The Euro Cup has also been a stroke of luck for traditional journalism, which believes that to report on an event you have to be on the job, go to the same place every day and deal with the same people, and of course personally answer for the published work to whoever asks for explanations, a common situation due to the expansion of corporate communication and also since the sports press often functions as club press due to the influence of such universal teams as Madrid and Barça.
The role of the special envoy regained its meaning because he had access to the players, had time to compare his impressions, manage the information and respond to the demands of his environment, which were also increasing due to the interest generated by the team’s triumphs in Germany. The federation opened the door for the interviews to take place and the coach tried to find out who was asking before answering in order to facilitate coexistence – which does not mean collusion – while the Euro Cup lasted.
A limited period of time – a month and a half – is easier to manage than a season and news is always more welcome after a victory than after a defeat, so the context favoured a relationship of interest on the part of the different parties, including of course Luis de la Fuente’s international players. There were also circumstances that favoured the close relationship, above all due to the arrival of a surprising success and the novelty of several of its protagonists, most of them outside the influence of the Madrid-Barça dispute.
Perhaps we can speak of the importance of a Basque core – nine players – in a multi-national team that was owned by no one but its own players, none of them indispensable and all necessary, as was evident in a final that was the compendium of the tournament due to the different moments experienced against England. Very rarely has there been such a documented match due to the curiosity aroused by those called up since they landed in Germany.
There was a desire to know how Morata was feeling since he explained the anguish that his international status caused him; Lamine and Nico won over the young and old audience with a friendliness that invited people to ask every day about his latest misdeed; Cucurella’s hair came into play; and football was discussed with Fabián, Olmo and Rodri.
The personal was mixed with the footballing from a close-up perspective, everything seemed to be visible and was publishable because it was unknown to those who came close to that beloved team or because what had already been told in the local press had not yet been shared globally in a moment of euphoria like the one experienced in Germany. The captains and the coach created the best conditions to be able to play and live together without forgetting that the challenge that justified their humility was to play well and win, something that Barça and Madrid have never agreed on.
In the end, the story was so perfect that it may be temporary, impossible to apply in clubs, unrepeatable in the national team on the way to the World Cup. In any case, it is not advisable to forget it and even less to ignore it because it has been worthwhile for journalism, or at least, for conventional journalism, fortunate to be able to work as God commands in the Euro Cup.
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