We are the champions!

Euro 2008 is not over, but for us Russians, our national team is certainly the winner. Stereotypes are slow to build and even slower to destroy. And yet, in a short period of barely three weeks, a social miracle happened – the image of Russia did change.

Have you noticed that nobody is talking lately about Putin/Medvedev, oil and gas and tycoon Victor Vekselberg’s recent acquisitions? The impassive faces of Russian leaders were replaced by a laughing or crying face of Andrei Arshavin, the striker of Russia’s football team in Euro 2008. Everybody knows the names of Pavluchenko, Zyrianov and Mr Hiddink, commentators sing praise and laymen learned to pronounce the word sbornaia [the national team], with many different accents.Yet at the beginning of Euro 2008 our players were hardly known, and last Saturday Tribune de Genève was fast to serve its “vodka-orange” [Editor’s note: a reference to the Dutch team colours]. One should never destroy the purity of Russian national drink by adding foreign flavors – such initiatives are always punishable! Is Arshavka, as he was called in the “Smena” football school in his native Saint-Petersburg, the symbol of a new Russia? Some might feel this is an exaggeration but many will agree that he, and the performance of our team in general, have inspired a long forgotten feeling of national pride for my compatriots.  A very pleasant feeling, indeed!

Of course, the effect of Euro 2008 will fade with time and the euphoria will settle. But thank you, sbornaia,  for what we have experienced during this competition, and good luck tonight. We’ll keep our fingers crossed!