Now, An Article On Xabi...*SQUEEEEEEE*

Found this on ESPNsoccer.com where I virtually dug through the old archives; this was way back in April, but then when I found exactly what I wanted I couldn't help but give myself a pat on the back. Egoistical, I know. But hey, I was losing my mind in the office. Not that I had nothing to do but rather, nothing I WANTED to do. I could do all the stuff they shot my way; I mean duhhh, I learned my craft at school so it's expected that I know what to do. So here I am, yawning myself silly, trying hard to stay awake.

Today, I'm fasting. Whahahahkz!! First day of payback for the days I skimped on during the fasting month. I'll be meeting the GB Family after work to catch Adam Sandler's movie, The Longest Yard. I've actually downloaded that back home but have yet to watch it. Well, I guess I'll dumping that one into the recycling bin. In the meantime, here's some Xabi love (even though he's taken, I think).

VIVA EL LIVERPOOL!!
Phil Ball

Liverpool have of course been a fairly cosmopolitan set-up for some years now, but their foreign players have come from all corners of Europe. Only this season have they decided to mine from one specific quarry, first bringing in Rafa Benitez from Valencia, in the full knowledge that he would bring over a Spanish backroom staff and probably several players from La Liga.

That's exactly what he has done, the list comprising Xabi Alonso, Josemi, Fernando Morientes, Luis Garcia, Antonio Nuñez and Mauricio Pellegrino, although the latter is an Argentine. Never mind - he's pretty much a Spaniard now anyway, having played for Valencia for the past six seasons.

Xabi Alonso, who played against Juventus (and lost) in the Champions League last season for Real Sociedad, rightly won the plaudits for his more recent performance in Turin, especially given the fact that it was his first full game since Christmas, when he was crocked by Frank Lampard.

Manager Benitez went so far as to compare him to Dalglish, although he wasn't suggesting that Alonso was the same type of player. What he meant was that Alonso had the same potential to become an Anfield legend, to mark a generation. Again, I'm not sure whether he was allowing his post-match emotions to get the better of him, but it's nice anyway that Alonso is getting the attention he undoubtedly deserves.

I remember late last summer when Alonso's transfer to Liverpool was confirmed. He'd been in Real Madrid's orbit for several months, and there had been rumours here in San Sebastián that he'd signed some kind of pre-contract agreement with them - something Xabi always denied.

He has a flat just around the corner from me (well - it belongs to his folks) and almost every morning before he packed his bags to try his luck abroad he would have his café con leche (in a glass) and croissant in my local bar. One morning, as he sat quietly on his own on a barstool reading Marca, some wag standing at the bar quipped 'Xabi! Don't go to bloody Madrid, please!' Alonso looked up from the tabloid and smiled. 'I'm not going there. Don't worry', whereupon the local star went calmly back to his coffee and paper.

In early September, I wrote to three of the English 'quality' broadsheets, offering them a piece on Alonso. As I'd expected, only one of them answered, but it was to decline the offer. They didn't seem to think that the player was news. I'd said in my covering letter that despite all the other higher profile signings that were starting up in the Premiership that September, Alonso was really the one to watch out for. And this is not meant now as a little flurry of self-congratulation.

He'd been at Real Sociedad for almost three seasons, plenty of time for any half-witted observer to note that he was the classiest midfield act in the whole Spanish league. Not only that, he was an intelligent kid, spoke good English, and possessed an admirably mature outlook on life, carrying on with his university career despite the fact that he was already being spoken of as the new Guardiola, and the man to carry the Spanish national side forward into the 21st century.

When John Toshack came back for his third spell at Sociedad in 2001, Alonso's dad, Periko, was caretaker manager and young Xabi, to avoid accusations of nepotism, had been farmed out to Second Division Eibar on loan. The day after Toshack arrived, the Welshman apparently strolled into the office of the Director of Football and asked 'What the **** is Alonso doing at Eibar?'

Justifying his decision to bring him back immediately, Toshack commented that having Alonso at Eibar was like having Maradona in your squad then 'locking him away in the broom cupboard'. When Alonso came back from Eibar (the next day), Sociedad were next to bottom of the First Division. He played every game from then until the end of the season, and was utterly instrumental in their comfortable final position of 13th.

He was brilliant again against Tottenham at the weekend, spraying forty-yard passes around Anfield with astonishing power and accuracy. You have to be on his wavelength, but plenty of Liverpool's forwards are. Garcia and Baros love to feed off him, and Gerrard, the English player that the Spanish most rave about, clearly benefits from an accompanying midfielder who is prepared to hang back and hold the line, but who is also more adept at changing the speed and rhythm of the play, when the occasion demands.

Gerrard, for all his courage and inspiration, can look like a headless chicken at times, and still needs to work on the accuracy and weight of his passing. Why doesn't he look so good for England? Precisely because he comes up against defensive systems that can cope all day with his enthusiastic inaccuracy. Alonso, on the other hand, looks even better when he plays for Spain.

The English just don't work on developing players like Alonso - a 'pivote' in Spanish terms. The last English player to remotely resemble him was Glen Hoddle, and he was largely unappreciated for most of his career. Then again, Alonso can also defend - something Hoddle never really learned to do.

Awww, bless Xabi. Midfield maestro at only 23. Like good wine, he'll definitely get better with age. Anywayz, I was finding more & more goodies on Xabi & Luis when I came across 2 great finds. Two fantastic videos -taken off the liverpoolfc.tv site that you normally can't view unless you're paying big bucks- of Xabi AND the grandiose signing of Xabi & Luis at a press conference.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMMMMMMS*

10 minutes & 16 seconds of pure unadultered eye-candy. Sins for the eyes. That was the press conference video while the other video was about a little less than 4 minutes of just Xabi & Xabi alone.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMMMMMMS* again.

He has a friggin' lisp, yo!! How cute is that?? And, he speaks English too!! *faints*

Was chatting with Daph when I was busy installing Real Player. At that time, I hadn't watched the videos yet because both were in .RM format. Even then, I didn't know the vids were going to be sooooooooooo decadent.

So as I double-clicked the first Xabi vid, I almost had a cardiac arrest. Holy Mother!! Xabier Olano Alonso's voice was almost similar to that of Nicolas Pascal Yves Meunier!!! *faints again*

And immediately, I typed out in CAPS LOCK to Daph what cheeky thing I was up to & sent a copy of the vid to her right away as I was watching. I was like, bloody hell, Xabi sounds like Nicolas!!

But of course, Xabi's English was definitely much better than Nicolas'. *whistles & looks away*

Finally, I got to hear Xabi speak. In ENGLISH!! I've heard Luis talk before & I can safely say, that guy can't speak enough English to order bangers & mash at a local joint. Of course, I sent Daph the longer video as well, since it had her Luis in it.

My eyes weren't really glued to screen, it was more of my ears. Ohh, the joy of listening to Xabi being interviewed. The last part of the vid was kinda cute, though. The interviewer posed this question, "So, how are those Scouse lessons coming along?"

And Xabi leans forward, head cocked to one side with a baffled look on his face & goes, "What?? What -I don't...?"

When the interviewer repeats the question Xabi chuckles, albeit a little embarrassed & replies, "Ahhh, yes; the Scouse language..."

Muy mono!! Absolute adorable-ness!!

Damn, he reminded me of Nicolas when Nicolas gets all confused or if he didn't understand what Daph & I were babbling about. Ohh, but Nicolas doesn't have a lisp like Xabi. But, whatever. Back to Xabi, Luis & the vids.

Xabi's lisp is quite faint, actually. It's barely audible on both videos but it's there. Michael Phelps has it, too. Anywayz, the press conference video has Rafa sitting in between both Xabi & Luis, with Luis sitting next to an interpreter & Xabi stuck in one corner.

Both come from the north area of Spain; Luis from Badalona & Xabi from Tolosa (or more specifically, Basque Country...heh). Both were equally fetching in their own way.

Luis with the naturally tousled hair & Xabi with the floppy, doggy-eared hair; Luis with his unabashed smile as he turns to his translator for assistance & Xabi with his sheepish grin as HE turns to RAFA when he couldn't grasp the question asked by one of the journalists present; Luis' gotta-catch-the-last-train speed of talking & Xabi's slow drawl punctuated with more 'ehhs...' than his complete given answer.

¡Ay mi Diooooooos!! *squeeeeeeeeeeee*

XABI, MARRY MEEEEEEEEEEE!! Ermm...because Daph can't marry Luis, so you marry me lahh.

Whahahahkz!! Psycho me. Of course it's unthinkable!! It's totally whacked out of proportions. But I still want to fulfill that wish of meeting Xabi & Luis before I die. Ohh nay, first Old Trafford, THEN Anfield. And then I shall die a happy soccer fan. Muahahahkz!! Don't worry, I'm not going to go up to Xabi & say, "Xabi, be the father of my unborn child!!"

I am so crapping right now. My fingers are turning blue from the cold air-conditioning; I can predict my fingertips would look like those little blueberries soon.

¡Ayy caramba. Alonso, whooooo??

Laterz...
Lenny JC