Does the world of soccer, already
jam-packed full with a myriad of
competitions, really need to squeeze
another trophy into its relentless
schedule? Are we truly excited by the
latest bauble on offer: the Finalissima?
The sporting public has already
delivered its emphatic answer. Tickets
for the showdown between Italy and
Argentina, to be staged at Wembley
Stadium onJune1, sold out in just
amatterofdays.Therewillbean
86,000-capacity crowd for the
clash between the champions
of Europe and South America.
Many people were surprised by the
clamour to attend. I can’t think why.
This is an occasion to cherish, a match
with serious pride and honour at stake,
a match with a touch of history to add
meaning and context. The “Finalissima”
name may be freshly-minted, but this
is actually a revival of a contest played
twice before, in1985 and1993, for
the Artemio Franchi Cup, when the
winning captains were Michel Platini
and Diego Maradona respectively.
Watch the grainy video footage
of Argentina against Denmark in
the1993 encounter and you see a
bravura match between two skilful
and committed national teams. Brian
Laudrup almost wins it for the Danes
with a curling shot against the bar.
Diego Simeone’s thunderbolt is then
tipped away by Peter Schmeichel.
It goes to penalties, and Maradona
is among the scorers as Argentina
win 5-4 in the shootout.
Following that match the event
was subsumed into the Confederations
Cup, a tournament itself abandoned in
2017 because it became too intrusive
in the global soccer calendar and
featured too many lightweight games.
Aone-offshowdownlikethe
Finalissima is different, certainly when
the fixture is Italy v Argentina, two of
the most storied national teams. It
will have a sharp edge this time also
because the Italians have failed to
qualify for the World Cup later this
year, and at Wembley will be handed
a swift chance of some redemption.
Trophies count for so much in
football careers – even the lesser
ones, even the newly revived ones.
Look, for example, at the “Palmares”,the honours list of the greats. Pep
Guardiola has won 32 trophies as
a manager, and he includes them
all in his own mind – the Spanish
third tier with Barcelona B, the
Super Cups and Community Shields,
as well as the Champions League and
domestic league titles.Jose Mourinho
does the same in his haul of 25
trophies; they all add lustre.AT THE HEART OF THE GAME
Jim
HOLDEN
It’s true also of Roberto Mancini, the
Italian head coach and currentWorld
SoccerManager of the Year. On his
personal website he boasts14 trophies
captured as a manager, including the
Super Cups and Community Shield.
If number15 is the Finalissima, it
will provide further vindication of
his reputation as a winning boss.
As for managers, so for players. The
one caveat in the monumental career
of Lionel Messi has been the lack of
glory with Argentina, a failure some
critics have used as ammunition for
their argument that he could not be
considered the greatest player of all
time without national team success.
Messi began to rectify that with
Copa America victory last year. That
triumph is why he won the Ballon d’Or
for a seventh time, and why Argentina
will be at Wembley. He will now want
to emulate Maradona in winning this
extra trophy, driving the momentum
of his Argentine side before a final
attempt at the World Cup.
Then there is Argentina’s coach
Lionel Scaloni, back on an English
stage for the first time since the
2006 FA Cup final when playing
for West Ham United. He created
one goal for his team, but is forever
remembered as the player who
foolishly gave the ball away in the
dying seconds of the match, and
allowed Steven Gerrard to score
a fabulous long-range 3-
equaliser for Liverpool.
Scaloni’s one and only honour as
a manager is the Copa America, which
was also Argentina’s first trophy for 28
years. He will not underestimate the
value of another in quick succession.
No, we should not be surprised the
Finalissima tickets sold out in a flash. In
the1993 video you can see the furious
despair of Peter Schmeichel when he
got his fingertips to the final penalty
of the shootout but could not save it.
You can see the delight on the face of
Diego Maradona as he celebrated the
last trophy of his career. Enough said.Predecessor...
France’s Michel
Platini holds the
Artemio Franchi
Cup inThe “Finalissima” name may be freshly-minted,
but this is actually a revival of a contest
played twice before, in 1985 and 1993
The Finalissima: a welcome return
for Europe against South America