Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo

We all know what Real Madrid did last summer. I chart the lives of their two big Lusophone signings up until the return of Presidente Pérez.

1982
22 April – Teacher Simone Cristina Santos Leite gives birth to a boy in the Brazilian capital, Brasília. She and her civil-engineer husband, Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, name the baby Ricardo.

1985
5 February – Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro has her fourth child to José Dinis Aveiro in Funchal, capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira. They call him Cristiano Ronaldo; the second name after Dinis’ favourite actor and current American president Ronald Reagan.

14 October – three-year-old Ricardo Izecson Pereira Leite gets a little brother, Rodrigo. Later, as Rodrigo grows into a toddler and learns to speak, his inability to pronounce ‘Ricardo’ will lead to the creation of his brother’s nickname, Kaká. Rodrigo will also become a professional footballer and be known by a nickname like his brother. Digão (Big Dig, for being 1.94m tall), as he will become known, will join his brother at AC Milan in 2005 but spend much of his time on loan.

1989
Kaká moves to São Paulo with his family and a year later begins training with São Paulo football club each day after school.

1993
Cristiano Ronaldo starts at his first club, Andorinha, where it becomes clear he has a special talent. Streets ahead of the other players, he regularly gets frustrated and cries when he passes to his teammates and they fail to score. This earns him the cruel nickname chorão, crybaby.

1994
Kaká begins to take a special interest in religion as an Evangelical Christian. Ronaldo signs for one of Madeira's big professional clubs, Nacional.

1996
The highly recommended 11-year-old Ronaldo travels to Lisbon for Sporting Clube de Portugal’s annual trials. He impresses so much that Sporting write off a debt Nacional owe them for the equivalent in old escudos of 22,500€ in exchange for transferring the youngster. The family make the sacrifice of letting him move to Lisbon, where settling in is difficult; the skinny, curly-haired kid is teased for his islander accent and it is said that his best friend is a football.

2000
15-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is diagnosed with a racing heart. Sporting fly his mother, Dolores, to Lisbon to sign permission forms to perform laser surgery on Cristiano. Surgeons cauterize the part of his heart causing the problem and declare the operation a success. Kaká dives into a swimming pool while on holiday, misjudging its depth, and cracks his head against the bottom. Though initial examinations show nothing serious, the 18-year-old breaks down in agony when he returns to training a few days later. Doctors find he has a fractured cervical vertebra, that is, a broken neck, and he should be paralyzed from the neck down. His football career is seriously threatened and the two months he spends in a treatment jacket are crucial. Miraculously, he makes a full recovery and attributes this to Divine Intervention. He pledges to tithe his salary to the Evangelical Church and vows to dedicate his career and life to God.

2001
Kaká makes his senior debut for São Paulo and scores 27 goals in 27 appearances. Ronaldo is the first player ever to represent Sporting at the five levels from the Under-16s to the senior team in the same season. His performances at the UEFA Under-17 Championship catch Liverpool manager Gérard Houillier’s eye. The Frenchman decides to hold off signing him and see how he develops as a young player.

2002
Kaká makes his debut for the Brazil national team in January against Bolivia and, later, Felipão Scolari selects him in the squad for the World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He comes on midway through the second half in the first round match against Costa Rica, but it will be his only on-field action in the tournament. The Rivaldo-Ronaldo-inspired Brazil go on to win a record fifth World Cup and Kaká is a world champion.

2003
Several European clubs come knocking on São Paulo’s door to enquire about their playmaker and AC Milan finally sign Kaká for 8.5 million euros. David Beckham leaves Manchester United for Real Madrid. United fill the vacant number seven shirt by paying 17.35 million euros for Sporting’s star teenager. Days later, he makes his international debut in a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan. Ronaldo’s first goal for Man Utd is a free kick against Portsmouth in November.

2004
Kaká finishes his first season with 10 goals and wins the Italian league, Serie A Footballer of the Year and UEFA Super Cup. Ronaldo is called up by ex-Brazil coach Felipão Scolari to represent the Portuguese side of Euro 2004. He helps the host nation to their first major final, contributing two goals, only to suffer a shock defeat by the unfancied Greece side. He is selected in the Team of the Tournament.

2005
Kaká is in the Milan team that lose the Champions League final on penalties to Liverpool, but is awarded UEFA Midfielder of the Year. The same summer, he wins the Confederations Cup with Brazil, scoring a goal in the final. In September, hours before a World Cup qualifier, Portugal coach Scolari breaks the news to Ronaldo that his father, Dinis, has died at the age of 52. The emotional 20-yearold plays the match and will, from now on, end his goal celebrations with a dedication to his dad. In December, Kaká marries Caroline Celico, his childhood sweetheart, in São Paulo.

2006
Kaká’s influence grows and he his once again Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year and in the UEFA Team of the Year, but can’t prevent Brazil crashing out of the World Cup against France. Ronaldo’s protests to the referee before England striker Wayne Rooney is sent off in the World Cup quarter final, his subsequent wink caught on camera and scoring the winning penalty in the shootout, all make returning to England look difficult. Real Madrid come knocking for the first time, but United resist.

2007
AC Milan win the UEFA Champions League and their star and driving force is Kaká, who wins a long list of awards. Finally at the top, the football’s governing body pays him homage with the FIFA World Player of Year. Cristiano Ronaldo receives third place for the same award, having won the Premier League for the first time with Man Utd.

2008
Ronaldo retains the Premier League and emulates Kaká’s feat of the previous year by winning the Champions League and FIFA World Player of the Year award. El Madrid chase the Portuguese with more perseverance, but Alex Ferguson insists he, “Wouldn’t sell Real Madrid a virus”. Kaká becomes a father of a baby boy he and Caroline call Luca. He signs a contract extension until 2013.

2009
1 June – Florentino Pérez returns unrivalled to the presidency of Real Madrid. But you already know the rest, don't you?

Trips you don't want to miss

You want to see it all, but where do you start? I offer some help in prioritizing the trips you will kick yourself if you miss out on. European Vibe pledges to organize group travel to these chosen destinations and more during the course of the 2009/2010 season.

Lisbon

The Portuguese capital will feel strange yet familiar to those who know Madrid. It’s true that walking up and down in a place nicknamed ‘The City of Seven Hills’ might take a little effort,

but the sights of its vastly differing neighbourhoods (swathes of the city were rebuilt after a major earthquake in 1755) are ample reward. There’s so much to see and do, but Lisbon’s contagious chilled out atmosphere will keep you from rushing. The proximity to the picturesque town of Sintra and the seaside at Estoril and Cascais also give Lisbon much more potential than the average city break.

Sevilla

The Romans’ Hispalis, the Moors’ Isbiliya and the Spanish Empire’s trading post with the Americas. Today’s capital of Andalusia is one of the places you must have visited to be able to say you know Spain with any kind of credibility. Some highlights are the Plaza de España (which you might recognize as the royal courtyard of Naboo if you’re a Star Wars fan), the Torre del Oro, the city’s cathedral, the third biggest church in the world, and its Renaissance bell tower, the Giralda, converted from a 12th century Moorish minaret. The other cathedral, the ‘Cathedral of Bullfighting’ as the Plaza de toros de Sevilla is known, is a must-see in itself, but is at its most spectacular during the bullfights of La Feria de Abril. La Feria de Abril and Easter’s Holy Week are the biggest festivals in the city and the best time to visit, though any time in spring and autumn is pleasant.

Granada

The beautiful city of Granada’s Moorish Alhambra just missed out on becoming one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, but strolls into our list of unmissable visits. Aside from the jaw-dropping magnificence of the Alhambra and the Generalife gardens, Granada’s nightlife is pound-for-pound the best in Spain (if they were prize fighters of the same size, Granada would give Madrid brain damage in the first round). This, the prestige of its university and relatively low cost of living make it a student paradise, and, when there are 65,000 of them on top of a city of 250,000, it can’t help but make the party atmosphere special. You’ll find the most generously portioned free tapas in Spain here if you avoid the most obvious tourist traps. For clubbing, remember these two: Granada Diez and El Camborio.

Córdoba

Yes, that’s CORdoba; no one calls it ‘Cordova’ in English anymore. The Andalusian city is synonymous with its Mezquita, the Great Mosque, which remains the greatest piece of Islamic architecture in the Western World despite being converted into a cathedral after the Reconquest. The contrast of chapels and the cathedral nave grafted into the gigantic mosque should really be more offensive to the eye, but it just adds to its mystique. The old Jewish quarter, its synagogue and old town plazas are also great to explore, but you don’t need more than a short trip to see everything. The divine cordobés starter salmorejo is a difficult act to follow for any main dish and it’s what you have to taste while you’re there.

Salamanca

The area known as the cradle of the Castilian language, Salamanca is, along with Granada and Santiago de Compostela, one of the most sought after student party cities and a top destination for foreign students learning Spanish. It’s an easy city to get around and possibly the most Spanish-feeling place you will visit. The golden dustiness of the old town’s sandstone buildings just enhances the city’s stateliness. Spend some time looking for the skull and the frog among the stone shells on the wall of La Casa de las Conchas.

Morocco

13 kilometres from Spain, that’s all, it’s almost like having two continents for the price of one. And when it’s so cheap, it would be rude not to give Morocco a visit. Whether you choose decadent Tangier, exotic Marrakech, bustling Casablanca or the cleaner but dirt-cheap coastal resorts, you’ll start to discover a country that’s rich but poor, near yet far, and nothing if not fascinating.

Lagos, The Algarve

Our pick is Lagos, but several candidates stood out along the warmest and best stretch of coast in Europe, Portugal’s Algarve. The Algarve is Portugal’s premier tourist destination because of its dependable weather and its beaches – basically. you can start working on your tan earlier in the year and finish later than anywhere else on the Iberian Peninsula. Lagos combines the tranquil look of a cobblestoned old town with small streets and whitewashed houses surrounded by medieval walls, beaches and almost hidden coves with the most hedonistic nightlife in the region. Lounges, bars and clubs attract the most up-for-it crowd on the Algarve, with a little more class than some Spanish resorts.

São Miguel - Azores

In search of Atlantis

Possibly the most exotic location in Europe – the land of dolphins, whales, hot rivers and volcanoes turned into lakes.

Greens you didn’t know existed outside Photoshop are painted onto a landscape of dwarfed mountains rather than hills, the tops of which often cratered as if scooped out by a giant spoon and filled with glistening lakes. All of this is surrounded by an ocean of warm liquid sapphire and roofed by an azure sky where clouds cat-and-mouse each other around as I’ve only seen in a video on fast-forward.
There are many flowery descriptions of pretty places, but that’s usually just what they are. In this case, though, I’m reaching to do justice to the island of São Miguel rather than to sound poetic.

But hang on for a moment, I’m sure many of you frowned on reading the name of this Utopia locked in an eternal late spring. São Miguel, the Green Island, is the largest of the nine islands which make up the archipelago of the Azores. Now, the Azores you have definitely heard of, even if just as the place that is responsible for bad weather in Western Europe or where President Bush and Prime Ministers Blair and Aznar agreed on the invasion of Iraq. Could you pick the Azores out straight away on a globe, though? When I told people I was going to the Azores, misconceptions ranged from the Mediterranean, the Carribean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. They are in fact in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the westernmost outpost of Europe as an autonomous region of Portugal. They stretch for over 600km from southeast to northwest and are split into eastern, central and western groups. The western group consists of Corvo and Flores, which actually lie on the North American plate just under 2000km from Canada. The central group consists of Terceira, Faial, Pico, São Jorge and Graciosa. Finally, the eastern group is made up of São Miguel and little Santa Maria.

The dramatic landing at São Miguel’s airport, just two kilometres from the capital, Ponta Delgada, with its runway right at the water’s edge, is exactly that for the impression the side windows give that you are about to land in the sea. The humid climate makes the almost constant summer temperatures of 21-25ºC feel considerably warmer without ever becoming unpleasantly hot, and the just-in-case jacket never left my suitcase. The island is essentially a huge lump of volcanic rock wrapped in blankets of many greens. The juxtaposed familiarity and otherness created by imported flora and fauna in this landscape uninhabited until less than 600 years ago creates an atmosphere you could easily imagine as home to the creations of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. While the Micaelenses are not at all hobbit-like, their appearance, understandably for a relatively isolated island community, is distinctive. To give you an idea of what ethnic Azoreans look like, think of singer Nelly Furtado (her Azorean parents moved, like many others from these islands, to Canada in the 70s) and Portugal national football team’s all-time top goalscorer, Pedro Pauleta. By character, the Azoreans have all the warmth and unassuming kindness of the continental Portuguese, without the melancholy of their mainland cousins. The first one I met was a cheery taxi driver, probably so upbeat from the knowledge that he lives in the world’s least stressful place to drive a taxi, on our way to the hotel in Ponta Delgada.

Ponta Delgada has a successful mix of traditional and modern, with its gigantic brand new marina capable of receiving cruise ships, a big shopping mall that wouldn’t look out of place in Madrid and late nineteenth/early twentieth century houses and shops that overlook cobbled streets. The majority of tourists are Portuguese and Scandinavian, but, while the latter are easy to pick out against the darker haired Azoreans, there are never so many as to suggest an Iberian seaside resort.
You can find average food at dirt-cheap prices in café-bars and excellent food at average prices in restaurants. Grilled fish is a speciality and my personal recommendation, swordfish. Grilled limpets, or lapas, are another local favourite, but what surprised me for an island was the importance of meat; beef in particular. The unlikely mix of pineapple and morcilla blood pudding is one to try.

MUST-SEE

Furnas
My wife told me that my trip to Furnas was the second best day of my life after our wedding, based on my permanent ear-to-ear smile and childlike excitement. The geysers and boiling pools of water and mud bubble away near to the sandy banks of Lake Furnas, and a sulphurous smell hits the back of your throat. The heat of the ground beneath your feet is enough to quell any urge to test exactly how hot these boiling springs are. The whole scene is unlike anything I have ever seen before.
Locals use the thermal soils of Furnas as natural ovens by lowering huge stewing pots into dug-out pits in the earth, covering them with soil and leaving them to slow-cook for eight hours. Tourists are often invited to help lift the pots out of the ground, on their way to being taken to nearby restaurants for serving. The delicious ‘cozido’ is a stew of recognisable lumps rather than the mushy Spanish equivalent and it picks up a special flavour from the ‘boiling holes’ in the hot soil.
If the bubbling springs were a first for my eyes, bathing in the hot (40º) iron-coloured river was another discovery for the senses that I can only liken to a natural outdoor Jacuzzi.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Sete Cidades – The breathtaking caldera which holds Sete Cidades’ twin-lakes, the Green Lake and the Blue Lake, can be seen in all its glory from a viewpoint also overlooking the town of the same name.

Lagoa do Fogo – The Lake of Fire, while not living up to its name, couldn’t impress more even if were filled by fire. The magical crater surrounded by lush vegetation also contains the Caldeira Velha (the old caldera) – another

Ilheu de Vila Franca do Campo – Vila Franca do Campo was the original capital of the island until an earthquake and its resulting mudslide in 1522 devastated the town. Just offshore sits an islet with an enclosed semicircle with beaches that has created a natural swimming pool and a perfect place for water sports in the warm Gulf Stream-heated Atlantic.

Swimming with dolphins and whale watching – Off the São Miguel coast is one of the world’s best places for whale watching. Several different species of whale and dolphin are found in these waters, it just depends on the day how many different types you see. Also, if the dolphins are feeling playful and inquisitive enough, you might get to experience the incredible sensation of swimming with dolphins.

HOW TO GET THERE

SATA and TAP are your airlines for flying to São Miguel. There are daily flights if you go via Lisbon and weekly flights from Madrid in the summer.

European Vibe International 5-a-side Tournament

Such a perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you.” - Lou Reed’s words echoed by every one of over 150 players and spectators at June’s inaugural European Vibe Cup. The five-a-side tournament brought together Spaniards and nationalities spanning the entirety of Madrid’s vibrant international community as only football can, on a sweltering Spanish afternoon for a great-spirited yet ultra-competitive competition.
European Vibe was delighted to sponsor the event and congratulations go to the deserved winners of the cup, Bwin, who became the first team to lift the trophy. Though an envious eye was cast at Los Incas, who scooped the consolation Whisky Cup and with it a luxury bottle of whisky. 2008/2009 EFL league and cup double winners Finbars Celtic were also presented their trophies after consistently maintaining the form they had shown flashes of in recent seasons.

A special mention goes to EFL organizer Lewis Carroll for his coordinating skills and from all of us at European Vibe to him and his wife Cheryl – they became proud parents of their baby girl Robyn just a matter of hours after the competition.

Whatever happens in South Africa 2010, madrileño football fans will have a big day to look forward to next year.

RESULTS

RED The E.V.E. 1 0 Inter Menan
BLUE Finbars Celtic 0 1 Atletico Retiro
GREEN La Trinchera 3 2 All Blacks
GREY CETROLI 2 0 Headless Chickens

RED Madrid Reds 0 0 AC Resaca
BLUE Los Incas 4 1 Finbars 67
GREEN EV Spartans 1 5 Triskel-Audrey

GREY La Parada 0 2 BWIN

RED AC Resaca 0 0 The E.V.E.
BLUE Finbars 67 1 5 Finbars Celtic
GREEN Triskel-Audrey 1 2 La Trinchera
GREY BWIN 4 3 CETROLI

RED Madrid Reds 2 5 Inter Menan
BLUE Los Incas 0 3 Atletico Retiro
GREEN EV Spartans 1 4 All Blacks
GREY La Parada 1 3 Headless Chickens

RED The E.V.E. 1 4 Madrid Reds

BLUE Finbars Celtic 5 4 Los Incas
GREEN La Trinchera 4 1 EV Spartans
GREY CETROLI 3 0 La Parada

RED AC Resaca 3 1 Inter Menan
BLUE Finbars 67 0 0 Atletico Retiro
GREEN Triskel-Audrey 3 1 All Blacks
GREY BWIN 3 0 Headless Chickens

RED GROUP W D L GF GA PTS
AC Resaca 1 2 0 3 1 5
Madrid Reds 1 1 1 6 6 4
The E.V.E. 1 1 1 2 4 4
Inter Menan 1 0 2 6 5 3

BLUE GROUP W D L GF GA PTS
Atlético Retiro 2 1 0 4 0 7
Finbars Celtic 2 0 1 10 6 6
Los Incas 1 0 2 8 9 3
Finbars 67 0 1 2 2 9 1

GREEN GROUP W D L GF GA PTS
La Trinchera 3 0 0 9 4 9
Triskels Audrey 2 0 1 9 4 6
All-Blacks 1 0 2 7 7 3
EV Spartans 0 0 3 3 13 0

GREY GROUP W D L GF GA PTS
Bwin 3 0 0 9 3 9
CETROLI 2 0 1 8 4 6
Headless Chns 1 0 2 3 6 3
La Parada 0 0 3 1 8 0

Whisky Cup Quarter Finals

The E.V.E. 2 4 Finbars 67
Los Incas 4 0 EV Spartans
All Blacks (retired) 0 3 La Parada (default win)
Headless Chickens 4 5 Inter Menan

European Vibe Cup Quarter Finals

AC Resaca 2 1 Finbars Celtic
Atletico Retiro 0 6 Triskel-Audrey
La Trinchera 0 2 CETROLI
BWIN 4 1 Madrid Reds

Whisky Cup Semi Finals

Finbars 67 2 6 Los Incas
La Parada 1 2 Inter Menan


European Vibe Cup Semi Finals

AC Resaca 1 1 Triskel-Audrey
Triskel-Audrey win penalty shootout 2-1
CETROLI 1 4 BWIN


Whisky Cup Final

Los Incas 4 3 Inter Menan

European Vibe Cup Final

Triskel-Audrey 1 3 BWIN


Los Incas win Whisky Cup

BWIN are European Vibe Cup 2009 Champions

What's On June 09

Tennis

Wimbledon

22 June – 5 July

Nadal, Federer and Centre Court’s brand new retractable roof: these are the stars everyone is waiting to see at The All England Lawn Tennis and Crocquet Club this year. As well as an end to rain delays on Wimbledon’s main stage, floodlights have been fitted. Play will continue until 10pm (local time), though they could technically go all night if officials saw fit. Last year’s men’s final has been touted as the greatest of all time; something that won’t be repeated any time soon. Or will it? Federer managed to break Nadal’s stranglehold on clay last month here in Madrid, but the Majorcan still went into Roland Garros as the overwhelming favourite. Grass is another matter of course, and Federer will be very much out to show his surrender of the Wimbledon title to the Spaniard was a one-time thing. Whatever happens, both titans will have to be at their best to withstand the challenge of Djokovic and Murray. The home crowd will be right behind the Scotsman, but the expectation could be as much a hindrance as a help to young Andy.

Several betting companies place the Williams sisters as joint favourites for the women’s championship. Reigning and five-times champion Venus is going for a third consecutive title, and twice winner Venus looks the best-placed to stop her if her early season injury doesn’t come back. Sharapova is another coming back from injury who might be in with a shout. The young Dane with the Polish name, Caroline Wozniacki, is the one I’ll be looking out for to make a big impact after her foray to the final of the Madrid Masters last month. Of course, not to mention the woman who vanquished her and current world number one, Dinara Safina, would be folly. But, this is Wimbledon.
“I’ll treat you like a queen, I’ll feed you strawberries and cream…”



Football

FIFA Confederations Cup

14 – 28 June

What was originally seen as a bit of a joke competition (with wodges of Saudi money tempting the FAs of several big footballing nations into spoiling their superstars’ summer holidays and forcing them to half-heartedly knock a few goals past some oil-rich, football-poor countries) has turned into something worth forsaking the bar terrace for the TV screen in the dark pub you now usually only see after midnight. The first reason to turn on Telecinco since about two years ago is the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. It promises to be an interesting two weeks as both a dry run for 2010’s World Cup in South Africa and as an intercontinental test for Spain’s irresistible European champions.
The tournament features the six current continental federation champions alongside the World Cup holders and next year’s World Cup hosts. Spain will play Oceania’s New Zealand, Asian champions Iraq and hosts South Africa in Group A. The top two teams from that group will go on to meet the best two from Group B’s Brazil, Italy, Egypt and United States. The dream final of Iraq against United States might be a little too much to hope for, but there is still the rather sexy prospect of Spain playing Brazil, and/or a confidence test against bogey team Italy.
It’s a great reminder, too, that we’re just one year away from the World Cup finally taking place on African soil. Safety and security issues have plagued South Africa’s bid to stage football’s big event; I don’t know about you, but if the Iraqi fans start complaining, I think I’ll watch next year’s tournament on TV.

What's On in Madrid EV June 09

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