Je ne comprend pas

Pourquoi, Zizou, pourquoi??? What an earth could he have said to you?

Football makes you so irrational. So irrational, that I'm still convinced that it was all Materazzi's fault. The greatest player ever, world cup final, his last ever football match. Wh... I don't even know what to ask!!

Zizou is magical. When he holds the ball, time slows down. Sure, C. Ronaldo or Ronaldinho are agile and have quick feet, Rooney is strong like a bull, but Figo, Zidane, and perhaps even the great Finn Jari Litmanen all possess the greatest skill: they can freeze time. They never hurry with the ball, and when they take their time, they calm everyone down. No matter how hecticly the game flows, once they set their feet to the ball, all of a sudden it all goes to slow motion - you can see how they control not only the ball, not only their own game, but everything on the field. And then, SNAP!, they have made their decision, worked their magic, the ball has parted their feet and with the flick of the ankle, time fast forwards as if to catch up the time that was lost. And that means the defence will be late. The goalie is rooted to his feet. And the Greatest have scored, or given the perfect, bespoke pass.

Like Figo yesterday with his perfect cross. It feels superficial and just plain stupid to say it, in this world of hype and empty superlatives, but it is the only way to accurately describe that pass: Absolutely Perfect. And Litmanen's goals, passes, presence. Class. It looks smart, thought out, purposeful.

I'm useless in remembering dates, and I never remember who played who which year and which tournament and which game etc. But I remember several magical goals by Zidane, and to me he always epitomised class on the pitch. A cut above anyone else. And now I don't understand. How can all that purpose, class, patience, skill, leadership and presence vanish like that? For those 5 black seconds in Berlin, Zidane didn't just freeze time, he deleted it.

Ce n'est qu'un cauchemar, je me réveillerai bientôt....