3 мин.

EXTINCT SPECIES

Do you know a good recipe of Italian pasta? No?! Oh, never mind then, I will give you one. Write down – spaghetti, olive oil, meatballs, tomato sauce, some salt and spices. Now listen carefully because I am going to divulge my secret ingredient – while you are cooking, add some passion, love and a bit of emotions. How it is connected with football, you may ask. It is fairly simply – football is absolutely the same.

The modern football desperately lacks for emotions or even people who are ready to give them away for fans, club or sport it-self. People with big hearts and fiery eyes who play football not as a job, but as the greatest gift received from the life. For me, an iconic figure among them is Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi.

Inzaghi is a very bright and symbolic spot on the football history. What is most remarkable about him, Pippo never had great skills and talent. He was as average as possible – not a great dribbler, not the fastest runner, not a tough bloke. If we created a list of football talents, he could be the last one or at least somewhere at the end of the list. Moreover, even FIFA computer game has never rated Inzaghi over 80. To be completely honest, fans will never wear his jersey, because they will simply prefer Zidane, Ronaldo or Beckham.

In spite of all these facts, he scored as a devil. Pippo is one of Champions League’s 10 best strikers, which is a big deal, not saying about innumerable titles he has won. All these bring us to his secret ingredient – he loved the game and gave everything to it. Every match, disregard to level and status Inzaghi came to die for football sack because it was the only way he was able to play. Of course, even Torres or Nani are more talented, but who will remember them after a while? What is more, Pippo played beside great strikers too (Del Piero Shevchenko, Crespo) and he has never been overshadowed by them, because nothing and nobody can overshadow flame of his heart. After all, what he did was not just a game – it was a theatre. He has been accused of simulation a lot of times, but when Inzaghi dived everybody wanted to stand up and applaud.

At the age of unattainable Messi and Ronaldo who give so much importance to personal achievement, it is crucial to remind people what the true football is. Pippo is the best reminder because even when he was over 35 his eyes radiated passion to play. Probably, he tried to teach us that everyone has his/her own “passion thing”. If you find it, dedicate everything you have to it, your time, heart and health. Dedicate as if it is a matter of life or death because it actually is. And believe me – you will never regret about it.