The Decade Gone by…..

                                            The decade gone by has left an indelible mark on the psyche of the football  fan. This  decade has given us some amazing moments & also some unsavory ones. But whatever the consensus be , but some the moments have redefined the way in which we view the ‘Beautiful Game’.

Here’s a rundown of the ten most memorable Events of the decade gone by:

10.Asia’s World Cup

The world cup came to Asia for the first time in its then  72 year old history .Asian team were expected to roll over for the big guys but South Korea ran the Big guys ragged & all the way to the world cup semi-finals albeit some help due to questionable refereeing & tremendous home support. With the world cup Asia also got its first global superstar in Park Ji Sung. Park with his endless bottom of energy & enthusiasm became the role model of every aspiring footballer from Asia.He is rightly dubbed as the Asian ‘David Beckham’ for selling huge number of T-Shirts & Merchandise.Co-Hosts Japan also made a huge feast of it by reaching the round of 16..

9.Porto winning the Champions league

Unheralded.Rank outsiders.Total underdogs.These were the terms used to describe the Porto team after it won the champions league.With it the world also got a glimpse of the self proclaimed ‘SPECIAL ONE’ in Jose Mourinho.His Porto side beat European heavyweights such as Manchester United to win the title in spectacular style after winning the UEFA cup the previous year .This pushed him into the big time as he was then appointed the coach of the Chelsea team which under Billionaire owner Roman Abrahimovich was looking to move in the premier league big time & in Jose the found a perfect match.

8.Italy winning the World cup in 2006

Italian football had hit the stunning low.Its current Seria A champions Juventus were convicted of Match Fixing & had been relegated.Almost all of its Champions league representatives except Inter Milan were docked points or were relegated amidst all this stood the World cup.It seems that the Italian team thrives on Controversy last time such a controversy had risen they had won the world cup in 1984 & now too it seemed inevitable that they won it.Fabio Cannavaro’s men rose from the ashes & crushed the Zidane led French Revolution in the Finale & the Olympic stadium in Berlin.Cannavaro holding the trophy aloft shows the unending resolve of the human mind to overcome difficulties coz almost all the players in Italy World cup squad were part of the teams involved in the Calcio scandal.

7.Ronaldo’s Magical Return in 2002

Before CR7 was known to the world there was one more Ronaldo who we all love to hate.His footballing career was all about ‘What might have been?’  . ’The Phenomenon’ aka Ronaldo was an out & out striker  poacher ,a footballing genius so shrouded in mystique that you wonder if he had a durable body Pele & Maradona would have been in serious danger of losing their title as the ‘Greatest Exponents of the Beautiful Game’.The 1998WC  final will forever shrouded in mystery for the performance of Ronaldo or the lack of it.Then he was forever injured the next 4 years & just skipped, rolled ,wobbeled into the Carlos Alberto Perira’s World Cup squad.Many experts doubted his inclusion in the world cup squad & many believed he was past his best @ the ripe old age of 24 but Periara must have been thanking his stars for picking him coz he put a performance of a lifetime & walked away with the golden ball & also scored twice in the WC final banishing all demons of the past!

 6.Arsenal’s Invincibles

Arsenal under the astute leadership of Arsene Wenger had grown into a premier league powerhouse  who were always there & there abouts but in 2003-04 season they came into their own.This Arsenal team did what no other team had done in the history of English Football they went the entire season unbeaten.They the attacking threat of Henry & the defensive stability of Sol Campbell ,they had flair in Pires but had substance in Veira in all they had a perfect season.No team has repeated the feat though Manchester united may come close this season as they they are yet to lose after 18 games.

5.Liverpool winning the champions league in Istanbul

When your team is 3-0 down @ half time in a final of a major competition you just expect  that your team should atleast show up in the second half & make the score line respectable but Liverpool trailing 3-0 against AC Milan came out all guns blazing &won the champions league on penalties.Surely this is one the most exciting champions league final ever.

4.Henry’s Hand of Lamb

France were woeful in qualifying & needed  a playoff against Northern Ireland to reach the world cup.The game ended as a stalemate after two legs of football but in extra time extra drama was to ensure.Theirry Henry France’s skipper clearly almost grabbed the ball in the penalty box & then passed it to Gallas who tapped in to send France through.He became the scrouge of the irish & pronounced as a ‘Cheat’ over there. Although the French regretted that Handball the most coz they had a world Cup to forget in South Africa!

3.Zidane’s headbutt

The most dramatic moment of the 2006 world cup was not Italy winning but it was not to do anything with football.The match seemingly going to extra time there was little to tekk the storm brewing up on the pitch.Following a French corner italy’s hot headed defender Materazzi had something allegedly to say about Zidane’s mother & sister. This enreged Zidane no end & he Head Butted him.Zenedine  zidane possibly the greatest player of his generation was sent off in his last professional match .

2.Hand of Shame

Ghana had played well to reach the quarter finals of the 2010 world cup.They were playing well against a Diego Forlan inspired Uruguay & in extra time they got a free kick from which Andre ayew found some room in the penalty box & headed it goalwards but Luis Suarez made a great save except that he was not Uruguay GK but a striker .The striker showed very little regret & even celebrated after Gyan missed the penalty kick.He was deemed a villain in the entire continent  of Africa but was a total hero @ home.

1.Manchester United’s domination continues

After the golden generation of Manchester uinited faded off  the champions league triuph in 1999 many believed united’s glory days would be over but they hadn’t factored in the willy Scot Sir Alex.He rebuilt the team from scratch & turned budding youngsters to superstars.Cristiano ronaldo & Wayne Rooney are prime examples.A trophy haul consisting of 5premier league crown,1 champions league,3league cups  should put many of European Big wigs to shame apart from Barca.The years roll on but United as a institution will go on & on…….

I have mentioned my top ten I would like u to contribute too & suggest your top ten