Euro 2008, Wimbledon… what’s next?

It looks like 2008 is going to be the great year for Spanish sports. After years and years of disappointment and disillusionment this year our guys are doing great!

First of all the Euro 2008. Watching the final agaist Germany was nerve-wrecking. At the end, I was almost kneeling in front of the telly praying to some unknown god of sports that the Germans wouldn’t score in the last minute. Because yes, things like that happen to the Spanish football team quite often (or should I say “USED to happen”). I still have memories of the USA 94 quarter finals, Spain v Italy. We were robbed. The Italians played dirty, so dirty that they managed to break Luis Enrique’s nose and get away with it, without even a yellow card! Yes, historically the Spanish football team has been quite unlucky. And I mean UNLUCKY. When you’re playing good football and the gods conspire against you, that’s unlucky. But still, just after can’t-remember-how-many years of bad luck, finally Spain showed the rest of Europe that our football is and has always been great!

Then Wimbledon. I felt sorry for Federer, honestly. I bet he really wanted to win the 6th Wimbledon in a row, and beat a record that has been untouched for hundred odd years. I could feel his desire, his power, his determination… Had he been playing against anyone else, I would have cheered for him. BUT. Rafael Nadal. Ese Rafa! At the still tender age of 22 he’s managed to be the world’s number two for about three years running. And who knows, maybe if he gets to win a few more Grand Slams he will become the number one! But going back to the Wimbledon final, I thought I was going to lose my voice from screaming. He was about to win the match in the thrid set. But that wouldn’t have been exciting. Fighting for 5 hours, playing against the weather (so windy!), and facing your rival of so many years… THAT was exciting… Come on! He showed such a maturity, strenght and determination! He was the best player and he deserved to win.

But now the question lays on the Olympics. What are the Spanish chances of winning any medals? Handball, the sport in which Spain has always excelled, seems to be a bit out of our hand, as our team really suffered to get qualified. We’ve always been good at Gymnastics (Gervasio!!) and Cycling, but what else? Hopefully, 2008 will be the year of Spanish Sports and we will have something to remember and tell our granchildren one day…