July 6 was celebrated as International Kissing Day, also called World Kissing Day. The event that began in England was adopted worldwide since the early 2000s.
International Kiss Day is celebrated to remind the world community of the importance of intimacy. A kiss is a simple thing that anyone can do as a symbol of warmth.
Let us discuss it in a world that is usually free from the conflict of norms: football. There are several iconic “kiss scenes” that occur in soccer.
The Kiss of Luck Blanc-Barthez
Discussing kisses in football, what immediately crossed the mind was the scene of the legendary French defender, Laurent Blanc, kissing the bald head of goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, at the 1998 France World Cup.
As if it was a ritual, this practice continued from the first match of the French national team to the final against Brazil. Actually at the final, Blanc could not appear due to the accumulation of cards. Thne public wondered, who would kiss the bald head of Barthez
This question is answered. The suspect remains Blanc, even without wearing a national team jersey. He only wore team sports uniforms. Whether due to the kiss factor or not, in the end the Rooster team appeared extraordinary and came out as champions.
This “ritual” continued until the Euro 2000 event. Blanc-Barthez’s kiss pose becomes an icon in French matches.
Soul Kiss, Maradona-Caniggia
If Blanc just kisses Barthez’s head, what Diego Maradona and Claudio Caniggia do goes crazy: a kiss on the lips! The kind of kiss that only a couple can do.
This scene is presented in the hot match of Boca Juniors against eternal rival, Riverplate. In the match that was held on July 15, 1996, Boca won 4-1, which immediately ignited the cheer and roar of supporters. No doubt, the photo of both of them became news headlines.
There is a story behind the controversial kiss. As told by Maradona himself, this scene could not be separated from the homosexual issues that hit Argentine football at that time.
The national team coach, Daniel Passarella, said that he would not call gay players to the national team.
Maradona, who in fact was a Boca frontman, rival of the club from Passarella, River Plate, then responded by saying that he hoped Boca would bring Ruud Gullit, the best player of the early 90s who openly claimed to be gay.
Steven Gerrad Kisses the Camera, MU kisses the trophy
March 2009, Liverpool came to old Trafford to challenge league leaders, Manchester United. The Reds this season are competing with the Red Devils to be the best in Britain.
The results were surprising, the guest won a landslide victory 1-4. The party is also remembered by the iconic celebration of the captain, Steven Gerrard. After scoring the second goal through the penalty spot, Steve G ran to the corner of Liverpool supporters and kissed the camera there.
In an interview with Liverpool TV, the captain explained why he celebrated with the camera kiss. “(celebration) that just happened. I skated on my knees, a little missed, there was a camera near there, then it happened. Not planned before. Pure encouragement every time I meet United”
Not just once, in 2014 Gerrad again repeated the celebration in the same place, after scoring two goals in the 0-3 Reds victory at Old Trafford.
Unfortunately in both seasons, Liverpool failed to win. Like the title raised by www.oltraffordfaithful.com, Gerrad kiss the camera, United kiss the throphy.
Football is often interpreted as a complete sports dish. Inside has interesting sides that are fun to be extracted, outside the context of the processing skills of the ball.
