Do you have a love-hate relationship with soccer? As fans of the beautiful game, we have plenty to be passionate about and enough to take issue with, too. The domestic leagues, continental competitions and international tournaments all elicit strong opinions, some of which are more drastic than others.
On the positive side, we have the anticipation around the World Cup final, a manager celebrating with his players or a player returning from the struggles of injury might warm our hearts, but there’s also the unpleasant side: a player cynically diving to draw an unearned foul, a team’s season ending their season or, even worse, instances of referee abuse and the like. Despite (or in some cases, because of) it all, soccer energizes the lives of billions around the world who are engrossed by everything it has to offer.
That’s why, from big money flooding into the game to the last-minute winners, our writers Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden and Sid Lowe share their vexations and appreciations when it comes to the most popular sport in the world.
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What do we love about soccer?
The big-game atmosphere. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Champions League semifinal second-leg under lights in the Santiago Bernabeu or Anfield, or a local derby between Rochdale and Stockport in EFL League 2 — when you go to a big game with a sense of anticipation and meaning, the atmosphere is energising and one of the reasons why you love the game. It basically comes down to being a game that is too close to call, with implications for the winners and losers. Some games can be close to meaningless, with apathy in the crowd and on the pitch, but nothing beats a crackling atmosphere.
The Champions League anthem. Sorry Manchester City fans, this one isn’t for you. We know you prefer to boo the Champions League anthem because of a long-standing dislike of UEFA. But when the anthem rings out at Celtic Park, Old Trafford or the San Siro, you can feel the sense of occasion and know that you are about to watch elite football at the very highest level. Other competitions also have an anthem — the Premier League, the Europa League — but nothing comes close to the Champions League anthem.
Last-minute winners. Not great when you are working at a game and need to file a match report on the final whistle, but there is nothing quite like the drama of a last-minute winner, not just in a big game, but in any game. They are a mark of persistence, belief and endurance and also a reward for those supporters who stay right until the end. The flip side is those — and it has happened to me on many occasions — who decide to leave early and then hear a huge roar as they head toward the car park or train station. It is a mixture of joy and annoyance at having missed a big moment, but those inside only have the joy. — Ogden
