I feel that rereading this is now a happy memory of mine. Such a delight reading a first-hand account of a friend that lived a national World Cup Championship, and all that it entailed before. Maybe we can even practice happy memories from others? So glad you lived through all these memories and now you tell us about them, Silvio!
Thank you, Oscar! It’s interesting to think that we can practice other people’s happy memories, besides ours. I’ll give it some thought. Always so thoughtful what you wrote in your comments! :)
Ah these are good memories Silvo and I'm sure many will relate to them.
For me watching Landon Donovan score the extra time winner in South Africa, 2010 was a happy memory. A friend of mine there vowed he would name his first born son after Landon. And now here we are 13 years later, my friend has a son who bears the name Landon and I get a bit of joy every time I think about that.
Thank you, Steven! South Africa 2010 was the edition right after Germany 2006, when we won our fourth World Cup beating France in the final after eliminating (you guessed it) Germany in the semi final (home team). I'm citing this because, historically, the WC edition immediately after the one we won has been very bad for us (same with Mexico 1986). So, not a very happy memory for me! But I do remember Landon Donovan and that extra time goal. :)
Ah, such a beautiful story Silvio! I love football related memories, as they are some of my happiest ones as well.
Funnily enough, one of my favorite soccer memories was the 2006 semi-final between Italy and Germany (yep). It was one of the most riveting matches I've ever seen. I cheered at Grosso's extra time goal, and I remember crying when Del Piero put the final dagger a couple of minutes later. To this day, I don't understand why I cried, or why I was rooting for Italy so fervently. But I think that's part of the beauty of football–it inhabits our being with unexplainable sensations from unforgettable events.
Thank you so much, Camilo! I remember reading an issue of the Tangent about football right at the beginning of the last World Cup, where your love for the game beautifully surfaced.
I remember so clearly the semi-final you mention, and where I was and who I was with and what we said to each other and what we did to rejoice. Those final minutes of the second half of extra time are memorable. And then I went to Berlin at the final with a bunch of friends and that was the apotheosis! Something to write pages about, as you can imagine. I think you're right -- the beauty of football is that "it inhabits our being with unexplainable sensations from unforgettable events". Very effectively put. Thank you!
This is such a lovely piece that takes us through your memory highlight reel. You've inspired me to start journaling & reliving my favorite memories more often
Ah Silvo! How do you manage to be so detailed, convincing, vivid, and meanwhile, humorous at the same time?! I'm a soccer fan and every match between Germany and Italy in the world cup is one for the history books, and your passages just brought me right into the middle of your family late night gathering for the match and your watch party at Afro's. This is sheer pleasure to read. Thank you for another wonderful piece!
Helen! You knew Alessandro Manzoni last time around and now you're a soccer fan! This is awesome! You're such an interesting universe to discover! Thank you so much for your kind words. Glad I've given you pleasure in writing about this! :)
I mean, who doesn't love great literature, and who doesn't love The Beautiful Game? I'm just one of many. And when it comes to the soccer history between Germany vs Italy, since you live in Milan, you definitely know how many defeats that both Milan and Inter have handed to the German club Bayern Munich (that I happen to be a casual fan of), hahaha.
Well, as an Inter fan how could I not remember the 2010 Champions League final between Inter and Bayern that handed Inter the third Chanpions League of their history? That was memorable as I was at the game in Madrid. But yes, Bayern nowadays is a superior team, I have to admit. :)
Good memories are our second chance of happiness, and for me, they're also healthy carriers of melancholy.( Very nice yellow striped tshirt and blue jeans)..
I was 8 in 1982, so slightly older than you back when you had that very first memory. I do remember well the gathering of many families around the TV in my granpa’s family home, how hot it was, the fact that probably (I’m not sure) the TV was on a piano so that everybody could watch it and that was the olnly suitable place. I didn’t understand the game but I felt the atmosphere, the temperature, the tension. It was the first time I saw someone (everybody, actually) shouting and partying on the streets all night long. Weird and beautiful.
Reading your memory, my thoughts were different, or rather: it’s a different deployment of memory. I mean: some decades later I came to know that a person - you - had this memory of the same night and that’s the same person that I knew many years later. We should call them shared memories I suppose, and it happens when everybody is having the same “social” experience. It’s like elevating a personal memory to the next level, then it becomes a collective memory. We met later in life but things like the World Cup Final bring us together as one. You know they say same something like that about comraderie: when people experience the same thing, then there’s a bond between them. We are social animals, after all.
Martino! Thanks for sharing that memory! You're right, there are social memories that unite us even though we might experience them differently or might have focused on a gazillion different little details. A detail insignificant to me might be the key to the happiest of your memories, or the other way around. I really appreciate your commenting. And thanks for reading!
I feel that rereading this is now a happy memory of mine. Such a delight reading a first-hand account of a friend that lived a national World Cup Championship, and all that it entailed before. Maybe we can even practice happy memories from others? So glad you lived through all these memories and now you tell us about them, Silvio!
Thank you, Oscar! It’s interesting to think that we can practice other people’s happy memories, besides ours. I’ll give it some thought. Always so thoughtful what you wrote in your comments! :)
Ah these are good memories Silvo and I'm sure many will relate to them.
For me watching Landon Donovan score the extra time winner in South Africa, 2010 was a happy memory. A friend of mine there vowed he would name his first born son after Landon. And now here we are 13 years later, my friend has a son who bears the name Landon and I get a bit of joy every time I think about that.
Though I wish I had a friend named Afro!
Thank you, Steven! South Africa 2010 was the edition right after Germany 2006, when we won our fourth World Cup beating France in the final after eliminating (you guessed it) Germany in the semi final (home team). I'm citing this because, historically, the WC edition immediately after the one we won has been very bad for us (same with Mexico 1986). So, not a very happy memory for me! But I do remember Landon Donovan and that extra time goal. :)
Will you come to the United States and/or Mexico for the World Cup in 2026? We would love to have you!
Well, that'd be awesome! We'll see. Still a long way to go. But it sounds like a very interesting idea! Thank you my friend :)
Ah, such a beautiful story Silvio! I love football related memories, as they are some of my happiest ones as well.
Funnily enough, one of my favorite soccer memories was the 2006 semi-final between Italy and Germany (yep). It was one of the most riveting matches I've ever seen. I cheered at Grosso's extra time goal, and I remember crying when Del Piero put the final dagger a couple of minutes later. To this day, I don't understand why I cried, or why I was rooting for Italy so fervently. But I think that's part of the beauty of football–it inhabits our being with unexplainable sensations from unforgettable events.
I loved this piece. Bravo!
Thank you so much, Camilo! I remember reading an issue of the Tangent about football right at the beginning of the last World Cup, where your love for the game beautifully surfaced.
I remember so clearly the semi-final you mention, and where I was and who I was with and what we said to each other and what we did to rejoice. Those final minutes of the second half of extra time are memorable. And then I went to Berlin at the final with a bunch of friends and that was the apotheosis! Something to write pages about, as you can imagine. I think you're right -- the beauty of football is that "it inhabits our being with unexplainable sensations from unforgettable events". Very effectively put. Thank you!
Well, I can't wait to hear the story of the 2006 World Cup final!
This is such a lovely piece that takes us through your memory highlight reel. You've inspired me to start journaling & reliving my favorite memories more often
Thank you, Rach! Happy to be of (even slight, subtle, superficial, or feeble) inspiration. :)
Ah Silvo! How do you manage to be so detailed, convincing, vivid, and meanwhile, humorous at the same time?! I'm a soccer fan and every match between Germany and Italy in the world cup is one for the history books, and your passages just brought me right into the middle of your family late night gathering for the match and your watch party at Afro's. This is sheer pleasure to read. Thank you for another wonderful piece!
Helen! You knew Alessandro Manzoni last time around and now you're a soccer fan! This is awesome! You're such an interesting universe to discover! Thank you so much for your kind words. Glad I've given you pleasure in writing about this! :)
I mean, who doesn't love great literature, and who doesn't love The Beautiful Game? I'm just one of many. And when it comes to the soccer history between Germany vs Italy, since you live in Milan, you definitely know how many defeats that both Milan and Inter have handed to the German club Bayern Munich (that I happen to be a casual fan of), hahaha.
Well, as an Inter fan how could I not remember the 2010 Champions League final between Inter and Bayern that handed Inter the third Chanpions League of their history? That was memorable as I was at the game in Madrid. But yes, Bayern nowadays is a superior team, I have to admit. :)
Good memories are our second chance of happiness, and for me, they're also healthy carriers of melancholy.( Very nice yellow striped tshirt and blue jeans)..
True! Interesting how they get slightly different nuances for each of us. Thank you :)
Silvio, an excellent piece blending your personal memories into the role they play in wellbeing. Such a curious thing memories are.
Thank you, Tai. They sure are!
I was 8 in 1982, so slightly older than you back when you had that very first memory. I do remember well the gathering of many families around the TV in my granpa’s family home, how hot it was, the fact that probably (I’m not sure) the TV was on a piano so that everybody could watch it and that was the olnly suitable place. I didn’t understand the game but I felt the atmosphere, the temperature, the tension. It was the first time I saw someone (everybody, actually) shouting and partying on the streets all night long. Weird and beautiful.
Reading your memory, my thoughts were different, or rather: it’s a different deployment of memory. I mean: some decades later I came to know that a person - you - had this memory of the same night and that’s the same person that I knew many years later. We should call them shared memories I suppose, and it happens when everybody is having the same “social” experience. It’s like elevating a personal memory to the next level, then it becomes a collective memory. We met later in life but things like the World Cup Final bring us together as one. You know they say same something like that about comraderie: when people experience the same thing, then there’s a bond between them. We are social animals, after all.
Martino! Thanks for sharing that memory! You're right, there are social memories that unite us even though we might experience them differently or might have focused on a gazillion different little details. A detail insignificant to me might be the key to the happiest of your memories, or the other way around. I really appreciate your commenting. And thanks for reading!