While I’m writing words of football wisdom, my earphones play George Micheal’s track “Fastlove” and it grooves in my mind.
Oh, I must correct myself. It’s the words of the Educated Fool, aka my big brother, that you will read through my writing. We do make a fabulous team!
Last Saturday was an awakening.
He decided to watch the under 17 years old FIFA qualification game of England vs Spain. He didn’t expect to see a masterpiece on the screen while watching this game, but he did. The England soccer team played like they were Gods on the ground. It was not just the 5-2 score that was impressive, but the way they were manipulating the ball, their creativity on the ground.
It was like seeing a miracle in play. And I think it actually was.
Personally, I grew up watching the Golden generation of the 90s team with Beckham, Scholes, Gerard, Terry, Cole, and Defoe that were playing in a very hmmm…. emotionally way.
But, this brand new generation is totally different. They are the mastersof executing plays.
The way English soccer has always been very based on emotion, like they were soldiers going into war, it makes it feel like they always have this dark cloud following them. And this cloud has been with them since 1953.
Let’s make a little trip back in time.
November 25th 1953. At the time, this match was the match of century. England vs Hungary. At the time, the English team was a cocky team, with a a cocky attitude towards other teams such as Hungary, Italy, and many more. But, this match changed the England team forever.
They didn’t expected the Hungary team to dominate this game in such a big way. Their equivalent of Lionel Messi was Ferenc Puskas. This guy was a magician on the field. He wasn’t alone in his kingdom.
The striker had the perfect partner in crime in the midfielder, Nandor Hidegkuti. Hidegkuti was free on the field to take some chances. And during that game, you can clearly see it.
The England Team, at the time, was built to be a superstar team surrounded by top players like Stanley Matthews. But was it a good idea?
The Hungary Team was better built as a soccer or ”football” club. During the game, you can clearly see that the Hungarians were a better tactical team than the Englishmen. Unfortunately, the country that created soccer got a soccer lesson from Hungary. And even now, they haven’t recovered.
For the ones that know about the history of the English team, you will tell me “…but they won the World Cup in 1966!” “They had a pretty good team in Italy in 1990!” Regardless, you can still feel this dark cloud from 1953 following them.
But, could it be the end of this curse? Or, should I say this phobia they have?
Could it be that the savior for this historical team is the younger generation?
Could this younger generation actually show the English Team how to play soccer?
For all those questions, the answer is yes!
During the qualifications so far, the under 17 are showing us that they do understand the game. You look into the lineup and it’s beautiful. You see a very multicultural team, similar to France, Germany, and Belgium. For me, it’s the start of a new era. In 1992, the Football Association (FA) told Grant Taylor not to put too many black players on the team. Taylor at first, selected a lot of young black players and now, the FA has told him to cut back.
What the fuck…
60 years later, they are finally getting it.
Now, they are a progressive team instead ofregressive. Those young players are shining, like bright diamonds. But, will they have the chance to play in the Premiership League with Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea?
We really hope so!
Let’s let them shine and let’s let them make us dream again, about a future that will be wonderful for England. The world is going a little bit crazy right now, but those young players are united by the love of this beautiful game. It is showing us that there is hope in working together and daring to be different.
The winds of change are coming in a beautiful way.
