Futbol!!!

One of my deepest, darkest desires is to eat lots of dark chocolate, swim in vats of it a la Willy Wonka's factory....

Sorry, actually, the deepest desire is really to go to the finals of the World Cup. Any, I don't care where it is going to be, but if I win the lotto, then I'm going to spend a gazillion dollars to get me a nice shady seat in the next one.

I've been a World Cup fan since 1982, and I've been a loyal fan of one team, Argentina, since 1982. They had won the 1978 games, but in 82 lost, only to get back on top in 86, when Diego Maradona was at the peak of his form. Since then, I've been a lurking fan, hidden in the outskirts of Asia, then the US, then back to Asia. And it's a beauty sleep killer, I tell you, trying to catch games being shown at 3 a.m. or whatever horrible time they do the broadcast.

But as it's only once in a four year cycle, and there's the advantage of seeing 32 of the best teams in the world, competing mano a mano or pied a pied to make it to the final game, I willingly give up my time, my sleep, my sanity to break out into my WC fan zone. There aren't many of us in the Philippines, and here's another thing I dislike about the situation I find myself in, trying to find a decent bar that shows the games, where I'm not jostled by rowdy, drinking DOMs. Give me my games in peace I say, but the cost is a tad too much. I asked, I did, but I blanched when I heard how much. So I'll suffer a beer, some ciggie smoke to watch my boys in blue stripes.

After Argentina, as chances are they may not get to the finals, I root for the ff in order: Italy, Brazil, France and Spain. The latter have yet to show what their cojones are made of, and I sometimes think I should switch allegiance to Portugal. Maybe this year I will toss Spain out for the Czech republic, who trounced the US today in decisive fashion, and who played good futbol. But still they'd have to get past my first three teams. Brazil's in good form this year, so they've got a chance to repeat, but I sure hope they don't. It'll turn into a monopoly if Brazil keeps winning.

I'm not a Germany and England fan. Beckham's cute and Ballack's a good captain, but neither of the teams makes me want to break out in shivers. They always seem like dogmatic, didactic, dull teams that manage to get through to the next round, but without any magic.

Given my support for any underdogs, I'd love to see a David-Goliath finals, take Trinidad and Tobago (who kept Poland at bay) and pit them against Italy (who have in the past f--ked up easy games), and see the world go crazy. That would be a game to see in person. Lotto, win a gazillion bucks, go to World Cup!