El Pibe (The Kid)

June 2021 is witnessing a host of sporting events around the globe. India are playing New Zealand for the Cricket World Test Championship in Southampton, England. The French Open Tennis Grand Slam Tournament just ended last week in Paris. Wimbledon is beginning in the last week of this month, and  of course two major Football tournaments, The Euro 2020 Football Championships in  Europe and The Copa America in Brazil, are currently underway. What a fabulous treat for any passionate sports enthusiast.

However, what have these events to do with “ The Kid “, the title of this blog, one might wonder. The highly skillful and sublime South American football on display in the Copa America and the 1994 Football World Cup held in United States are  the genesis of this blog.

Just before the start of the World Cup in 1994, in the USA,  the legendary Pele made a statement in which he praised recent performances of the Columbian Team and even went on to say that they were one of the favourites to win the World Cup. There was not much wrong in  Pele’s assessment. Columbia were undefeated in the World Cup Qualifiers and had won their group. They had even beaten Argentina twice, with one being a 5-0 thrashing of the South American Giants.

Columbia was the team to watch and if not the favourites, they were surely the dark horses of the tournament. I have always loved the dark horses and though I did not know much about the Columbian team, the intrigue around them and the praise about their skill  made me root for them. I wanted Columbia to win.  I wanted a new Champion.

Columbia were drawn with Romania, USA and Switzerland in their Group. It was a much easier group and it was a foregone conclusion that Columbia would top the group and move further into the tournament without breaking much sweat. Columbia had the services of their rising star Faustino Aspirilla, Freddie Rincon, Adolfo Valencia and of course their captain Carlos Valderrama.

Columbia played their first match against Romania, with me glued to the TV set. I was expecting a real show from the Columbian’s, but what transpired on the pitch made my spirits sink. Though Columbia showed patches of brilliance and sublime football , they were inconsistent and scratchy to say the least. On the other hand the Romanian’s were solid and consistent. The result was a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat of the Columbian’s. It was a shocker and an upset win. I was so taken aback that I couldn’t sleep well for two days.

Columbia had to win their next match against USA and I was literally praying that they do . The Gods had willed otherwise. It was a match that no fan of Columbian football would wish to remember . A tragic own goal by Andres Escobar , a nervy Columbia and a confident USA , led to a shock 2-1 victory for the host nation USA. Columbia’s quest for a good showing in the World Cup was virtually over. Though they did win their last encounter with Switzerland, it was too little too late and the much fancied table toppers had finished at the bottom of their Group. It really took me some time to get over this shock. My dark horse had lost its gallop.

However, amongst all the carnage around , one player stood his ground. He played beautifully in the mid field. His passing had great precision and the control which he exhibited, was phenomenal. He could virtually dictate the pace of the game. Carlos Valderrama, one of the finest players in the mid field of all times, had made me a huge fan of his by his sheer brilliance. His massive blond curly hair, along with his skill, set him apart from the rest and not surprisingly he played 111 matches for his country , the highest by any Columbian player.

Carlos Valderrama was nicknamed El Pibe (The Kid), but this kid stood tall and undoubtedly was  the Big Boy of Columbian Football and still remains so.

For me he is Carlos ‘Wonderr’ama!