Category Archives: Jogo Bonito

Soccer!

Jogo Bonito

World Cup 2006 Sticker Album

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Every four years, the world gets ready for the big party. And every four years, millions of soccer fans buy the Panini Wold Cup Official Sticker Album. I now I’ve been doing it with my brothers since 1982, and still own the 1986, 1994 and 2002 editions (I need to look for the rest).

For the 2006 World Cup in Germany the italian company Panini published the album as usual. They sell it all over the world…. except in the U.S.A. (or at least I haven’t seen it, correct me if I’m wrong). This makes things a whole lot harder. Still I press on and I am in the process of completing mine. Since buying the sticker packets must be done long distance, and trading duplicates with friends is hard because they all live in a different country [Editor’s note: Marcos has friends in this country, they just didn’t get the album], I have created a small webpage where people can track my progress (becuase YOU care!).

Yeah, it seems like it was a lot of work and makes me look like an obsessive-compulsive anal-retentive childish nerd. In reality, you wouldn’t be that far off the truth… but seriously, I promise it wasn’t bad.

Moi, Arturito, Mauri and Abrahamcito drove into town from Monterrey last night. They bought a whole box of sticker packets for me and some more for themselves. I need to paste them and record the duplicates so that I can send them down with them on Monday to my agent in Mexico. He has all the right contacts in school.

And now, presenting the My Panini World Cup Sticker Album Progress Tracking page. As of right now, I have 39.86% completed.

[UPDATE 5/2/2006] Now that didn’t take long… Moi started his own album, and made my script look pretty.

Jogo Bonito

Today, ten years ago…

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It was a beautiful day at Estadio Universitario where Monterrey beat it’s arch-rival Tigres in their own home (2-1, goals by Sergio Verdirame and Luis Miguel Salvador) and mathematically sent them to the next division. Half the city cried, and the other half realized their town had just become a better place.

Jogo Bonito

Lucho Pérez

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Yesterday, as I was walking aimlessly in the International Terminal at Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez in Mexico City, I bumped into the Mexican National Team on their way to play against Ghana.

All the other players ran ran away at the sight of a drunken fan, but thankfully Mexico’s (and Monterrey‘s) star midfielder Luis Ernesto Pérez was too busy buying a milkshake and couldn’t escape. Here’s the proof:


At least one of these two fine gentleman will go to Germany this summer.

By the way, did you know you could buy Indio beer for $29 pesos and then walk around with the bottle in the airport? Neither did I. What a pleasant surprise!

Jogo Bonito

Never again

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I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again. I will not go to the final again.

Damn.

Jogo Bonito

Photo of the day

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Walter Gaitan disputes the ball with Guillermo Franco in the last edition of the “Clásico Regiomontano” which Monterrey won 2-1. Tomorrow and Saturday, the two teams meet again, this time in the semifinal. Monterrey has not lost in the last 15 games and has won a record 7 straight away games. Tigres qualified to the playoffs undeservedly (Chiapas had 3 points taken away due to a rule) but came back from a 3-1 defeat at home in the first game of the semifinal to beat top ranked America 4-1 in their own Azteca stadium. The last (and only other) time the two teams met in playoffs was 2003. Monterrey won the semifinal 5-3 (global) and later won the final to become champions after 17 years.

[Update 12/7/2005] Tigres wins 1-0 the first game. Monterrey now has to win at home in order to make it to the final.

Jogo Bonito

Monterrey 4-1 América

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Originally uploaded by kirsch.

Last Saturday, I had to go down to watch the game between Monterrey and America.
Monterrey won (obviously) by a wide margin: 4-1.

Ex-fan of America and newly rayado Mauricio Capistran (Picho) stoically paid the bet between us by wearing Monterrey’s shirt all day at work. To make things worse, the shirt says Bimbo – a sure way of getting people to ask you why you’d wear such shirt.

Please note the flag in the back of the picture. We promptly proceeded to burn it.

Jogo Bonito

World Champions!

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A couple of weeks someone asked me:

"Do you think Mexico will ever win the World Cup?".
And I answered:
"We will not live to see the day Mexico wins the World Cup".

Sad. I know.

However, a few minutes ago Mexico beat the crap out of Brazil (3-0) in the final of the Sub-17 World Cup. This gives me hope… 2010 anyone?


As an interesting note, the star of the mexican team and one of the MVPs of the tournament, Giovani Do Santos, used to sit right behind me every Saturday in the Tecnologico Stadium, to watch the Monterrey games with his dad and little brother. His dad Zizinho was playing at the time with La Raza, the indoor soccer team of the Continental Indoor Soccer League.