Singapore a la Barcelona.. Mes que un ciudad

The last time any reference was drawn between football and Singapore as a country, was probably after France 98, where we were told we could aspire to be like France, a Footballing Champion of Immigrants. Not sure if such a reference would ever be made again, if not for laughs after a pint. It's probably in quite half a drunken state now, that I try to make another reference between football and Singapore. My point of reference? Barcelona F.C.

I enjoy football, and very much appreciate its ability to ignite the excitement of peoples all over the world. But I'm not going to draw parallels as to how Singapore can become a great footballing nation. I'm going one step further, to draw parallels as to how Singapore can be simply, a great nation. I've long been bugged by my disability to explain my gut feel, that above all else, it is the sense of belonging, the common identity, and the simple hardwork of commoners, all these soft factors that make a great nation. Not the high annual GDP growths (i.e. casino opening), not the high paying jobs in knowledge(i.e. financial) industries, nor the high-intellectual foreign geniuses and certainly not the internalised international concepts and methodologies of innovation-led productivity. It is not that all these arent essential, on the contrary , they are quite our survival tools to a successful city. However, if the fundamentals of any nation are built on these, then the success of the nation will be bobbling around the wave of economic cycles - up and down, prone to capsize. Not great at all.

But the ship is just a hypothetical analogy, not convincing to any less of a romantic than me. So I was stuck for many years, until Pep Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, a certain Lionel Messi and Barcelona F.C. came around.

Barcelona F.C. is probably recognised as the greatest footballing team in the world right now, if not in history. They swept all domestic, European and international honours in 2009, were close enough in 2010, and look imperious again in 2011. In 2010's FIFA World Player of the Year Awards, the first three (i.e.Messi, Iniesta, Xavi) were monopolized by Barcelona. Before anyone gets carried away by the individual genius of these three players, all three of them attributed their success to one key factor: the teamwork and camaraderie built up since their youth playing days at the Barcelona Academy, La Masia. Another key attribute shined through their interviews, and that of their team-mates and manager: their pride and sense of belonging and passion towards not just Barcelona F.C. the club, but the city of Barcelona and its citizens. Afterall, the slogan of Barcelona, Mes que un club,means just that - more than a club.

With the exception of Messi, the other players at Barcelona would probably not have the greatest shout-outs for greatest talents in football. In contrast with the Galactico era of Real Madrid, with a star-studded team of World/European Footballer of the Years, i.e. Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Beckham, or even the current team of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and the Galactico Coach Mourinho, Barcelona's team does pale in individual brillance. Yet, how could a team of largely home-born, with the exception of Argentinian Messi (and the Spanish do not have the best footballing pedigree, not by World Cup Records, where they lag Brazil, Italy, Argentina, even Germany), become the best side in the world? Not the high net-worth and highly paid foreign geniuses, not the state-of-the-art managerial techniques, and certainly not the high-interest bank rolling towards bankruptcy loans. Because in the final analysis, the single greatest driving force of productivity, innovation, and greatness, is not all of these, but a common passion.

If there are any calls for facts and figures, lets take 4 v 4. Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo and Beckham have between themselves played for at least 10 different teams. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Puyol have a grand total of one. Ok, these players are not even close to retiring, so its an unfair comparison. Let's just take Cristiano and Kaka then, between just two of them, already 5 teams.

My point being? It is the the common dogged hardwork, common understanding built up over years of communication, the productivity of passion and above all, the shared involvement and belonging in place and community that makes a great club. Barcelona may not win the Champions League or La Liga every year, but as long as the social fabric and teamwork ethic remains rooted within the Club's Academy and Management Philosophy, the greatness will remain, year after year. Ditto for a great nation. Mes que un ciudad ...or More than a city.

And, with this in place, one doesnt even need to fear foreign talent leaving for their home countries. Heck, Argentina didnt win the World Cup, did they? Spain did.