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January 9
Anna, Valencia
Sometimes you hear that someone that you have never met has passed away, but it still makes your heart miss a beat.
This week two such giants in sport have left this world, one in rugby and one in football.
In rugby, the outstanding full back of a generation is now not with us. If you are a rugby fan the initials JPR are enough. The Welsh full back JPR Williams has died, he’s no longer with us.
What a magnificent player he was.
How many times did he pick up the loose ball and run forward knocking opposition defenders over or twisting and turning as he majestically ghosted past the opposition.
Even as an English fan you were always rightly tense when he took hold of the ball and started running forward.
He was authentically a lion representing his country. A measure of his quality is that even fans of the opposing team admired the skill and bravery of his play. Rugby is poorer without him.
In football, the great maestro of world football who tormented the English national football team for many years is now not with us.
Of course, it’s the majestic German captain Franz Beckenbauer, known worldwide as ‘Der Kaiser’.
What was so special about Beckenbauer? It’s simple… the elegance in the way he always conducted himself on and off the pitch, the way he controlled the centre of the pitch in the manner of a wise general, his incisive touch-perfect forward passes to create opportunities for goals, his unexpected forays forward which always threatened a goal.
Although he and his great German team often tormented the English national team (many times winning by penalty shootouts) we English fans always knew he was a great captain of a superb team.
Like JPR, Franz Beckenbauer had the respect and admiration of the opposition’s fans. That’s what places both of them head and shoulders above other players. Truly, we have just lost two great giants of sport… it’s been a bad week.
Brian
