Five Success Lessons From The 2006 World Football Cup
Football, like any sport, teaches lessons about how to succeed and how to fail. The world football cup competition in 2006 which was won by Italy is full of such lessons. One lesson is that we should never rely too much on another person or persons to achieve our goals for us. When England played in the world cup, huge reliance was placed on the shoulders of a young footballer called Wayne Rooney who was expected to score many goals for his team. In the end he did not score one goal and was sent off for stamping on the family jewels of one of the Portuguese players. England lost the game and all hope of winning the world cup. Jeremy Clarkson commented in an English tabloid: "I'm assured by friends who are football fans that Wayne Rooney is the best striker in the world. So let's add up his tally of goals shall we? It was, er, nought." Another star English player is David Beckham who is famous for his varied hair styles. Jeremy was not impressed: "Plainly, he's very good at taking free kicks. But what exactly does he do for the rest of the time? Is he at the hairdresser's?" This is a little unfair as one of Beckham's goals took England through to the quarter finals. However, Jeremy did approve of one player (with a chaotic hair style) who scored an outstanding goal and who played well throughout: "Joe Cole spends very little time at the hairdresser's (obviously) and as a result is the best player we've got. I'm not sure what is achieved by all that fancy footwork but it's fun to watch." France also placed too much reliance on their famous player, Zinadine Zidane. When France played Spain the commentator remarked: "When Zidane's in the team, the fans will believe", France won 3-1 and Zidane scored the last goal Zidane played well with flashes of brilliance for most of the world cup including part of the final but near the end of the final he went from hero to zero when he head butted the chest of the Italian player, Materazzi, for insulting his mother and sister. Materazzi was flattened but Zidane was sent off. The game went to penalties and, without Zidane, the French team did not perform as well as the Italians. France lost and Italy became the gladiators who won. France had relied too much on one legend who was also a human being. Obviously another key lesson from the head butt saga is that it pays to keep one's cool and not take insults personally. A sportswriter for the Boston Globe stated that "on most professional fields of play in the U.S., it's more of a news bulletin if someone isn't insulting your mother." We still don't know for sure what was said to Zidane. One lip reader suggested that Materazzi was wishing an ugly death on him and his family. Henri, a world class French striker, commented that we should not forget that Zidane was a great player and a great man. Some English papers were less kind. They had headlines about 'ZidVicious' and 'Zinsane'. An American anchor man said Zidane had gone from 'legend to lout'. Zidane helped the French win the world cup in 1998 and helped them nearly win it in 2006 but in the end his inability to control his anger may well have lost them the 2006 world cup. He said: "Je ne regrette rien". But the team he captained and the country he played for will regret his action for years to come. Some lost their chance of winning the world cup for ever. He had walked away from Materazzi three times but in the end his anger took over and he turned round and performed the head butt which will provide a lasting memory of the 2006 world cup. One moment of anger can destroy a relationship for ever. It can even result in murder and imprisonment for life. Leaders of any kind are exposed to criticism all the time. If they wish continue to lead, they must control their anger. A third key lesson can be learned from the man who was the recipient of Zidane's expert head butt. Materazzi began the world cup final with a disastrous mistake. He scored an own goal. A lesser man would have worried about his mistake and played badly for the rest of the game. Instead Materazzi used his mistake to spur himself to head a goal against the French at the other end of the field. He thus put his team mates back into the game. Later he managed to provoke Zidane into performing the notorious head butt. No one condones his provocation of Zidane but he again bounced back from a painful situation. He got up at once after the head butt and carried on playing with energy. In the penalty shoot out, he scored one of the goals. Materazzi shows us all how to react to our own mistakes. We need to put them out of our minds and focus on what we can do to achieve our goals. The Italian team as a whole showed this quality. Thirteen of their squad played for Italian teams who were suspected of match fixing. The trial was going on in Italy during the period of the world cup. The Italian team used the cloud of suspicion and criticism that hung over them to bond them together as a team and give them the energy and determination to win the world cup. A fourth success lesson from the world cup is that we should not give up too soon because of our age. The French team had done well to reach the final even if they did not win. They had even struggled to qualify They said that the French team was too old and the Spanish fans told Zidane that this would be his last game for France. Instead it was Spain who did not last long in the world cup. Henri had been asked a few days before the competition if France were too old to do well. "Yes," replied Henri with some sarcasm, "and today we are one day older." In view of France's success when playing with three 'retired' players one of whom scored most of their goals, we should reconsider our view of what constitutes retirement age. Le Monde compared the French team to the English rugby team who won the rugby world cup in 2003 They too were considered too old. A fifth key success lesson is not to blame other people for our own failures. Again, Jeremy Clarkson has some wise and amusing words to say on this to the disappointed England fans. "Don't blame Ronaldo, Sven or the referee… we were rubbish." Ronaldo is a Portuguese player who wound up the great Wayne Rooney and then winked at his coach. "Somehow this makes him a bastard," comments Jeremy. Some fans blame the Argentinian referee. Giving him the whistle "apparently is a bit like asking Osama bin Laden to referee a match between the USA and Afghanistan." In fact the referee did a fairly good job and was chosen to referee the final. Sven, the coach, gets most blame for not bringing enough strikers to the cup. However, if some of England's key players had played as well as they normally do, there would have been no shortage of goals. England just did not play well enough. A key lesson for the England team and many of us is that we need to stop blaming others for our failures and just make up our minds to do better next time. Five key success lessons emerge from the above. Don't rely on other people to achieve your goals. They are only human and may let you down. Take responsibility for your own goals and plans. Don't lose your temper. Don't take insults personally. A moment of anger can lead to a life time of regret. Don't allow your own mistakes to paralyse or distract you. Focus on what needs to be done to achieve your goals. Tony Blair made the mistake of saying he would retire before the next election. His answer to those who keep asking him when he will retire is that he is simply focusing on what needs to be done to improve the lives of UK citizens. Don't retire from life too early. France nearly won the world cup with an ageing team. England won the 2003 world rugby cup with a team that was criticised for being too old. Don't blame other people for your own poor performance. Admit that you were not good enough and concentrate on doing better next time. About the author John Watson is an award winning teacher and fifth degree black belt martial arts instructor. He has recently written several books about achieving your goals and dreams. One of them can be found at: http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php Ezine editors / Site owners Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above. |
Other Football Tips Articles
A Football Player's Perspective - How to Make It to the Next Level of Play It was August 2003 and my team at the time, the Pittsburgh Steelers, was holding the first live scrimmage for training camp. As a rookie in the NFL I had practiced a number of times with the team, but this was the first time I was going to suit it up for a “full contact and tackle goal line scrimmage”. The set up was easy. The first and second ...George Best This morning when I woke the first thought that flickered through my mind was – how is George Best? I thought he’d died during the night, but there is nothing on the news confirming this, so all must be well with the world. But regrettably, not for long.I had the great pleasure of seeing George in the flesh over a hundred times, and many ...Selling Your Home? 9 Garage Sale Hints to Get You Moving! Are you in the process of selling your home? Have you just purchased a new home? Here are some excellent tips to free up the clutter and cut your moving expenses.If you’ve just bought a new home, having a garage sale is an excellent way to make a little extra cash while saying goodbye to items you don’t use anymore. The less stuff you ...Five Sure-Fire Tips For Writing A Winning Resume Resume writing can be a real task for anyone, even if you have several years of experience in your job. Resume writing is in part an art, but mainly it is a science that plays upon the psyche of the reader. Leaving your resume written unscientifically will jeopardize your job prospects. There are many professional resume writing services availab ...Throwing a Fantasy Football Draft Party When a bunch of guys get together to talk football usually all you need to keep everyone happy is pizza and beer. But, since it actually involves work, a successful fantasy football draft party has a few more important parts.Set up a large space with enough seating for everyone in your league. Comfortable seating like recliners or couches ...Factors Which Make For a Great NFL Game Catching an NFL football game, whether on television or in person, is a great way to spend the day. There are certain key components however which make a particular football game even that much more eventful. When considering the following factors, one is sure to agree that these specific components make a game more exciting.Rival Teams ...Play Joker Poker Video Poker & Win! Play Joker Poker is a video slot game that is easy to play, has good winning odds, and with an extra card (the wild Joker) in play, your chances to win are increased even more.The game is fast paced if you wish, or slow if you prefer, its exciting and great fun and you can win big!This is what this article is all about playing joke ...Meals And Advice To Help People To Lose Weight And To Stay Trim This article is aimed at helping people to lose weight and to then keep at their new happier size. I am going to give tips about what type of meals people should be eating and about other simple ways to help stay trim and fit.Many people find that after successfully dieting for a number of months and putting themselves through a lot of ha ...Setting Up A Junior Football Team Are you thinking of starting a junior football team but are unsure about how to proceed? I have recently set up such a team for the age group of under sevens and in this article I will give advice as to what is involved in the way of organisation etc.My name is Stephen Hill and I have a son who is six years of age. I have been taking him ...Get Your Writing Reviewed by Major Publications for Free All Writers need the press, especially new writers. As a new novelist, I know I need name recognition. The best way for me to get the public to learn about my novel, The League, I figured, was to get some reviews in major magazines and newspapers.Now, being unknown, this might seem like a tall task. It really isn't. In fact, I was sho ...Football Betting Trends to Keep an Eye on this Year Until last year, the past 10 years the winners of the Super Bowl are a combined 58-79 ATS for a lousy 42% win ratio following their Super Bowl victory. While the losers of the Super Bowl are even worse the following year at 64-94 for a 41% win ratio. Combined, that is a record of 122-173 ATS for a low 41% win ratio. I mentioned all these figures ...NFL: Pete Morelli Should Have Upheld Troy Polamalu's Interception The NFL admits that Pete Morelli made a mistake of reversing the interception made my Troy Polamalu. This coming from Mike Pereira, the league's vice president of officiating.According to the official, the rule of having to make a football move to establish a catch is only in effect if contact is made with a defensive player. Nobody had t ...Fantasy Football Explodes into Fiction Fifteen years ago, my friends and I wanted to get involved in fantasy sports. We had heard of Rotisserie baseball, the game where you select major leaguers and use their statistics for your own fantasy team. Most of us preferred football over baseball, so we did a little research and decided to create a fantasy football league. Now, we're ent ...An Organization Void of Character If you’ve read my weekly column, you’ll know that I was an advocate of Mike Tice’s firing all season long. While I agree with the decision of Minnesota Viking’s management to fire Mike Tice, I disagree about the way that they went about his release from the club.While events leading up to Sunday night’s decision to fire Mike Tice are fog ...Custom Clay Poker Chips Betting the internet is a sure thing for those custom clay poker chips you have been looking for? You’re probably right. There are hundreds of clay poker chip distributors out there that sell chips and most have the option of going customized or stock. You won’t face a problem with options available or a place to buy your custom chips, if anythi ...How to Draft your Own Fantasy Football Team If you have been considering starting your own fantasy football there are several aspects of which you should be aware. Fantasy football has significantly grown in popularity in the last few years and there are now a number of different ways you can get involved with fantasy football. If you’re interested in winning some of the larger prizes tha ...Blackjack Favorable Rules – Play the Casino With The Best Rules To Win! In any casino game, knowing the factors that affect your chances of winning are all important. Here you will find everything you need to know about playing with favorable rules.Keep in mind you can be an expert card counter but unless the rules are in your favor you will lose.Casinos are not going to advertise that the chances of w ...AP Top 25 College Football Teams Week 2 The new AP TOP 25 college football poll is out and it's pretty much as expected. Ohio State remains number one. Texas is number two. These two teams go to war this week in Texas. One will be left standing with championship hopes. Last season it was a great game. Texas managed to take home the win and it propelled them to the national championshi ...Chargers at Broncos : Fight For Division Supremacy It's week 11 in the NFL and the Chargers and Broncos are both 7-2 in the AFC West. This week the two titans go at it in Denver. At stake is first place in the AFC West and potentially the division title. These two teams will square off once more on December 10 in San Diego.The San Diego Chargers have won three games in a row, including an ...How to Handicap Football Like The Pros Hello my name is Chris Liput professional handicapper with Fast Actin Handicappin. We provide pro and college football picks for the sports investor. This is a good article I found on the Coaches corner website and thought it was worth sharing with those who like to bet or do there own football gambling picks. I always recommend hiring a handica ...Stress Management and Mastery: What We Can Learn from 9 Trapped Miners Think back a few years to the nine coal miners trapped in a Pennsylvania mine and their rescuers.Do you remember that story?I thought the miners were goners.They were trapped in a 4-foot-high cave. It was dark, wet and cold, 250 feet underground - almost the length of a football field - for more than three days.Now, t ...Fantasy Football Offers Gamblers a Unique Kind of Fun If you are a gambler, and you enjoy sports, chances are you've bet on football at some time in your life. If you love football, and you have never played fantasy football, you'll want to check into this fun and unique way to gamble on your favorite sport that doesn't involve a bookie.The popularity of fantasy football has exploded in the ...
| 