I’ve become big fan of football since I was a kid. Everything started when I watched Word Cup 1988. It was my first time watching footbal in the middle of night because I lived at Asia. All I had known about footbal before it was only the fact that a local club from my city had won football league in my country a month earlier. Just like European supporter, the people of my city was so happy about it. People kept talking about it so I started to pay attention to this sport. And then the World Cup came.
Actually I was supporting Croatia, a new country from Balkan, that played a great game on World Cup just several years after it had been born as a country, but in the end I ended up liking Ronaldo and David Beckham due to their bad luck at that tournament. Every football fans in my age or older should still remember Beckham’s incident with Diego Simeone, the former captain of Argentina. And also Ronaldo’s bad playing when France humilated them in Final. Both of them got out from the tournament as scapegoats but later I found out that they were actually great footballers.
I had started to like them so then I also started the club where they were playing. Beckham had played for Manchester United since he was kid before he left to Real Madrid, so I ended up liking Manchester United. Ronaldo was playing for Inter Milan and he had been former player of Barcelona, so I also liked Inter and Barca. I had no idea that Ronaldo had played for PSV Eindhoven as well in past so I never liked it. But maybe I would like PSV as well if I had known that fact. But until know, I just have 4 favorite clubs, the first is the local club at my city that I’ve told you earlier, and the other 3 are Man Utd, Inter and Barca.
The heart that have been devided for 3 European clubs since I was a kid have gave me some troubles. I love MU 100%, but my heart is 100% for Inter and I devote my self 100% to be Barca fans. My opinion about anything about football will always be based on that fact, including my opinion about football players or coaches. And that where real problems lies. There are some players or coaches that are loved so much by the supporter of a club but hated by other club’s supporters. In my case, it always happen to the portuegueses.
There are three Portugueses that have made me fall into dilemmas. And Luis Figo is the very first. Figo had been one of most favorite player of Barca’s fans before he surprisingly left to Real Madrid. He had 5 fantastic years at Barca and won some prestigious trophies. He was one of Barca’s best footballer at the time along with Ronaldo and then Rivaldo. But then he had made stupid bet due to money that made him had to move to Madrid. It was shocking moment for all Barca’s fans around the world. There are several players that had left Barca to Madrid before, but his leaving is always be most hurting for Barca’s fans. Just to make everything even worse for us, he had greater success at Madrid, he won Champion League and Intercontinental Cup, tropies that he hadn’t win at Barca. While he was playing at Madrid, Madrid was considering as best club in the world. In the other hand, at the same period Barca hadn’t won league for 6 consecutive years before Ronaldinho and Franck Rijkard came to save Barcelona from misery. How can a Barcelonistas like me not hate him?
After 5 years full of hatred toward him, the problem started coming to me, Figo moved to Inter. He had come to inter just before Inter’s great 5 years, the period when Inter won Five Scudettos and even became treble winner. His experience as a great player at Madrid helped Inter so much. As Interisti, I had never been so happy before that period, the period when Inter had greatest success on their history, the period when Figo was Inter’s player. Figo’s wife even was the icon of Inter player’s WAG (Wife and Girlfriend) due to her former profession as a model and the fact that Milano is always one of the centres of fashion, just made them suitable for each other. Figo’s words when he retired have made all interisti, although maybe you don’t really love him, can hate him. He said that he was happy at Inter and preffered to be called as Inter’s legend intead of Madrid’s legend. He even decided to keep working at Inter after retiring. How can an Interisti like me hate him?
At the Figo’s last season at Inter, there was another man came to Inter. Yes, Inter decided to sign Jose Mourinho as their coach. Mourinho, who called him self as the special one when he was Chelsea’s coach, came to Inter after Inter had won hattrick scudettos at the three previous year but always had been a loser at Champion League. With his experience, winning Champion League with FC Porto, Inter’s President, Massimo Moratti , so did all Inter’s fans, hoped that him could bring Inter to be champion of europe once again after more than 60 years. At his first season, he was indeed failed although Inter kept winning the scudetto. But at the second season, he met our expectation. After some tough matches, he really made Inter champion of europe again. It wasn’t ordianary winning for us, because Inter had won the Scudetto and Italian Cup before Inter beat Bayern Munich at Champion League’s final. Those achievment made Inter became thrid Trebe Winner since the format of Champion League had been changed at 1992. And I proudly say that the other 2 previous treble winners are Manchester United and Barcelona who did that at 1999 and 2009.
What happened next was the last thing I expected, Mourinho left Inter and signed for Real Madrid. It was a nightmare for me , both as Interisti and Barcelonistas. As interisti I definetely knew that Inter would face massive difficulties finding new coach. It has been proven years later. It has been 4 years after he left and all Inter has won just one Italian cup a year after he left. As barcelonistas, I realised, as Madrid coach, he would be huge threat fo Barcelona who had been dominating Spain football. But worst thing was, I knew Mourinho had controvetial personality. He’s used to make insulting comment towards his opponent, and most of them didn’t make sense. He has been like that since he was Chelsea’s coach but when he was Inter’s coach, I always supported him. Whatever he said, all Interisti always stood behind his back. We still took his side whenever he picked stupid fight againt anyone through media. But everything became difficult for me when he was Madrid’coach.
As expected, Mourinho really said a lot of controversial things during his time at Madrid. He oftenly provoked Barca’s coach, Pep Guardiola. Just to make everything became even worse to me, Mourinho was at Madrid at the same time with Manchester United’s former super player, Cristiano Ronaldo. At that time, people were always comparing Mou and Pep, due to their achievement at football as coach. And people even still keep comparing Ronaldo with Barca’s star, Leo Messi until now. The time Mou was in Madrid was the time Barca’s fans hated him most due to his despising attitude toward Barca. He attacked Barca’s former coach assitent, Tito Vilanova on the his eyes. Even after Tito had became Barca’s coach, Barca’s fans still kept talking about it. Mourinho also brought UNICEF, who had nothing to with football in the middle of their war. To make it sort, Barca’s fans indeed had too many reasons to hate him. And the same time, Barca’s fans also strated hating Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who won so many tropies with MU, including hattrick English Premier League, Champion League and FIFA Club World Cup and also most scoring midfielder in United’s history, indeed has been being compared to Leo Messi since his time at Manchester. But the comparison has became bitter since Ronaldo signed for Madrid, mostly because Mourinho’s comment. Their rivality at Ballon d’Or, and recently FIFA’s President, Sepp Blater’s controvertial comment just make Ronaldo’s fans and Messi’s fans hate each other. Barca’s fans also have another reason for hating him. Ronaldo is still holding a record at El Classico, He scored in 6 consecutie matches againt Barca.
Well, as Barcelonistas who love Barca’s best coach and player in history, Pep Guardiola and Leo Messi, I have all the reasons to hate Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. But, how can I hate Inter’s best coach and Man Utd’s best player in history? Just like I cann’t genuinly hate Luis Figo, all these 3 Portugueses have given me severe headache.
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