October 1997 – N°29 – Love for the game – ENGLISH

“Naturally I watched the 1994 World Cup in America with enormous interest. But when it came to the penalty shoot-out against Italy in the final, I couldn’t watch. It was all too much for me. When it went into extra time, I really panicked, and had to rush out of my house in Rio de Janeiro to go for a walk along the beach. And then it was the sounds from the city that told me what was happening during the rest of the match. It was unforgettable. There I was, on a deserted beach, getting a blow by blow account of the game simply from the noise in the town nearby. The tension in the air was palpable. I walked down to the water, listening to the screams and shouts that greeted each Brazilian goal, and the long silences during every Italian penalty. Then suddenly a din burst out, that went on and on…That’s when I knew we’d won!

Before that I remember the victorious 1958 campaign. I was only eleven at the time and the competition was taking place in a very cold and far-off country I’d never heard of, Sweden, but I can still remember all the excitement surrounding the games. At the time, I didn’t realise just what football meant to my country, I simply knew we had to win at all costs. Like everyone else, Pele was my hero. Years afterwards, after I’d become a writer, I was lucky enough to meet the players of this immensely talented generation. My one regret is never to have spoken to Garrincha before he died. His tragic end, when he had fallen into alcoholism and poverty, has only served to fuel his myth. But his talent alone was enough to remember him by.

“Heroes, a plot, a twist in the tale…the World Cup is just like a novel”

It seems to me that footballers and writers have the same aim. What the writer attempts with his pen, the footballer tries to bring about by scoring a goal. You might wonder why, since neither can change the world in the slightest! But the existence of both literature and football is justified because they can give readers and spectators an inner strength, which may even change someone’s life.

The plot of a novel is also very like a World Cup competition. In both instances we need heroes and a story to bring them all together, and above all we must have no idea how it is all to end. A writer never really knows how his story will finish. And if he tries to work it all out beforehand, the process of creation is compromised. It’s imperative to be open-minded, so that the novel can unfold and reveal its workings gradually. The same applies to the World Cup. Take the last one, in 1994, for example. Great things were expected of the Colombians – and then they were knocked out in the first round. It’s the unexpected that brings magic to the actual moment.

There is a Brazilian expression which talks about “fearing the jersey”. Because the Brazilians have excelled at football for so long, many of their opponents are overawed just looking at the “men in gold”, and thinking about what that colour represents. For many years Brazilian teams took advantage of this form of intimidation. But that’s no longer the case. There are no more favourites. For instance, who would have thought that Cameroon in 1990 or Nigeria in 1994 would have faired so well?

France has been very good to me, and was the key to my literary success in Europe. So, it won’t be easy for me to choose my favourites to win the next World Cup. Of course I want Brazil to retain the title, but if by chance we’re knocked out, my loyalties will be with the French team. Ideally, Brazil would win the World Cup beating France in the Final!”