Take a bow: Portugal is winning things

And it tastes sweeter because it’s against these dudes…

It took forever for us to shout out in International Sports. For an American to understand, let’s say we pulled a ‘Miracle on Ice’. Despite our coach best wishes, we were not first in line to win the thing. And in a Euro Cup filled with fantastic stories (the Icelandic, the Welsh) it went down to the last of the favorites and the first of the outsiders to win the thing.

The Portuguese individual is used to shed some tears. We suffered along the way. But we stood together — maybe for the first time — and, as a single unit, under our manager hopes and dreams (Portugal hits Like on the ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph’ type of coach…) we took care of business.

Nobody stood out individually and I think that is key to a team’s success in such a physical Summer tournament that caps off a never-ending season to the players. Was Cristiano there? Sure. But I also saw Pepe playing the Football of his life. I saw Rui Patrício calling Buffon his bitch. I saw in Raphael Guerreiro the wing back of everyone’s dreams. The midfield play, the team spirit, the offensive dudes running across the pitch… they were ALL amazing to watch. This American didn’t think so. But that’s because he’s an American writing about Soccer… maybe he should check Italy’s silverware. Some wings of the German trophy cabinet. And I dunno… the final between Holland and Spain in 2010?…

You don’t need to please the crowd anymore playing such a competitive sport. Of course you’d never watch such a tactician approach in a NBA match but the beauty of Football is the fact that it you also can play it like a dickhead to others. Where NBA strives for the everyday Raphael’s Madonna del Prato, Football will tolerate and celebrate Munch’s The Scream once in a while.

The only match besides the final that Portugal against a bigger country in population and GDP was the one with Poland (38.5M people/525.9 Bn USDs in 2013). All the others were against smaller nations that also performed way above average. This was an historic tournament for the ‘Euro minions’. I can only hope for the next one to be conquered by Ireland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6elPEnK31EU

This one is already ours. As someone said yesterday, “People are used to laugh at Portugal. Let us laugh once in a while”.

That’s right. We are winning things. Back in the 16th century nobody told us “hey, did you take the most amah-zing and breathtaking route to India or what”? Nope. We just discovered the shit outta it. And that, my friends, is “como se faz”.

Take a bow!