"I hope the fences we mended
Fall down beneath their own weight"

John Darnielle

padaoesilva@gmail.com

segunda-feira, 30 de junho de 2014

Portugal: a childhood ended

"(...) I went through my formative years (rightly) thinking that the whole reality could be encapsulated in the dramatic tension arising from the clash between eleven superheroes (Benfica’s players) and their opponents. I felt no need to become a Star Wars geek or get interested in Marvel comic-book characters. For me, football matches provided all answers. Benfica became my idea of morality and, aesthetically, I believed that nothing could overcome Chalana’s dribbling skills or Nené’s swift pace. That’s the boy I was then, and still is a major part of who I am today.

In 1982, I was also facing a dramatic quandary. There were no Benfica players involved in the World Cup, so I didn’t know which team to support. (...)"


A Al-Jazeera convidou 32 adeptos dos 32 países participantes a escreverem um texto sobre a sua relação com o Mundial. Calhou-me a mim escrever sobre Portugal, isto é, escrever sobre o Benfica. O texto, em inglês técnico, pode ser lido aqui.