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The story can be explained with a story and the chorus of a song.
The first is The
Martian in Rome
, by Ennio Flaiano, writer and legendary Fellini screenwriter.
An alien lands in the Italian capital, in the middle of Villa Borghese, and leaves his spaceship there.
The Romans are amazed, it is wonderful, everyone makes way for him.
The Pope summons him to the Vatican for a private audience.
Also the President of the Republic, who orders him to be brought to the Quirinal Palace with the honors of head of state.
On the street everyone wants to greet him, photograph him.
After two weeks, no one gives a damn about the poor Martian, who no longer even gives up his turn in the cafeteria to order his espresso.
Kunt, that was the alien's name, resigns himself to oblivion and heads down the Via Veneto to the gardens of the Villa Borghese, where he turns on the reactor of his ship to return to Mars.
Rome is a cyclothymic city.
It elevates and devours its myths at breakneck speed.
But Flaiano's metaphor works for football and for some clubs in particular, determined to tarnish the best memories of their fans.
Our recklessness in defying history has no limits.
In a couple of years, Barça has destroyed two monuments of the club such as Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernández.
Not the Wembley goal or anything.
Barça myths of Cruyff and Guardiola burning in the bonfire of memes.
And at this rate, Laporta himself will do the same with his legend.
His cases are not unique.
And everyone has the bitter taste of disappointment after a frustrated return.
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In 2020, Juventus shattered the sacred myth of Andrea Pirlo, what a shame on the Sampdoria bench, in Serie B, the audacity to challenge his own glory as a player.
The midfielder was nicknamed the maestro, the orchestra director.
But the noise ended up eating into his poor symphony on the bench (Juve almost missed out on the Champions League).
Much earlier it happened to Marco Tardelli, a great midfielder, scorer of one of the three goals against Germany in the World Cup in Spain that lifted the then President of the Republic, Sandro Pertini, from his seat.
A Juve and Inter player, he plunged the Nerazzurri into disaster with a 0-6 defeat in the derby with Milan.
Given some precedents, the biggest nightmare that Roma fans have now is that something like this happens with Daniele De Rossi.
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People are excited, and also terrified.
De Rossi, an admirer of Luis Enrique, was the last great captain: he promises good play and sacrifice.
But they know the cloth on the banks of the Tiber, the story of the Martian, what a legend lasts.
And the first reaction, although they have only asked him to classify the team for the next Champions League, was fear.
The adventure has everything to end like that of Xavi: a myth, the biggest fan of the southern curve and, on top of that, it comes after Mourinho's era, who won a European Cup and a European final.
In the first press conference, a journalist, belittling his qualities as a coach, asked him: “Do you know that the property has called you to calm the atmosphere?”
He was offended for a few seconds.
But he understood it, because he is part of that ecosystem.
Something similar is happening to Xavi, who already experienced martyrdom in his first stage as a player.
“It is very cruel to be Barça coach.
You feel like they don't value you.
Wear occurs.
And it no longer makes sense,” he lamented on Saturday.
He misses that I miss him.
The answer, somewhat advantageous, could be in
Minusvalía
, that song by Astrud: “Knowing how you know what I always do to people, how did you think it would be different with you?”
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