The consecration of the esthetic football (Yahoo)

Barcelona’s six trophies but particularly the display of their great offensive game with hundred and sixty goals in one single season, added to the high level observed in the Confederations Cup, and a great final of the World Championship of clubs, generate a great expectation that in 2010, the year of the arrival of a new World Championship, football will go towards a proposal much more esthetic and offensive, though with a challenge to avail every time more technological advances.

We may say that we had a very intense 2009, with moments of high voltage, as the definition of the eliminatories due to the hand of Thierry Henry vs Ireland, or the goal in extremis of Martin Palermo vs Peru or the amazing eliminatory of Sevchenko´s Ukraine or that Portugal had to play a playoff in spite of counting with one of the best players of the World as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Even so, almost all the potencies will enter into the World Championship of Africa that promises to be splendid if the majority of the teams conserve the level they promise, what will be the first African appointment in history. With this regard, Cape Town was the witness of a draw lot that showed Holland, Cameroon and Denmark to share the group and the same happened with Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast, what assures us from now an almost terrific cross of eights of one this three vs Spain..

Another great moment of the year was without any doubt the Confederations Cup of South Africa in which Brazil had to work hard (certainly much less than at eliminations of South America where they was just walking) to over pass an amazing United States in the final, after that the North Americans surprised the World eliminating and quitting a long unconquered, the Spanish team of Vicente Del Bosque who in spite of everything continues being the most regular and who plays more esthetic football, based on what the Barcelona usually produces.

Just some days ago, the Catalonian obtained an excellent title of champions of the Spanish League after quitting the complicated Real Madrid that was pursuing them at the same level during the whole second round, without being able to discount even one point in spite that they won almost all of their matches. The suit was defined in the Santiago Bernabeu before a great expectative, same that generates now a possible definition of the Champions League in May, but not discussion has been admitted, the 2-6 blue/red was too strong and historic.

On the same days but in the Stadium Olímpico de Roma, Barcelona won clearly the Manchester United in the final of the Champions League in the best possible match of the season, between the two best teams of Europe and which empowered the Argentine Lionel Messi to the Golden Balloon granted by the France Football magazine as well as FIFA World Player in front of his maximum rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. But to reach that final, Barcelona had to sweat a lot to over pass the Chelsea in semi finals, with a goal of Andrés Iniesta in the last play of the match that will be remembered for many years.

Neither was less the definition of the another great Continental contest of clubs, the Copa Libertadores de América, in which Estudiantes de La Plata surprised in returning by the hand of the exceptional midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón to the mystic that this team had in the years sixties, when they won their three consecutive South American trophies. For this, the Argentinean team had to return to their strength after having tied scarcely as local to win in Brazil vs Cruzeiro.

A mention also for the Shakthar Donesk, of Ukraine, champions of the last Edition of the UEFA Cup, now replaced by that of European League, and for the Liga Deportiva of Equator, Champion of the Copa Sudamericana, in both cases, ratifying the growth of those countries to the level of clubs, though paradoxically none of them will be represented at the World Championship in South Africa.

And the year finished with the World Championship of clubs and once again the Barcelona having to over pass at the final and in this case with a goal by Messi in extra time, a hard position of Estudiantes, thus to consecrate as champions of the World, doing justice for that who bets for the best football, for that who arrives to place sometimes till six own players in position of goal, their three forwarders, two brains (Xavi and Iniesta) and even their right lateral Daniel Alves.

Likewise, the year 2009 is the year in which the FIFA opened the door for a certain arbitral change, with the appearance of two collaborators near the goal line takes to five the team of referees per match and lately, the president of the maximum entity of football stated that it could be studied the chance of application of technology though he is not so much in favor and living to understand that should be a guarantee that the sentences will be known only to the person that controls a computerized system and who must judge in the game field, something that does not seem easy to implement but at least, generates expectative of new times to which the football should adapt.

Finally, it’s remarkable also the effort every time more notable of Michel Platini, the president of the UEFA, to re-conduct the football towards levels more acceptable of expenses of the clubs, establishing a criterion of major rationality. When it was necessary, the French remarked his disagreement with the managing of the Real Madrid that now is under the mandate of Florentino Pérez, having wasted over three hundred millions of Euros in registrations of super stars when the European Continent comes out of a very hard economic crisis with millions of persons out of work.

Can be expected a brilliant World Championship and a more offensive football and conducted with better judgment and adapted to the new technologies without losing its essence? These challenges are not small for the year 2010 that is coming.