Any soccer player worthy of global status is now dreaming ofMaracana stadium, the giant venue in Rio de Janeiro where the 2014 World Cupfinal will be held. Nowhere is the process of qualifying as exacting as inSouth America. It involves 10 nations battling it out on an equal footing.Each, with the exception this time of Brazil, plays home and away matches untilhalf the teams are eliminated. This also allows for some exotic,individualistic talents to blossom.
Right now, three players personify this. Radamel FalcaoGarcia, currently starring with Atletico Madrid, returned to Barranquilla,close to where he was born. It took him two minutes to do what he has beendoing all year for Madrid, score a goal that set his country up for a 4-0victory against the much-favored, previously unbeaten Uruguay.
His joy was reflected in Lionel Messi, leading Argentina inevery sense of the word to a 3-1 home victory against Paraguay in Cordoba,Argentina. To hear Messi speak of “feeling the love” of Argentines is,remarkably, something quite new in his life. Then there is Neymar. Still in thetransition between youth and man, billed as the most gifted player since Peleto come out of Santos, Neymar didn’t score. Neymar also didn’t shine inBrazil’s lackluster exhibition game against South Africa in Sao Paulo. He was,instead, booed off the field after the 1-0 home victory.
Home games for most Brazilians are rarities, the fans willpay more than they might comfortably afford to, and to see talented playersperform below competitive level is hollow all around. The very opposite ishappening in Falcao’s life. He is 26, and he left Colombia in his early teenson a road that took him from River Plate in Argentina to Porto in Portugal, andnow to Atletico Madrid.
Heaven knows what third parties still hold vested interestsin Radamel Falcao’s future because, like many South Americans, his ownership isa complicated business. For now, he lives from goal to goal, game to game, andnext up is Colombia’s trip to play Chile in Santiago on Tuesday.“Falcao is thegreat reference of Colombian football,” said Messi recently. “I would love toplay with him.”
Messi is now making Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and,when fit, Sergio Aguero score for Argentina. More to the point, Messi isscoring for fun in the sky blue shirt of his birth land. Messi is relishing theresponsibility of leadership handed to him by the coach, Alejandro Sabella, andnow enjoying the home comings which he once dreaded. Messi’s getting it, Falcao is getting it.Neymar, perhaps, will earn it somewhere down the road to Rio 2014....
