(Preview: I had decided to revive my series of whom might be featuring at Euro 2008 this summer after realising just one feature is not enough. As we are getting closer to probably the second most biggest football tournament after the World Cup, the latest weekend unofficial football focus series's Euro 2008 special will take a look at VfB Stuttgart striker and Germany international Mario Gomez. Yours truly will try her best not to be too biased given Gomez is her most favourite footballer in her favourite German club...after all, she used to study History in school and knowing the level of biasness in a source is one of those stuff she learned.)
He's actually half-Spanish through his father. But he plays for the German national team (he chose to, given he had said before that he was born in Germany). I had forgotten when was the first time I first know of Mario Gomez but then even all the more he plays for the club I support in Germany, all the more sweeter.
As Gomez's place in the Mannschaft is more or less secured even before the announcement next month, the only thing he has to do now is to help his club Stuttgart to earn for a European spot next month (I will be shocked if I don't see his name in coach Joachim Loew's squad list...unless touchwood, there's unforseen circumstances). Because even though no matter what happens when his club travel to the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich tomorrow, Bayern will secure their 21st Bundesliga title anyway sooner or later.
If you had noticed from the title, that is like one of the many nicknames being given to the Stuttgart striker actually. My own personal favourite actually. In a season where the defending Bundesliga champions had stumbled at times (at least the club is moving in the right direction these days), he was one of the rare positives. There could be a chance that he may feature against Bayern tomorrow as he has shake off those injuries which kept him on the sidelines for a few matches now. But whatever it may be the case, the once self-confessed Barcelona fan (though he had said in a TV interview that for now, Stuttgart's still his favourite) had plenty of admirers...outisde of Germany, that is.
On to stuff proper. So I had said earlier about Mario Gomez being half-Spanish. From what I remembered reading, his Spanish-born father who is from Granada, came to Germany as a student when he was in his teens. It was there he met his German wife and settled down in southern Germany since. Mario's father had been a football fan (which Real Madrid is the club he's a fan of) and it was said that the son was being influenced and started supporting Barcelona since young. Gomez had said ahead of when Stuttgart was hosting Barcelona in this season's Champions League group stages that the Spanish half of his family are Real Madrid fans (given Real and Barcelona are not only Spain's two most biggest and successful football clubs, they have a history of rivalry which goes beyond football) and so they know which side to support when Gomez's club take on the Catalans at that time. Unfortunately ahead of the club's trip to the Nou Camp, he was injured but then club coach Armin Veh (knowing his striker is a fan of Barcelona) allowed his striker to join the club on their trip to Spain. But with him being among the audience.
Gomez's rise to prominence in German football is nothing short but remarkable. Considering it was only early last year he first made his international appearance in the Germany-Switzerland friendly on February 2007 (and even scoring the second of the three goals against the Swiss which had one in return), so much has happened. And I remembered it was former Germany football great Franz Beckbenbauer used to say that he has to be included in the German national team and he did for the Switzerland friendly (not to be confused with the one they had against the Swiss away in Basel last month). Winning the Bundesliga title with Stuttgart just in the previous season, and winning the German Footballer of the Year award just last year...the future's looking bright for this half-German, half-Spanish.
Like any up and coming footballers (who are not playing in England), chances are if you are real good, it's a matter of time clubs from overseas (and to my horror maybe given Manchester United is my club in England...Chelsea was once apparently in the frame) start to chase for your signature. It's like almost every major club in Europe had enquired about him, but no Barcelona yet (Gomez's most favourite club, that is). The Chelsea rumour was when it really became the last straw for me. Or maybe again, I am a United supporter. How dare our title rivals...? Hang on, they have the money anyway. I know I may be naive and selfish when I am wishing that Gomez at least stay on until his contract expires in 2012.
But the world of football is changing all the time and that is something I cannot ignore. It's one heck of a nasty football world. I am even a dud when it comes to the world of football but then it's only when I started to follow the Bundesliga and having footballers I'm a fan of, I found myself getting all worked up if they are linked to especially the Premier League. But even that, unless it's Manchester United...I will pretend to go into a hissy fit especially if the club is one of our title rivals.
My only realistic thought is that wait till maybe a couple seasons or more before 'Super Mario' decides where he's heading next anyway. I rather he heads to Barcelona. I mean, how many can say they are playing for the club they support since as a kid?
He's good right now, no doubt about that (that is if he don't get himself injured again). And it's good to know despite the world is at his feet, he's still a humble person and still lives around the area where he grew up. And still having the same girlfriend he has known since school. Hey, I had seen a photo of his girlfriend before and she's pretty. A medical student even.
One of the worst things to be a female football fan is that guys will say you only start to be a football fan because of cute male footballers. This world isn't fair for us of the so-called of the fairer sex in the beginning, even when it comes to football. Excuse me, that is not among my main reasons why I follow football. If I want to introduce myself in football-speak, I am the daughter of a football-crazy father which indirectly led me to be a fan too. Though I don't mind if there's any footballer I admire for their skills on the football pitch who is well, cute also. Too handsome...I will have to reconsider first. Not good for this person who is still a little 'old-school' when it comes to football. But anyhow, I wondered is it a Spanish thing. All that old stereotypes about Spanish men being handsome...okay, Mario Gomez is half-Spainish but, you get the idea (look at the first photo of this link and judge for yourself).
Coming back to why I have this unofficial series of footballers who might be featuring at Euro 2008. The tournament this summer at Austria and Switzerland will be the first real time football audiences get to see who is this Mario Gomez us German football fans had been talking about for some time now. Lukas Podolski was one of those up and coming stars in the World Cup two years ago and who knows this time round. You can only prove your worth if you play in a major tournament.
