Friday, September 5, 2008

For the love of the game

Now let`s talk about football out of life in Emirates Stadium :D

Tonight is Capello first competitive match with England. And lucky for him, they will against Andorra who ranked by FIFA at 186th. But who knows that the part timers can upset the profesionals just like Andorra did when eight years ago they forced mighty France to win only by last minute penalty :D

part timers? yeah most of Andorra players are part timer. Here are some of them

Koldo Álvarez de Elaute (GK) = school football coach
Joseph Manuel Ayala (MF) = builder, he built the Andorra`s town hall!
Julia Fernandez (DF) = work in tourist business
Oscar Sonejee (MF) = salesman
Antoni Lima (DF) = football administrator
Jordi Escura (DF) = physiotherapist (looks like they don`t need off field physiotherapist)
Marc Pujol (MF) = student

The list was reported at March 2007, I don`t know if one of them change his job or become full time footballer.

It has been a general knowledge that football has become a giant industry. Some of the player can be categorized as millionaire, such as Frank Lampard with his 151,000 Euro per week salary. So.. it`s not a strange phenomena if nowadays some football players are branded as "play only for the money". I wont mention a name but all of you could think one from many examples of football player of this type :D

Back to the Andorra case, before their tonight match against England, I`ve found an article in goal.com that really touch me :) particularly at the last sentence when Manolo Jimenez, one of the other Andorra part timers, said

“I’m not a full-time professional, I play for free, for the love of football,"

Manolo Jimenez
Manolo Jimenez (left) in an Euro 2008 Qualification Match against Croatia (September 2007)

Yeah he play for free.. just for love of the game. I imagine that every weekend at Andorra National league which only comprise of 8 team, he plays with FC Andorra with such a joy that cannot be described by money lover footballers :D

Reference
- Andorra`s amateur dare to dream
- Andorra National team page at wikipedia
- Andorra`s weapon of Mac`s destruction

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