Everyman's Guide to the 2006 World Cup Final
By Jason McIntyre
Wipe the drool from your keyboard and focus! That’s Ilary Blasi, the wife of Italy midfielder Francesco Totti, and yes, we love her. But if you’ve been reading our World Cup coverage, you knew that. Onward …
Franck Ribery. Who? What? Bizarre spelling of his first name. And everyone asks about the French midfielder’s scar down the right side of his face … he was thrown through a windshield in an automobile accident at age 2. Dude’s also got a song in his honor, and he was kicked out of school for having poor study habits. The kid only made his international soccer debut this May. Impressive, right? Talk about a success story.
Are there nude photos of Francesco Totti’s insanely hot wife? Depends what you deem “nude.” There are definitely more than a few “not safe for work” photos floating around the net. Our poor grasp for the Italian language doesn’t help when looking her up, but if you google her name – Ilary Blasi – you will find her in various stages of undress. It’s probably best if the wife/girlfriend/significant other is not in the room. We can only assume Blasi is a celebrity in Italy – there seem to be paparazzi photos of her grocery shopping.
Is it cool to call Italy’s goalie buffoon, like the court jester? The spelling – Buffon – is very similar, and it sounds kind of funny. Far be it from us to interrupt your laughter, but you’d be mocking the best goalie in the world. We’re not dropping ESPN-like hyperbole on you … it is a fact.
Historically, Italy hasn’t performed well against France, or in penalty kick situations in World Cup finals. Can the Azzuri pull this off?
Last Italian win vs. France: 1978.
World Cup finals involving Italy that have gone to PK: Three.
Italy victories in World Cup finals that have gone to PK: Zero.
Italian fans, though, may like this: Since 1970, Italy has reached the World Cup final every 12 years (1970, 1982, 1994, 2006). It has alternated wins-losses: 1970 (loss), 1982 (win), 1994 (loss). So could that mean 2006 is a win, perhaps using revenge as motivation?
Why were members of the French national team hanging out with Spike Lee? No clue. Clearly, France doesn’t know Spike Lee has never backed a winner. (See Knicks, New York).
So this Zidane cat … where does he rank when the discussion turns to the best ever? This has been one helluva “last flicker of greatness” as Jere Longman put it in the New York Times. Nobody predicted France would reach the final, much less win it. This is all Zidane’s doing. He’s been masterful in the midfield, and effectively coming out of retirement to win this one would eclipse his sterling 1998 tournament (after scoring two goals in the final against Brazil, his likeness was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe). Zidane has probably surpassed Michel Platini as the greatest player in France soccer history, which would certainly vault Z-squared onto any Top 10 list. All lists begin, of course, with Pele, closely followed by Eric Wynalda.
Over/under on the amount of times France’s Theirry Henry is offside? Figure six. Three per half. He’s easily leading the tournament with 17, seven more than tubby Ronaldo.
The pick? Italy, 2-1 in overtime.