With the Champions League back on, I went in search of predictions about who fans in Jamaica thought would win.
What I found was there aren’t really fans. Well, I didn’t find what I expect from a fan.
The term fan is an offshoot of the word fanatic. A fanatic is someone who shows so much loyalty to something that they, not only, have strong emotion about it, but are knowledgeable by virtue of spending so much time dedicated to understanding it.
In seeking answers to my questions predicting the winner of the Champions League, I found humiliating explanations, shallow reasoning and anything but persuasive arguments for one team or another.
Come to think of it, maybe they used a little strategy. There were two matches being played at the same time in the UEFA Champions League— Manchester City vs. Real Madrid and Juventus vs. Lyon. Fans were aware and had to develop a strategy to watch them both. But that's just about it.
When I asked my ‘fair-weather friends’ who they think would win the Champions League and why, their responses were uninspiring.
They usually started confidently enough, but that was where the solidity ended.
“BARCELONA!”, “MAN-CITY!”, “CHELSEA!”, “REAL MADRID!” etc, came the answers even before the questions were completely out of my mouth.
The problem they all encountered though, was the question of … why?
Suddenly the confidence of the answers were replaced with almost incoherent, largely uninformed drivle.
“Definitely you know it’s Barcelona. And I know other persons are going to say otherwise but this is the reason why: Barcelona is a champion...beyond champion, beyond champion, beyond champion, beyond champion…”
Another picked Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as his winner.
“Neymar is a star baller,” was his ‘very solid’ reason.
I wanted a response from a seasoned fan. I figured it would have some substance but a seasoned fan is not common place.
“Man City definitely! I think they have the best ballers,” is the closest I could come to something resembling a thought-out explanation.
That being the best of the answers left me, an admitted novice, dejected.
Look, I’m not expecting fans to necessarily be able to provide reasons with the analysis of seasoned commentators like Lance Whittaker, but I would expect that a ‘fan’, has more to offer in the way of some understanding about the game.
The Champions League is now down to eight teams, who will play straight knock-out games in Lisbon, Portugal beginning October 12.
The teams in the quarterfinal are; Atalanta, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Lyon.
Who do you think will come out tops?
Please share your thoughts on Twitter (@SportsMax_Carib) or in the comments section on Facebook (@SportsMax). Don’t forget to use #IAmNotAFan. Until next time!
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (Ronaldinho Gaúcho) became only the second Barcelona player after Diego Maradona to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu. In that season he was to win his second FIFA World Player of the Year award as well as the Ballon d’Or. Ronaldinho had scored two spectacular goals in the game between Barcelona and Real, a derby known for pitting two of the world’s greatest footballing rivals against each other. His heroics in the El Clásico would come a year after Ronaldinho had won the World Cup with Brazil. He was at the top of his game and that put him on top of the world.
There are many, whom, having seen Ronaldinho, declare him the most skillful player to ever play the game, but the midfielder was also effective. That skill, the ability to dribble past players, score goals almost at will, and produce trickery that would make the world sit up and watch, brought with it trophies. Ronaldinho would become versed at taking free kicks and was always dangerous because of his ability to play anywhere in the attacking third of the football field. Ronaldinho was sometimes deployed as a winger, on either side of the midfield, as well as in the more central number-10 role. On occasion, he would also become the striker, which made him fearsome to defend. What was most scary about playing against Ronaldinho was the almost natural way he had of creating danger for opposition defenders. According Netherlands midfield general, Edgar Davids, who played with him at Milan, "For the skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player that I ever played with."
Full name: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (Ronaldinho Gaúcho)
Date of birth: 21 March 1980 (age 40)
Place of birth: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height: 1.81m (5ft 11 in)
Playing positions: Attacking midfielder, forward
Club Career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Club Honours
International Career
International Honours
Individual Honours
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content
of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative,
passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
