Vienna climax keeps great debate going
Sunday, June 22, 2008
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Iker Casillas got the better of Gianluigi Buffon in Spain's shoot-out win over Italy but the debate about which is the world's greatest custodian has not ended.
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What we learned about Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas and his Italy counterpart Gianluigi Buffon during these teams' dramatic, humid, tense UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-final is which man was the better on the night. That is all. Not who is the best in the world.
Prodigy
The Madrileño Casillas, who started taking responsibility for winning mighty trophies aged only 19 years and four days in the 2000 UEFA Champions League final, and who forgot to place his father's winning lottery numbers not long before that, hit the jackpot again for Spain on Sunday night in Vienna. Perhaps it was down to the intense practice on Friday night and three fine penalty saves in training.
Who's the best?
But if you stand aside from the riveting contest between Spain and Italy and the bare bones of who won and who lost, it is a certainty that the debate about Casillas and Buffon must remain. The Spaniard saved twice and Buffon only once – but we all deserve to continue enjoying and debating their massive talents and humble personalities for years. No wonder that late at night in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, 24 hours before this victory which put Spain in the semi-finals, Luis Aragonés waved his hands up above his head, let out a huge sigh of exasperation and refused to be drawn into one of our most beloved games: Who's the best?
Impossible choice
Of course the question related to Casillas and Buffon, a subject which fascinates the football world. They were asking the Wise Man of Hortaleza – but actually requesting a footballing version of the Wisdom of Solomon. How do you separate these two? Personal choice, yes. A coach or a director of football can opt for height or for physique or temperament or experience as his defining criterion. Anything else is impossible. So before the veteran Aragonés, who has seen and done nearly it all during his marvellous 51-year playing and coaching career, addressed the subject he chose an exquisitely clever way to dribble, verbally, past the obstacle.
True greats
"The first time I started hearing about the 'best ever' was Don Alfredo di Stéfano" grinned the Wise Man, who did not even hint that he thought he was speaking to a fool. "Then it was Pelé, and Cruyff and Maradona and so on." After the preview came Sunday night's drama. What was underlined, even before the start is that we are talking about two wonderful men. Aware of the debate between them, which has now raged for four or five seasons, Buffon went straight up to his Real Madrid CF counterpart and hugged him. Then, stepping back, he quite clearly said, with a wink and a smile: "You're the best, not me." The two men collapsed in comradely laughter and the quarter-final had its first special moment.
Total concentration
There were more. Midway through the second half Fernando Torres lost his temper just a little with Christian Panucci. Buffon raced to the scene but to hug El Niño, to calm his momentary tension and even to coax a little smile out of the combative Liverpool FC striker. Above and beyond the call of duty. But poor old Buffon was doomed to sweat through the shoot-out, to turn away from watching even one of Italy's four attempts and to make a great stop himself – to no avail. Congratulations to Casillas, two fine saves. But the semi-final is the prize, not the goalkeeping world crown. Not yet at least.