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Just watched the "Jogo da Minha Vida" mini-series broadcast by @Canal_11Oficial. Fantastic memories by the five chosen players Nuno Gomes, João Pinto, Luís Figo, Hélder Postiga & Paulo Futre. Huge kudos to the producer @nuno_mad. Thread on my favourite quotes from them.
Nuno Gomes (Portugal 1-0 Spain, Euro 2004). Loved the revelation by Gomes that when Portugal were 1-0 up and under real pressure from the Spanish he told Puyol: “calm down - with this result we both go through”. Wasn't true. When Puyol found out he wasn't happy with Nuno!
João Pinto (Portugal 3-2 England, Euro 2000), on his magnificent diving header to equalise the match. “Only after watching goal on TV did I realise it was much more beautiful than the notion I had of it on the pitch.”
interesting to hear JVP say he headed the ball better from crosses from the right flank than from the left flank. Never occurred to me that this could be the case for strikers – having a preferred side for headers on goal. Tactical implications @zonalmarking?
In that a team may set out to work the ball to one side of the pitch for crosses to maximise its striker’s chances of scoring from a header. Anyway, I digress...
Luís Figo (Portugal 2-1 Netherlands, Euro2004). Loved that Figo chose “o jogo da minha vida” that was neither from when he was at his height, nor one that he had a particularly big impact on, but rather bc of the huge significance it had for the Seleção, reaching its first final.
Figo: “I look back on Euro 2004 as a happy moment despite the fact we weren’t champions. The team’s run and how the country reacted make us feel like champions.”
Hélder Postiga (Portugal 2-2 England, Euro 2004). Postiga speaks really well. “For me it was especially important to score against a country where I’d had such a poor season (He'd signed for Tottenham from Porto, scored 1 goal only). It was as if I resuscitated emotionally.”
On his Panenka penalty in the shootout, Postiga said it was “a moment of irresponsibility” and paused, only to immediately add “but a moment of controlled irresponsibility because I knew I had the capacity to do it.”
And Scolari’s reaction? "During the celebrations in the changing room after the game Scolari came up to me and said 'That’s the last time you take a penalty for me! My heart won’t bear it.'” - Hélder Postiga.
Postiga actually did take another penalty, AGAIN in a quarter-final shootout, AGAIN versus England, at World Cup 2006. He scored. But this time it wasn't a Panenka. Portugal won.
Paulo Futre (Portugal 5-0 Scotland, WC 1994 qualifying). “Since Mexico 86 we’d never had a strong Seleção. Maybe this was launchpad of the Golden Generation. The team was a mixture of these amazing young players – Rui Costa, Paulo Sousa – and older ones, like me and Rui Barros."
"I never reached my same level after this game because of injuries, but the few games I played with them (the Golden Generation) was a real pleasure and incredible.”
Imagine that Golden Generation if Futre in his pomp had been part of it…
Imagine that Golden Generation if Futre in his pomp had been part of it…
