The Men Behind The World's Greatest Soccer Team

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Soccer was taken up relatively late by the Spanish. The first game on Spanish soil wasplayed in the late 19th century by a group of English engineers who owned the Rio Tintomines in the south of the country. During the 1920s, when Spain’s first professionalsoccerplayers begun to make their mark, it was the direct, aggressive spirit of the Basqueteam Athletic Bilbao, known as La Furia (“the fury”), that set a benchmark forother clubs and for the emergent -- and for many years underachieving -- national team.Spain’s dictator General Franco liked Athletic Bilbao because its virilityand discipline dovetailed with his militaristic government. He also supported Real Madridbecause they were more successful than the national team and for several years were clubchampions under a controlling ultra-right Catholic president, Santiago Bernabeu, whowanted his players to be, well, macho. Bernabeu was not pleased when Pirri,one of his star players during the 1960s, became the first Real Madrid player to marry anactress. Until then, any show business woman involved in the life of a Spanish soccerplayer was kept discreetly out of public view.At heart a traditionalist,Bernabeu disapproved of his players having long hair or jewelry. His pious wife, Maria,saw the players as the children she never had. She used to recite the rosary to them eachmorning and give them prayer cards of St. Teresa of Avila, hoping they, too, would leadsacred lives.A cursory glance at Spain’s current national team, who playIreland in the Euro Cup today, tells us a thing or two about how much soccer -- and themen who play it -- have changed in the country.La Roja, as the Spanish team ispopularly known, has moved up the ranks to become the national squad that every othercompeting country has to try and beat if it is to have any chance of clinching the EuroCup crown. It is not homogenous, but rather reflects the subtleties of Spain’svastly different regional cultures. Its brightest stars are Xavi, Thiago Silva, Cesc Fabregas and AndresIniesta -- physically small men with sublime skills who lead relatively unexcitingpersonal lives -- but the flamboyant players reveal far more about the country.Spain’s 24-year-old center-back, Gerard Pique, towers above most of his colleaguesand leads a star-studded life as active off the pitch as on it. His lean, tall frame (heis 6’4”) and ruddy handsome features (he is currently bearded) have led him toa modeling career that is almost as lucrative and as visible (in Spain, at least) as hisrole as a first choice player with La Roja and with FC Barcelona, a club team ManchesterUnited’s manager Alex Ferguson described not so long ago as the best in soccerhistory.Barcelona-born Pique comes from an upper-crust Catalan family. Fluentin at least three languages, Pique oozes his privileged and cosmopolitan upbringing fromevery pore. Such is his self-confidence -- some would say arrogance -- that he has let itbe known that he might consider standing one day for the presidency of FC Barcelona, themost powerful CEO position in Catalonia.He has also benefited from an enduringrelationship with the Colombian-born Shakira, Latin pop’s biggest female crossoverartist since Jennifer Lopez. The combination of soccer player and pop star has filled someof the gap left in Spanish soccer since David Beckham and Posh departed from Madrid forthe U.S. Continue Reading

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