• Opinion: Saitama made them giants, Beijing makes them eternal
  • The opinion of Corbalán.Ricky Rubio, the watchmaker of the machine

Today on landing, I am sure that the national team will really understand the size of their feat , the satisfaction that a country with its world title has given again and, above all, for the sports lessons of a winning team , seduces and teaches. We in 2006 were also far away in Japan, and although the illusion and euphoria came from Spain - that tension with the parties, those millionaire audiences, those stops in the offices to see us - it was not until we stepped on Madrid when we really realized all. We did not expect such a spectacular reception. Today may not be the same, as it has not been the celebration on the track, much calmer, much more serene by the blessed champion routine of this selection.

A team that grows in competition until it exceeds its own limits, until forgetting the initial doubts. In China, he has swatted them out , thanks to an enormous effort and mainly to his intelligence, which helps to do what he should at all times, always adapting to the circumstances without forgetting his own brand. And this style is the common thread of that team of 13 years ago and the one that now repeats world title. So we learned not to worry about the enemy, to do our thing, to impose our way of understanding basketball. And so, championship to championship, in European, World or Olympic Games, Spain has followed, being she the one that made change the plans to the rival, and not the opposite. And what style are we talking about? The one of a game that entertains, that hooks the fan in front of the television and that part of the work and a maxim: never faint, never give up, as Spain did in the semifinals against Australia. I liked a phrase from the Argentine coach, Sergio Hernández: «We win because we enjoy ». The pleasure of winning is easier to achieve if the road to victory is made with joy, with conviction, following your style. As the Spanish team has shown again.

The player who embodies the thread of eternal Spain is Ricky Rubio , whom I regret not having been able to train. His technical and personal qualities, the way to face this wonderful sport, were deserved prize yesterday, to be recognized as MVP of the World Cup. Cold blood, talent, correct reading of the game, aggressive defense ... Ricky as Spain , the quality and the pundonor, because we must never forget that, above other considerations, the selection is a team of legend , which is stuck with gold letters in the history of basketball, as before other sets that we admire and fear. Now the (serious) problem is the others: play against Spain.

Criticisms for a bad game also came to us in 2006 (or for other reasons, such as the call of Marc Gasol ...), but we were not only liquefying them as a motivating element, but constructive. The dynamics of a tournament do not give you respite , between matches and previous, between crossed emotions. That pressure management is key, and I think that being so far from Spain (us in Japan, they now in China) helps to work more calmly, never forgetting that, as I said before, the joy of everything A country feels even in the distance. An applause deserved not only for the cup, but for the way of winning and for the educational values ​​that triumph thus inject into society. Ricky Rubio has repeated it during the World Cup on more than one occasion, the example of life that is a triumph like this , where the individual effort is directed to a team end. A culture of common commitment, the sum of talents , sweat and solidarity; to give the maximum, although your maximum is not much, as Scariolo recalled at the end of yesterday's final. All in one. Gasol's injury in the 2006 semifinals hurt the team so much not because of the loss of the best player but because he would miss the dream game.

It is fair to recognize the enormous merit of the coach, able to build a winning team again despite the difficulties . His memory of the players who participated in the FIBA ​​windows reflects the feeling of a locker room that yesterday went beyond the four walls of the Beijing pavilion. Sergio Scariolo has shown to know in detail his template , which he has used cunningly. He has been able to respond to what the team needed at all times. Bravo for him, his work has been fantastic. His and his entire coaching staff, because in such a triumph there are many hands, some without a hole in the photos, but very important. Finally I leave a wish written: Hopefully this gold is better used in Spain, creating sports structures of champion country. That of 2006 collided with the economic crisis and its direct punishment in basketball quarries such as the Joventut or the Students. The selection of the future needs a lot of players. Quality will continue to emerge from quantity .

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Sergio Scariolo
  • Ricky Rubio
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