“The halo of light”, footballing story of Jose Antonio Lizana Arce

The last thirty pesos spent the counter me, even though my dad advised me to make them last. For the same, my excitement when I came in on the key figurine of the official album of Italia '90.

I remember every afternoon we got together with friends from the neighborhood exchange and said printing sheets did not go unnoticed. “I got it, I got it, I got it, ohhhhh, that do not have it”, I told the astonished children.

In my wallet he was carrying blades repeated and the album she kept under her pillow when I went to sleep. In deep sleep, figurines charged and faced life in an unprecedented party in a field of infinite dimensions.

The first team sheet dressed lists and consisted of Tony Meola, Paolo Maldini, Nestor Fabbri, Mauro Galvao and Ronald Koeman; Sergei Aleinikov, Andreas Möller, Tab Ramos and Bernardo Redin; Anton Polster y Marius locksmith. And the other cast of cromos, striped uniform, he appeared with Thomas N'kono; Andres Escobar, Oscar Ruggeri, George Popescu and Peter Larsson; Erwin Koeman, Jan Ceulemans, Rafael Martin Vasquez and Paul Gascoigne; Francois Oman Biyik there Rubén Sosa.

This match did not start time, because he was not conditional on the obligatoriness of television broadcasts. Nor were signs advertising the edge of the field and the ball did not respond to typical designs of sports brands, but rather it was a shimmering halo of light.

Without so many rules, intempestivamente brightness began to land on feet Maldini, to jump to the head pad, who wanted pivotearla with the technique taught to him by Ivan Zamorano in Sevilla, but his movement was so fast that moved to another part of the field of infinite dimensions.

The goalkeeper N'Kono threw a roundhouse kick to the flash lightning, which he made it fell to the feet of Ramos, who he dominated him for less than one hundredth of a second. Redín, believing that was played with a traditional ball, He did not accept the imprecision and waved his arms to the US in protest. Possession of the halo of light could not be quantified, because it was ephemeral remained at the feet of the players.

The dispute over the ball between Koeman Y Ceulemans It was more like a painting by Michelangelo or a final epic tale Roberto Fontanarrosa. Likewise, the iron brand Aleinikov Sosa was a rather stylized way to the ballet style of Nutcracker. Yes, That was truly the football and not what he had seen so far, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Maldini It was positioned to lead in the celestial floor, as he did for three decades in Milan are Italy. Fabbri with murallón they formed a cloud that blocked all offensive attempts Oman Biyik. Both defenders of craft and always exhibited divined the fall of the halo.

In one of those duels, Cameroon striker had a bad fall and was unconscious for a few minutes. Inevitable was awful memory of compatriot Vivien Foe Marc but, Fortunately, the ram recovered very fast.

The Spanish Martin Vasquez it was a thermostat of the game naturally sensed movement of the halo, showing them his companions the direction it was heading. One of those attacks was neutralized by Möller, who began with a splendid play in own area, taking career and surpassing the mark of Erwin Koeman, position contrary to heaven and throw the light beam Lacatus, that settlement with an identical low shot to the one that hit the Soviets in the World Cup in Italy.

South American rearguard, Escobar Y Ruggeri, They were to face with the goalkeeper N'Kono, who in a spontaneous French told them: “I have not seen the light”. A seeing his teammates did not understand him, resulted in a perfect Spanish: “I did not see the light”. Both full-backs looked at the strange explanation, although they also saw.

The halo returned to the center of the sky and the game was resumed bland, who delivered first to Gascoigne. But nevertheless, the pass was short and intercepted Ramos, that tried to gambetear Popescu, but he grabbed his shirt and knocked him down. However, the lack was no charge because there was no referee or rules. And less could claim the FIFA or consult with the VAR, that simply did not exist.
The players stopped and managed to good. The “pigheaded” Ruggeri He thought of his legendary duels with Aldo Serena Y José Luis Chilavert.

Front pad, Lacatus, bland Y Oman Biyik, tired of receiving all rough play, They claimed them defenders, that way, his footballing life would be much shorter than desired. By reason subtracts, the rams of both tables, They decided to withdraw from the meeting. As there were captains, the most experienced and Aleinikov Ruggeri tried to prevent output, but they did not succeed.
The duel would continue with nine men per side and both teams advanced to cover fully the infinite field.

In one of its rapid displacement, the halo was captured by Martin Vasquez, who gave it to Ceulemans and he gave it to Escobar later. The Colombian was going to give in to the keeper N'Kono, but thunder fell very close to the keeper, who fainted because of the loud crash that caused the electrical phenomenon. Mauro Galvao came what more could to the injured goalkeeper, but Erwin Koeman Y Gascoigne they did not miss. The defense bellowed from a distance: “This is a scam. The archer this pretending, I know”. European footballers watched him, but they did not understand you. The game, after a while, He continued normally.

The sky was completely covered and there was no way to follow the actions of the meeting. Through the flashes of the luminous halo you could see a little back and forth from the divine party. Ruggeri, in the invisible panorama, he warned Escobar to beware of own goals. While, Popescu Y Larsson They took advantage of the situation and they put elbowed in the body and in the face Redín. At the same time, Erwin Koeman babysat, which I cancerbero, his brother Ronald to not launch away and remembered the end of the European Champions Cup 1992.

Gascoigne, I was too orphaned in front, He implored a light beam by changing front Celeumans O Martin Vasquez. In the depth of night, English pulled out a bottle of whiskey inside his pants and took it once. Who would say something if that was the same path that transited the heavenly Garrincha, George Best Y Socrates?

Wind and thick cloud mass would become the best offensive team allies of the franjeado. The light ring was installed in the area Meola for more than three hours, time when the area did not record any movement. The goalkeeper impressed watched the rainbow that formed on the inner and outer ring of the halo. No response to such inertia, his companions urged him to come out to achicarle the angle to the sun. But nevertheless, when it began to approach the brilliance, it went under his legs, but unprecedentedly he stopped on the demarcation of the target and then returned to the center of the field. By now they had integrated the sheets of the promotional poster: Ruud Gullit Y Enzo Francescoli to strengthen the offensive team lists and bald Y Emilio Butragueno to empower franjeados.

Butragueño He found in Martin Vasquez a perfect partner and passages of the meeting, they reminisced about some played for the wonderful time of the “Quinta del Vulture“, in the eighties formed at Real Madrid with Míchel, Manolo Sanchis Y Miguel Pardeza.

Both they dominated the light beam fantastically. His plays were starting from the bottom with the “yours, mine, for you, for me” of butting or touches with inner edge. In fact, through one of those footballing virtuosities striking the draw for the strip it came.

The newly entered midfielder Francescoli He assumed a spontaneous captaincy and its defenders asked them greater cohesion. Uruguayan theirs told them about the many titles won with Uruguay and River Plate of Argentina. Even, the “The prince” He recalled an episode of the end of the Copa America 1987 to Chile. “I touched the ball on one side and Astengo made me a torn quadriceps still have. I felt bad, I stopped Astengo forward, I not held back the momentum and put a header. I was thrown twenty minutes. And even broke his nose. Good, Final are well”, story.

Later, midfielder ran halo, He passed it to Koeman and with his usual elegance he is stung a vacuum to seek launch cross by Dutch, which they had been tested in practice. As in the friendly match between River Plate and Poland 1986, Francescoli made a contortion in the air and hit the light of Chile. His goal was heard shouting with a cosmic echo, as well as the Carlos Caszely against Botafogo at the Maracana in 1973.

The franjeado cast felt the second goal almost like a knock-out. The beautiful game Butragueño Y Vasquez it was diluted, to give way to the imprecision, to nervousness and lack of coordination. the archer N'Kono He never returned and sinkhole in the rear and had not how to hide. The “pigheaded” Ruggeri I was weary of going to many toppings and yelling and ordering the Escobar hard, Larsson and Popescu. The midfield was definitely from another planet, porque Erwin Koeman, Celeumans, Gascoigne and Vasquez were completely disconnected from each other.

In a counter of franjeados, the halo stuck to the bottom of bald, who mark defenders pulled and pulled by the right side. In that race he dropped all his rivals from the ground and scored a goal. There were no fans to celebrate and no cameras to immortalize the best move of all time.

All players went to hug bald, later it out on a stretcher, and give the victory lap around the floor of the blessed. Given the beauty of the both, the stars of international football decided to end the match in a draw, without winners or losers.