Did you ever stop to think why Soccer (more appropriately Football) is the most popular sport in the world? Why it is commonly known as “The Beautiful Game”? As a Football fanatic myself, I was always fascinated by the different and distinct styles of play of different nations as well as clubs. My theory has always been that Football is more than a game. Different nationalities adapted the same game as an expression of their own culture. The rules are the same, the stadiums are similar but the style of play is a reflection of the national soul, its history, culture and traditions – a National Mirror.
Football is a cultural expression. The French play this elegant style because they are French. The Brazilians play this rhythmic style because they are Brazilians, Spanish football style reminds you of a bull fighting dance, the Dutch play a spontaneous total football because they are Dutch, the British play a physical hard tackling game because they are British – get the point? This is also true, albeit less so for major club teams. Take Manchester United of whom I have been an avid fan for 65 years. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 after winning the Premier League title, Manchester United was not the same and fell into mediocrity under David Moyes and his successor Luis van Gaal, both whom have since been sacked. The reason: they attempted to change the culture and persona of United from an exciting dominant attacking style, fast pace, creative and confident of winning to a cautious, defensive, calculated style. Club teams too have personalities, souls, traditions and culture. You cannot change a company like Google to become AT&T. If you try you have to kill its soul first.
Now there are those contrarians who in recent years especially through social media attempted to debunk the “National Mirror Thesis” they refer to it as stereotype nostalgia. Indeed, globalization, mobility of players and managers, huge escalation in player transfer fees and wages, enormous TV broadcasting revenues attracting foreign oligarchs’ ownership of major clubs may ultimately erode the cultural foundation of football. But I am a traditionalist I saw it with my own eyes and felt it with my own senses. Football in most countries remains the working class game, for whom, Football and national culture and values have not been separated. Therefore, I believe that each national Football team is an ambassador of its distinct nation’s history and tradition and predictably showcases them in its style, strategy and individual play. Football played in the image of the nation itself. I decided to prove the hypothesis thus I invite you on this international journey: “Soccer – A National Mirror”
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