NIRANJAN T G IN MALAYALA MANORAMA

 

തരിശിട്ട പാടങ്ങളിൽ വിളയാതെ പോയത് 

മലയാളികൾക്ക് ഏറ്റവും പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട വിനോദമായ തർക്കത്തിലേർപ്പെടാൻ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പുകാലം കഴിഞ്ഞ് കിട്ടുന്ന ഒരു സന്ദർഭമാണ് ലോകകപ്പ് ഫുട്ബോൾ. ആ സീസണും അവസാനിക്കാൻ പോവുകയാണ്. പല പ്രമുഖ ടീമുകളും കളമൊഴിഞ്ഞുകഴിഞ്ഞു. അവരുടെ നിരാശരായ ആരാധകരെല്ലാം നിശബ്ദരായി. പടുകൂറ്റൻ ഫ്ലക്സുകൾ പലതും കവലകളിൽ നിന്ന് അപ്രത്യക്ഷമായി തുടങ്ങി. പൊതുവെ അപഹസിക്കപ്പെടാറുള്ളതുപോലെ മഴയിൽ കോഴിക്കൂടുകൾക്കോ ഷെഡ്ഡുകൾക്കോ മേൽവിരിപ്പുകളായോ, വെയിലിൽ കൊണ്ടാട്ടമോ ധാന്യങ്ങളോ ഉണക്കാനുള്ള തറവിരിപ്പുകളായോ മാറുക എന്ന ദൗത്യമേറ്റെടുക്കാനായി അവ ചുരുട്ടിവെയ്ക്കപ്പെട്ടു കഴിഞ്ഞു. 

തോറ്റാലും ജയിച്ചാലും ഫുട്ബോൾ തർക്കം തുടരാൻ മലയാളികളെ എക്കാലവും പ്രചോദിപ്പിക്കുന്ന രണ്ട് പ്രമുഖ ടീമുകളാണ് ബ്രസീലും അർജന്റീനയും. ഭൂഗോളത്തിന്റെ മറ്റൊരറ്റത്ത് കിടക്കുന്ന ലാറ്റിനമേരിക്കയുമായി അല്ലെങ്കിലും മലയാളികൾക്ക് പണ്ടേ ഒരു ‘ഇദുണ്ട്’.  പ്രത്യേകിച്ചും എഴുപതുകളിലെ ലിറ്റിൽ മാഗസിൻ കാലം മുതൽ. തൊട്ടടുത്ത പഞ്ചായത്തിനെക്കാൾ ലാറ്റിനമേരിക്കൻ രാജ്യങ്ങളെ അറിയാമെന്ന് കരുതിയിരുന്ന ഒരു തലമുറയിലെ യുവാക്കളെ മാർക്വസും യോസയും നെരൂദയും ബോർഹസും നിക്കനോർ പാർറയുമൊക്കെ മലയാളി എഴുത്തുകാരെപ്പോലെത്തന്നെ ബാധിച്ചിരുന്നു. സാംസ്കാരികകേരളത്തിനെന്ന പോലെ കായികകേരളത്തിനും കാൽപ്പന്തുകളിയുടെ ഈ വസന്തഭൂമി ഊർജം പകർന്നു. 

ഗയാനയും സുറിനാമും വെനിസ്വേലയുമൊഴിച്ചുള്ള തെക്കേ അമേരിക്കൻ രാജ്യങ്ങളെല്ലാം ഫുട്ബോൾ ലോക കപ്പ് കളിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. കേരളത്തിലെ ഫുട്ബോൾ ആരാധകർക്കിടയിലെ പരമ്പരാഗതവൈരികളായ ബ്രസീലിനും അർജന്റീനയ്ക്കുമിടയിൽ കൊയ്തൊഴിഞ്ഞ പാടത്ത് താൽക്കാലിക ഗോൾപോസ്റ്റുകളായി വെച്ച രണ്ടു ഉരുളൻകല്ലുകളെപ്പോലെ കിടക്കുന്ന ഉരുഗ്വേയും പരാഗ്വേയും പോലുമുണ്ട് അതിൽ. പുറമെ നെരൂദയുടേയും നിക്കനോർ പാർറയുടേയും ചിലിയും മാർക്വസിന്റെ കൊളംബിയയും ഇക്വഡോറും പെറുവും ലോകകപ്പ് യോഗ്യരായ രാജ്യങ്ങളിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടും. 

ലാറ്റിനമേരിക്കൻ ഫുട്ബോളിനെ ഒരു വികാരമായി കൊണ്ടുനടക്കുന്ന മലയാളികൾക്ക് ഭാരതമെന്ന പേരുകേട്ട് അന്തരംഗം അഭിമാനപൂരിതമാവാൻ നിവൃത്തിയില്ലാത്തതു കൊണ്ടാവണം ബ്രസീൽ, അർജന്റീന എന്നൊക്കെ ഞരമ്പുകളിൽ ചോര തിളയ്ക്കുന്നത്. വാട്സപ്പ് ഗ്രൂപ്പുകളിലും സമൂഹമാദ്ധ്യമങ്ങളിലും ഈ ആരാധകർക്കിടയിലെ വെല്ലുവിളികളും വാഗ്വാദങ്ങളും അധിക്ഷേപങ്ങളുമൊക്കെ കാണുമ്പോൾ ഒമ്പതാം ക്ലാസിലെ കേരളപാഠാവലിയിൽ പഠിച്ച ഒരു കഥയോർത്തു. ഉറൂബിന്റെ 'അഭിപ്രായഭേദം'. 

അഭിപ്രായഭേദമാണല്ലോ പണ്ടുതൊട്ടേ നമുക്ക് ഊർജം തരുന്ന ഒരു പൊട്ടൻഷ്യൽ. കഥയിലാവട്ടെ അത് കഥാകൃത്തിനോടൊപ്പം ഒരു പാസഞ്ചർ ട്രെയിനിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന കണ്ണപ്പൻനായരും കിട്ടുണ്ണിക്കുറുപ്പും തമ്മിലുള്ള സംഭാഷണത്തിലെ ഒരു വിയോജിപ്പിൽ നിന്ന് തുടങ്ങുന്നതാണ്. തന്റെ നാട്ടിലെ കാന്ത്രാട്ടു മനക്കാർക്ക് ഒന്നര ലക്ഷം പറ നെല്ല് പാട്ടമായി കിട്ടുന്നുണ്ടെന്ന് കണ്ണപ്പൻനായരുടെ ഒരു ചോദ്യത്തിന് ഉത്തരമായി കിട്ടുണ്ണിക്കുറുപ്പ് പറയുന്നതിൽ നിന്നാണ് തുടക്കം. അത്രയ്ക്കൊന്നുമുണ്ടാവില്ല, കൂടിയാൽ എഴുപത്തയ്യായിരം എന്ന് കണ്ണപ്പൻനായർ. എന്തിനേറെപ്പറയുന്നു, വിയോജിപ്പ് വളർന്ന് തർക്കമായി, സംഘർഷമായി, അടികലശലായി. കിട്ടുണ്ണിക്കുറുപ്പ് ക്ഷുഭിതനായി ഷൊർണൂരിൽ ഇറങ്ങിപ്പോവുന്നതു വരെ അത് തുടർന്നു. ഈ രണ്ടു പേർക്കും സ്വന്തമായി വല്ല കൃഷിയുമുണ്ടോ എന്നത് സംശയമാണു താനും!

വാട്സപ്പ് ഗ്രൂപ്പുകളിൽ തർക്കം തുടരുന്ന ബ്രസീൽ, അർജന്റീന ആരാധകർ ഷൊർണൂരിലിറങ്ങിയ കിട്ടുണ്ണിക്കുറുപ്പിനെ പോലെ എക്സിറ്റടിച്ചുപോയാലും കേരളത്തിലെ പ്രശ്നമവസാനിക്കില്ല. തരിശിട്ട പാടങ്ങളിൽ പോലും ഒരു പറയ്ക്കുള്ള ഫുട്ബോൾ കൃഷി നമുക്ക് സ്വന്തമായുമില്ല ! 

- നിരഞ്ജൻ ടി ജി

LIONEL MESSI THROUGH THE EYES OF XAVI HERNANDEZ AND JAVIER MASCHERANO

 "Nothing Messi does should surprise anyone - except, of course, that it does."

"He is a special one." 

"You cannot compare him with anyone. He's different, totally different."

"Always when we see him, always it's a surprise because he's doing a lot of things that we will never, never see in another player. Hence I think, in the future, it will be difficult to find a player like him. I think it's impossible."

Xavi, who shared years of midfield sorcery with Messi at Barcelona, said he watced Argentina's 2-1 win over England with Mascherano and could barely process what he was seeing.

"We were together watching the game, and he told me, "39 years(old), and what's he doing? It's amazing."

"In my opinion he's the best in history. And he's still making a difference on the pitch. And his ambition, his attitude. He's a warrior. He's absolutely the best."

Xavi Hernandez and Javier Mascherano had been Barcelona greats. They see the their old club's shadows everywhere.

Xavi was a pillar of Spain's side whose tiki-taka possession game won the country's first World cup in South africa in 2010.

Masscherano was Messi's teammate with Barcelona and Argentina and his coach at Inter Miami until early 2026.

According to them, Lionel Messi is Barca academy's most dazzling export still bending matches to his will at 39.   We can see that it is  the inluence of the club coming  very much alive in Messi's game.

They both were of the view that Barca's footballing idea runs through both Spain and Argentina.  They reiterated  whoever is crowned once the final is over, the winner would ultimately be Barca.

Times of india 19 July 2026
Invisible champions: Why Barca win, no matter the score

World Cup Final

 

When Spain meets Argentina on Monday, the 20th July 2026 in the football World Cup final, we can see  that  the protagonists will be representing two countries on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

While Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez has been the loudest voice for Palestine, inclusiveness and left ideology in Europe, his Argentine counterpart's political ideology can be summed up in him being one of the strongest supporters of US President Donald Trump.

Prime Minister Javier Milei has been famously quoted as saying that "the only left that works is the left foot of Messi."

It is a satire on history itself that the country once colonized by the Spanish empire - that rid the land of its own people - now has Milei's rightist government at the helm while its colonizers are standing to the left and advocating for diversity and socialism. 

Yet another paradox is that the Latin Americans are the sole all white team among the 48 nations at the World Cup whereas Spain will have players of immigrant descent.

That's the reality the world will stare at when the summit clash kicks off in New Jersey.

Sudeshna Ghosh
in The Times of India on 19 July 2006
ALSO PLAYING POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES

The Spanish Govt's Leftist Ideals Will Clash With Argentina's Far-Right Stance in The Final

How good the church election is?

 

How good the church election is?

I think we must have elections, every Sunday, every day.

All of a sudden, people who have ignored you so far, people who always keep a stiff upper lip, people who turn the other way when you approach them, people who wouldn't smile even if you offer a smile,  people who think of themselves alone, people who are never responsive and people who are never aware of your existence start looking you up. They phone you. They smile, really smile at you. They share messages with you.

You find to your  surprise the active presence of Christianity everywhere. It is just what Jesus  advocated. 

You know very well, come the result you would be dumped again, you would be cast away into ignominy for the next three years. The smiles would fade. You would just become an inconvenience if you happen to cross their path. The world would become normal again as it had been before the elections. No one would know anyone else once again.

You become yourself.

It began with a shocking message triggering messages to and fro

It began with a shocking message triggering messages to and fro.

"Sabu is in a very bad situation. He had a massive heart attack and is hospitalized 100%block in all arteries. They put one stent on. They got a heartbeat for a while."

(Information was Sabu had collapsed in the restroom. Fortunately, his wife and younger daughter were at home. They found him unconscious. He was almost gone. They administered CPR. He was transferred to the hospital.at once. A friend who is a doctor tells, most heart attacks occur in the bathrooms. He says when the heart attack is on people do not realise it. They have the urge to relieve themselves. They rush to the toilet. They collapse there)

"I am in the hospital waiting room"

"I am at a loss. Auntie too."

"When asked the doctor said we should be praying for his brain functioning. All healing comes from God but that is the functionality they are going to check for."

"This was the exact issue they had told me they were afraid of when my Papa was  incapacitated beyond redemption."

"When Papa had a Cardiac arrest in June 1980, the doctor said he'd be gone in half an hour at the most.

Papa opened his eyes after 48 hours.He was in the post operative room connected to the ventilator in the theatre. They had put him back there from the ward.

It was night around 11 or 12 the following night.

The doctor came out from theatre. He asked who was Roji. When I went up, he asked me to follow him into the theatre. I said I didn't have their theatre wear. He asked me to take off my footwear and follow him. 

I saw Papa on the bed with tubes and attachments. His eyes were wide open.

They asked him who I was. He was definite. He said this is my son Roji, Roji Mathew.

They laughed. They advised me to go out.

Later, I understood they were checking his senses or functioning of his brain

(This was the exact issue they had told me they were afraid of.)

He remained there for one more day and it was back to the General Ward and afterwards two weeks in the Pay Ward"

"Pray without ceasing. Our Lord provides. Always"

"I, we, prayed incessantly."

"When he was discharged, he walked out of the hospital. No trolly or wheel chair."

"Daivame. Our God provides. Always."

"He was 62.

After CPR he was  on the Ventilator for 48 hours.

When the doctor said half an hour it was around 10 pm night.

I sat on the floor outside

B-Theatre - no benches or seats there - and began praying. 

I prayed just one sentence repeatedly staying awake the whole night.

"Daivame ente Papa ye ee rathri kondupokaruthe"

(Oh God, please don't take away my Papa this night)

I could have been naive. But a thought, a crazy one, was in me. That God would let him be in this world if Papa had survived till 6 am  the next morning.

The supplication was relentless 

Morning around 8 AM next day, word was, he was alive. 

The doctor told me there was some improvement.

God gave him back

He lived on 28 years.

Miracle.

I understood one thing. 

God acts at the right time.

To this day, it has been true in my life, our life.

It will be in yours too.

We are praying for Sabu and you and everyone there."

"Can't write anything more"

"Pray without ceasing. Our Lord provides. Always."

"We are doing that. We'll keep on doing that."

"Our God provides. Always."

"They just updated us. He had purposeful movement, they confirmed 3 times, he squeezed their hands and opened and closed eyes on command. They increased sedation again so he doesn’t get restless or move too much. Otherwise status quo"

"By God’s Immense Grace, Sabu is now off heart support (no ecmo, and no impella) 

Sabu did well overnight, CT surgeon said his heart is recovering well. Today the plan is to extubate him. Please pray"

"Thank God"

"This morning only at 6.51am we spoke for 18mins. It's crux was how God acts

Now it's 6.48 pm. All it took was slightly less than 12hrs.

As I said God knows what He's doing. 

The wheels grind slow. But they surely grind.

Now the recovery will be quick

We keep praying for him, for you. We know it's tough for you acting double"

"Not extubated. Please pray."

"Sabu was stable today. They will do an echo tomorrow and then decide the next steps. The Pastor visited. Sabu recognized the Pastor.  We pray without ceasing."

"No update."

"When  you are free and have a mind to talk, please message. I'll call"

"When I am free, I will message you."

"Sabu’s lungs are slowly recovering. They are slowly lowering sedation so they can make extubation easier" 

"Sabu has been off sedation all day. He is aware of the surroundings. He is recognizing us and communicating well. The doctors are happy with his progress"

*Daivame sthothram"

"Sabu was very lively today. He was off the vent for the entire day. Our Pastor came by and we all talked with Sabu about what had happened and why he is hospitalized?" 

"Sabu is in a much better space now" 

"Sabu is getting stronger day by day. Today he stood up with PT and SLP put in a speech valve so he was able to talk all day. He was also on the trach collar for about 16 hours today, doing well"

"Sabu passed speech and swallow and is now having a full meal for dinner today. He’s doing great." 

"Great news.

Praise God.

Miracles do happen in this world.

Sabu is the miracle.

As I had told my Papa after his survival - cardiac arrest and momentary or virtual death -  take each moment, each second and each day as a bonus gifted by God almighty.

As the bible says, do good unto others.

Find joy in looking after the needs, both material and spiritual, of the others, the needy.

Please don't dump money into the coffers of the church or the pockets of the Priests when you see misappropriation. 

The fashion I have observed from my large extended family or the people around is, they would never lift even the little finger to help or assist those who are in  real need within the family.

While I have seen in many instances is that, Christians or people from other religions do help people to migrate or assist them materially. However, my own people had never taken any interest to help those in penury or in real need within the large ambit of family.

They would happily tell us they would pray whereas that is the last thing they would ever do in this world.

As I said, treat people well. Help them within your means.

The rewards will flow to you and your successors"

"Great advice and observation. Starred the message"

LAMINE YAMAL IS THE FIRST YAMAL, NOT THE NEXT MESSI

 

Lamine Yamal is the face of Spanish soccer today. He is dazzling. He is the undisputed leader of the Barcelona football team. He is the creative fulcrum of Spain.

His ascent as one of the best footballers in the world has been relentless though he is yet to leap into the highest station.

When Spain's World Cup 2026 debut began in Atlanta, the Mecedez-Benz Stadium was throbbing with team's supporters. They had arrived early to savour the debut in large numbers. However one detail was impossible to ignore. It was a sea of red. The vast majority of those red shirts, old and new, with different designs, carried the same number and the same name. 

19, Lamine Yamal.

His appeal to younger audiences, effortless authenticity and remarkable composure have made him a marketer's dream, making him one of the most sought after faces among the world's biggest brands. Though he may still be chasing the achievements of Messi, Mbappe or Haaland, he already belongs to the same commercial league.

Yamal's relaxed personality, infectious confidence and seemingly effortless ability to handle immense pressure have made him a magnet for advertisers.

His legend has spread through newspaper reports, TV highlights and word of mouth. Yamal belongs to a different age in comparison with Messi as he began his career.

Here, every dribble becomes a viral clip within minutes. Every celebration is a meme. Every appearance generates millions of impressions before the final whistle. 

Talent still matters, but the machinery of fame now works at a speed Messi never experienced in his youth.

Yamal has made his neighbourhood part of his identity. Even as his global fame multiplies, he often celebrates goals by making the numbers 304 with his fingers. It is a tribute to the last three digits of Rocafonda's postal code (08304. It is the place of his birth.   The gesture is unusual in modern football, where stars often distance themselves from their roots.

The Lamine Yamal phenomenon is almost unstoppable.  It grows with every performance, every headline and every campaign.

Excerpts from Luis Buxeres' article in.                    The Times of India of 14 July 2026.                         'Not The Next Messi, The First Yamal'

INAKI WILLIAMS AND NICO WILLIAMS

 Iñaki and Nico Williams are a historic pair of brothers who play together for La Liga's Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain.  Born to Ghanaian refugees who survived a harrowing, barefoot trek across the Sahara Desert, the siblings share a remarkably close bond but represent different national teams—Iñaki for Ghana and Nico for Spain. 

The Family's Sahara Journey

In the late 1990s, their parents, Felix and Maria, left Ghana on a perilous journey seeking a better life in Europe. While crossing the Sahara Desert, they were abandoned by the human traffickers and  were forced to walk through extreme, 50°C temperatures without shoes—a trek that cost many in their group their lives. Maria was pregnant with Iñaki at the time, and her survival is a testament to the family's resilience. 

After scaling a border fence into the Spanish enclave of Melilla, a lawyer advised them to claim they were fleeing the Liberian civil war to seek political asylum. The family was eventually relocated to Bilbao by a Catholic priest, who even baptized Iñaki and served as his godfather.

Rise to Football Stardom

Growing up in Pamplona and Bilbao, football served as a crucial outlet for the brothers. 

Felix did not let poverty drain his sons. He introduced football to them. The parents did not tell the children till they reached 18 years of age why Felix lived with incapacitated feet. The trek through Sahara braving instant death had engineered the disability, they finally revealed to the children when they turned eighteen..

Iñaki Williams: The older brother (born in 1994), Iñaki joined Athletic Club's academy and became an iconic figure at the club. He famously set an all-time La Liga record by making over 250 consecutive appearances for the club, a streak that earned him immense respect. 

Nico Williams: The younger brother (born in 2002), Nico, who is often called "Williams Jr.," also rose through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao. He is celebrated for his incredible pace, creativity, and explosive wing play, becoming a crucial player on the world stage.

A Family Divided on the International Stage

While the brothers play side-by-side for Athletic Club—even combining to assist each other's goals in crucial Copa del Rey victories—they made the unique decision to represent different countries internationally. Iñaki chose to switch his international allegiance to Ghana in 2022 to represent his parents' homeland, while Nico rapidly rose through the youth ranks to become a star forward for the Spanish senior national team. 

Both Inaki and Nico, whenever they get an opportunity to address a meeting acknowledge with a grateful heart,. the sacrifices their parents had undergone for their sake.