Listen up, bro, I caught some news that made me jump off my chair just as I was sipping a beer at Fane's. Manuel Neuer, the German goalkeeper, has made history at the World Cup in America, and it's not just any match—it's his 21st game at the final tournament! Yeah, you heard right: 21 appearances at the Cup, bro, an absolute record for a goalkeeper. For real, he's overtaken Hugo Lloris, who had 20. And what I love is that Neuer is 40 years old and still a starter. Me at 40, if I get up too fast from the couch, I get dizzy, but he's defending at the World Cup. Ice-cold, man!
Now, don't think it's a fluke. Neuer also played in Germany's first match, that 7-1 win over Curaçao. Seven, man! If we scored seven against someone, the league would stop for a month. But the Germans play like it's a training session. And Neuer, with his 125 national team caps, has been there forever. He won the World Cup in 2014, when I had my BMW in the shop and dreamed of going to the match. Now, at 40, he's saying goodbye to the national team after this tournament. Word is he's retiring. Good for him, bro, that's a real footballer, not like some who quit at 30 because they've lost motivation.
And to show you what Germany's squad is like, look at their subs: Amiri, Anton, Baumann, Beier, Goretzka—big names, bro, Champions League players. But on the other side, Ivory Coast also has its men: Adingra, Diomande, Fofana, Pepe. But it's not quite the same. I'm not buying the story that they're equals. The Germans are coming off a 7-1 win over Curaçao, and now they face the elephants. Let's see what happens.
Man, oh man! I look at Neuer and think of Brian, my boy, who dreams of playing at the National Arena. If he were a quarter of what Neuer is, I'd be the proudest dad in Berceni. But until then, I watch the matches and hang out at the terrace with the guys. Too bad we don't have something like that here, but at least we have someone to watch!
