SPORTS> Off the Pitch
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SPORTS> Off the Pitch
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Watch out Germany, here I come
By George Dearnaley (news24.com)
Updated: 2006-06-06 14:46 There's always a few you miss, or 'sacrifice' I should say, so that you can actually do some work, or have dinner with the wife.
Three things that stood out for me were the passion and participation of the host country supporters; the improvement of the 'developing' countries (Turkey, Senegal, South Korea) and Ronaldo's dream come true. His failure in 1998 and his knee injuries and operations in 1999 and 2000 meant that a lot of people had given up on him. I remember reading a quote by him prior to the tournament where he said even though he was over-weight, and even though his knee was not 100%, and even though millions of football fans did not believe in him - he knew he would win the cup for Brazil. I think I also dismissed the quote along with everyone else, but I remembered it well when he scored his second goal in the final. Hard work; guts and belief in yourself, with some skill and luck thrown in, and anything is possible. And now Germany 2006 is upon us, and the memories of the other tournaments come flooding back. I will be in the Allianz Arena in Munich for the opening game (look for the SA flag!), then off to Frankfurt, Cologne and Gelsenkirchen for other matches. My own team is not there, so I will be throwing my weight behind the underdogs in every match. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the World's best and some of the World's most fortunate players on the biggest stage. I think Brazil will probably win it. I think the Germany and England will be in the quarter-finals, and I think Argentina will also go close this year. But I have looked at all the options, and considered all the opinions (and the odds) and have put a little money on both Spain and Holland to win (12 to 1 is not bad!). But my surprise choice for champions in 2006, and where my 'big' money has gone, is Italy (10 to 1). Impossible to beat, hard to breakdown and with Toni, Gilardino and Totti in decent form up front, I think they could sneak it at the end. If you get over to Germany in the next two weeks, look out for the grinning idiot with the SA flag and buy him a drink. For those staying at home, enjoy it on television and don't forget a 'sacrifice' or two to keep the peace in the family. "Welchen Verein unterstuetzt du?"
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