I am already picturing the excerpts for my autobiography, if I ever pen it down. Just imagining the reaction of what my future kids and grandkids reading how their mother and grandmother (respectively) is feeling about certain events.
Seriously, shades and memories of this World Cup are still floating around in my head. When it was made known who is Brazil's new national coach (former Brazil captain Dunga who captained the country to victory in USA '94), only one word came into my head - Jurgen Klinsmann. I saw the ST this morning, and the similarities are showing up. One was part of the winning Brazil squad in USA '94 (the new Brazil national coach), the other was part of the winning West Germany squad in Italy '90. Both have no prior coaching experience. I think, I am smelling a rat. Ha ha. Very, funny. Okay, except the positions both men played on the pitch. One is a captain, and the other is a striker.
Guess Brazil is now going to do a Germany, eh? Or wait, like what the papers had been sort of saying after Brazil appointed their new national coach - doing a Klinsmann.
I am already picturing what I am going to write next time in the autobiography. It was often being noted that trying to make changes, especially one which will surely raise eyebrows, is always something people will rather want to avoid and not doing it. During the 18th World Cup in Germany (and I was 18-going on-19), there's even real-life lessons to draw from football's biggest extravaganza for me. And it's aiming directly at the mindsets of, us. If weren't for the papers' analysis of the then-Germany's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann about his younger playing days as a striker, I don't think I will know the answer.
Is anyone willing to take risks? Risks which will raise eyebrows? He had did that. All along, we had always associate Germany with being so industrious, so boorish and dour and gloomy and all that. But from the moment the World Cup kicked off in Germany, the rest of the world was almost silenced and wondered what was going on with the Germany's national squad. Slowly the papers here began to take notice and compare about Klinsmann's tactics against then-England national coach (a Swede even) Eriksson's. The new Germany being a reflection of England's old and England being a reflection of Germany's old. I remembered so well this was what The Sunday Times (the Sunday edition of The Straits Times) had pointed out. England's golden era of football was during the '60s, especially when they were hosting it in '66 and won it too, on home soil.
Of a sudden, Germany comes alive on their home soil. And it's all because of their national coach who did not have any coaching experience at all actually. It's only when once I was reading a TODAY article about the time when Holland's national coach at that time (van Basten) and Klinsmann in their playing days where they once 'crossed swords' in Italy's Serie A, I first asked my father about the latter's past playing days. He remembered Klinsmann once playing for Spurs. Ah, the whole EPL (English Premier League) connection and dominance. Given the EPL is what we football-mad Singaporeans always follow, is what my football-mad father had followed since his teens.
Anyhow, it was strange four years ago when the World Cup was in Japan and South Korea (they were the co-hosts), I was secretly wishing Germany to win over Brazil. It must had been that 'supporting-the-underdog' mentality kicking in for me then. Four years on, World Cup came over to Germany. At first like many even the Germans themselves, I had doubts about the Germany's national squad from what the papers had been writing about them. But from the moment the tournament kicked off, Germany was on a roll...till eventual champions Italy stopped them in their tracks in the semis. Italy at that time was already marred by football scandals in their home country over their domestic league and they used that to motivate them on. And it's like maybe after the group rounds, I only started to become a Germany convert, you know! Other than being an England (which they got crashed out to Portugal on the penalties in the quarters) fan, I don't always have another serious favourite. Germany is added to that list, you know. I don't even want the magic to end for Germany.
One sign to know I was almost becoming a Germany convert during the World Cup - I was telling my father like during the group rounds (forgot which match now) that I rather watch play Germany over Brazil anytime, given how so many marvel over Brazil (which I know they play good too...but maybe a little too good?). I guessed it was a sign coming. My father pointed out that Germany is playing attacking football, and that is what audiences love to see. Given I had even found out then that Klinsmann was once a striker in his playing days, what he had instilled to the squad was probably influenced from his younger days.
Of a sudden overnight, everyone's favourite national coach is also him too. Despite Germany lost out to be in the final (but they were third in the end during the playoffs and that is good too), The New Paper had a tribute of sorts to Klinsmann (and the article came out the day before the playoff actually). This goes to show how much everyone loves him. Those silly and funny antics from the sidelines whenever the camera focuses on him is what I had always look forward whenever Germany played during the World Cup then. I always wanted to laugh when it happens when watching Germany's matches. The New Paper at that time did highlighted it too.
I had the funny feeling already after the medal ceremony for the 3rd/4th playoff that Klinsmann will not stay on, given he is actually based in the States before he was appointed as the national coach. And already in the beginning, he was being largely criticised on all corners...from spending too much time in the States, implementing new ways to overhaul the squad which raised eyebrows at once...but all that were being naturalised when the World Cup happened and everyone love him, from top to bottom. Well, though it was kind of expected he is not saying on days after the World Cup final ended, it was as if I heard something very loud being crashing on me when I first knew about the news.
I first learnt about Germany in my History elective classes in my secondary school days as part of my Combined Humanities, and you know what was the scope about Germany in my History textbook then? Practically everything I had realised during the World Cup in Germany that the Germans themselves rather forget. The effects of the Treaty of Versailles after WWI, the forming of Weimar Republic (an attempt at that time to build a democractic Germany), Hitler and about the Nazi era (the one they rather forget it once happened), the division of an East and West Germany given the events of the Cold War and the effects of the fall of communism in eastern Europe. To top the list...Hitler's era is the one ordinary Germans rather forget followed by the time when communism separated their country apart once.
And so I don't blame the Germans for being so patriotic of a sudden from what I saw on the TV news.
It's strange back in my History classes that whenever we are learning about Germany, some of the guys in the class would go excited especially if it's about the Nazi era. I really wondered why back then...and the time when World Cup rolled around in 2006. I soon realised why. And it's quite a contrast as I found out. I mean, when I start to think about it, who likes to remember about the most darkest moments in their country's history? But for us viewing from an outsider's viewpoint, it's part of the History syllabus for people like me. How will we know about the effects it has on its own people unless we find out for ourselves? Just like how I always remembered how my father was indirectly affected by the Japanese Occupation because one of his relatives was captured by the Japanese soliders at that time.
He had told me one thing once which of a sudden rang true to my ears. I will never ever know the effects because I learnt it only from the History textbook. It came back all over again when Germany's World Cup happened in the summer of 2006. It was one of those times which I smiled to myself that I know why I was once a History student for a reason. Watching 'The Sound of Music' when the musical came over here in Singapore was actually the very first time which made me being proud as a History student for once, given it mentioned about the Anschluss. I know about that one. How many times my father declared that geography is more practical than history, really. Ah...just a World Cup alone had taught me so much.
Kind of lengthy, eh? But since when it's new? Okay...I had admitted it.
