These days, the Cannes Film Festival, arguably the most beautiful man in cinema.
The red carpet unfurls and it's magic.
However, I'm not looking at that carpet, I hope my friend doesn't mind. Alessandra Luti, who is at home with that fabric.
Today I'm attracted to another rug, which is green and is a few kilometres away.
The Stadium“Pierre de Coubertin”hosts the red and whites of AS Cannes, it is on the outskirts, in the ’La Bocca“, and its green carpet inspires us to spectacle.
Strange, any voice would ask me, laughing.
Strange, the world's most coveted red carpet in exchange for a suburban pitch, in the backwaters of world football.
No my friend, no my friend.
Every playing rectangle can tell us epic stories, mythical tales, legends.
Every dusty field may have held the story of a theatre, of a stage, of a carpet lit by the world's footlights.
That was football.
Poverty that transforms into splendour, into wealth.
Stories of studs forged into powerful Midas Kings.
You can be in the mud and still enjoy a glass of champagne.
So, it was 1991, another era was born, another international historical phase, the one well described by “Totò Schillaci's summer” by the excellent Pippo Russo.
Even in that suburban stadium, there was a sense of magic in the air; perhaps not everyone realised it at the time, but today I see all three of them together and I’ll tell you all about it.
June 8, 1990, still Pippo Russo's World Cup, we are at the San Siro, in Milan, at the Meazza.
Maradona was the star player, the strongest, he was there with his Argentina against Cameroon.
Oman Biyk.
A header from the African centre-forward, who soared into the air, defied gravity, mesmerised Pompidou and left Argentina stunned.
Oman Biyk was in the Cannes squad in 1991.
The heroic lion of Cameroon who scored one of the most memorable goals in the history of football was in red and white on that suburban pitch.
15 May 2002, Hampden Park in Glasgow: one of the finest goals in history.
Zinedine Zidane with Real Madrid laid low Bayer Leverkusen with a formidable volley.
The ball flew into the top corner with a volleyed scissor kick.
A piece of magic that only someone like Zidane could have conjured up.
A true legend, one of the greatest of all time.
Zinedine Zidane was in red and white in 1991.
It was in that suburban stadium.
Fabrizio Ferron was Sampdoria’s goalkeeper when, in 1997 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, he applauded his opponent for the fantastic chip shot with which he beat him.
A stunning goal to inspire admiration from opponents, making them feel like co-stars in a spectacle.
The scorer of that historic goal was Alen Boksic.
Unstoppable Boksic.
Even if only for one match, in that 1991, Boksic was in white and red, he was also in that stadium.
Cannes is a dream; Cannes has had three extraordinary performers who have drawn applause from all sides.
I'm sitting there.
Football has changed; it’s not as good as it used to be because of these new, ridiculous rules.
I'm watching Cannes and I have my film.
Boksic – Zidane – Biyk.
It was just Cannes.
I am sitting there.
(Sumerian writer)
