Day 9: Art Deco
19 June 2006, 17:51
When I went to Portugal in 2001, I discovered three things: white port, vinho verde, and Deco. I discovered them the way Vasco Da Gama discovered India (or something like that). Everybody else already knew about them, but I felt like they were mine.
On a lovely fall evening, my brother and I shared a bottle of vinho verde at a café and headed to the old Dragao stadium in Porto to see a Champions League match against Juventus. From our perch in the top bleachers, we were stunned by one of the local players. He outplayed Alessandro Del Piero and Pavel Nedved that night, and after the match (after we were shoved with a crowd through a maze of dangerous fences), we asked around in a vague imitation of Portuguese (followed by English): Who is number 10? Oh yes, Deco. He is the best.
Deco, who was then FC Porto’s star midfielder, was born in Brazil. As a teenager he moved to Portugal to play. Later, he became a naturalized citizen. I’ve followed Deco the last few years as he won the Champions League and then moved to Barcelona. His tendency to whine to the referee has lowered him in my estimation. The other day against Iran, though, his wicked goal which sent Portugal into the second round reminded me of my discovery. My Deco. Well done.
And then there was Ghana. With all the talk of the US-Italy draw, let’s not lose sight of the other match in Group E, the dismantling of the Czechs by the Ghanaian midfield led by Stephen Appiah, who turns on the ball, like a strange and beautiful clock. It’s hard to see how it works, but it is elegant. Ghana creates a lot of chances that they don’t finish. They even missed a penalty, but their goal in the first few minutes held up, and they have a shot to advance. If I wasn’t rooting for the USA, I’d have to cheer for the Black Stars.
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So who took you to Portugal??
— connie · 19 June 2006, 19:21 · #