It happened to us more than once in Istanbul: someone would ask where we were from, we'd say, 'Ukraine' - and they'd reply, 'Oh, Shevchenko,' meaning Sheva, Andriy Shevchenko, the football star playing for Milan.
Even 10-year-old Istanbul boys know what Ukraine is - because of Sheva. Way cool.
Well, right now, within the past hour or so, Sheva has scored four goals in the game against Fenerbahce in Istanbul. It's incredible. Sheva totally rocks.
And I'm very sorry for Fenerbahce - they play very well, except for the moments when Sheva scores...
I also wonder if it's safe for Ukrainians to travel to Istanbul after this game. It probably is: Fenerbahce is just one of Istanbul's teams, not the only one. But then again, who knows...
i think the most appropriate response here would be to use the old British expression for awe of an opponent. In other words:
ReplyDeletebastard.
--aegean disclosure
Hey, you can chant "Shevchenko" to the same rhythm as "Yushchenko!"
ReplyDeleteNot that one would want to, these days..
Better not to mix sports with politics. They do anyway, for whatever reasons: Sheva, Serhiy Bubka and that big-shouldered swimmer girl from Kharkiv declared their support for Yanukovych last year; the Klichko brothers were for Yushchenko, and one of them is now rumored to be considering running for Kyiv's mayor; Oleh Blokhin turned into a Communist parliamentarian before re-starting his career as a football coach; et cetera. But it's still the way these people kick ass in sports, not their political preferences, that they are recognized and admired for. And this kicking ass in sports is a wonderful way for them to atone for whatever political bullshit they could've gotten themselves into - an option most 'professional' politicians lack.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Sheva's the best.
(On a different note: Litmus/aegean disclosure, I really, really miss your writing.)
Sheva is the best soccer player in the world. I'll chant both personally :) This isn't a one year affair.
ReplyDeleteOEC