Germany 0-1 Greece. And a winning goal scored by Socrates. No, I'm not sharing a dream with you (although I wouldn't mind a similar turn of events on Friday). Instead, I just re-watched the classic Monty Python sketch of a football match pitting Germany's modern philosophers against Greece's wise men of antiquity.
Football has always transcended the mere barriers of sport. It can inspire art, interrupt high-level political discussions (remember the recent G8 summit when world leaders paused to watch the penalty shootout between Chelsea FC and FC Bayern München?), boost economies or change social life. It has always been more than just a game – for us, the fans and spectators.
But do the players share that feeling? Do they feel the weight of expectations or see how any one football match can touch so many aspects of life?
Yesterday, at Legionowo, where the Greece team train every day, the press came looking for answers that might indeed prove that Friday's quarter-final can transcend barriers and be about something more than football during difficult economic times. But neither Giorgos Samaras nor Kyriakos Papadopoulos obliged. "It's sport, it's a game," they said. "We go on to the pitch to enjoy ourselves and do the best we can."
The Greek team were called to do a tough job and passed with flying colours. They know that their showings in UEFA EURO 2012 will have positive repercussions on the country's low morale: "We want to make people back in Greece happy, to give them something to celebrate," said Samaras.
As far as I'm concerned, that's the right spirit. To borrow, again, from the Monty Python team: "Always look on the bright side of life." A coach and his players are participating in a feast of football and are looking to enjoy it and do their best for themselves and their country. That's what sport is all about. Nothing more, nothing less.
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