
The word ‘myth’ comes from the Greek ‘mythos’ which has a range of meanings—word, saying, story, fiction—and is defined as a “symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events (of gods or superhuman beings) and that is especially associated with religious belief.” However, because there is very rarely proof, or at least an adequate amount of it, the word “myth” has also come to be associated with something that isn’t real or, at best, a misconception.
But there is no doubt, through the long ages, of the human allure for this form of story—and what better representation of this phenomena in the modern world than the arena of football with its larger-than-life icons and legendary moments as collective memory and worship?
“Football isn’t a game, nor a sport; it’s a religion”—Diego Maradona
Religion it may be, but it is also one of the most subjective of sports, turning on the finest of margins, subject to “controversial” decisions that are debated even decades after with the same amount of fervour. In fact, is there anything, apart from it being religion, that you can get football fans to agree on?