament for hours ...

This past weekend, I watched a final - EFL cup football, between Chelsea and Liverpool. On the Chelsea side, expensive players who collectively cost about one billion dollars. Other side was missing all of its front line three, their first choice goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders - all out due to injury. Liverpool won the match in extra time. They fought fearlessly for 120 minutes and they wanted it more. Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, announced stepping down as a manager by the end of this season. He said he is running low on energy, “we are not bunnies anymore, jumping up and down”, that felt like “running on three wheels”, “a race car that can go at 180 mph, but running on fumes and needing to take a rest stop”. Since then, the players and the fans want to make memories with the remaining matches, win everything they can and close this season as a long goodbye. How do one create such a following? He hugs every player coming on, shouting good things in their ear as they wait to...