A PROUD MOMENT FOR OUR COUNTRY.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. It was the second time that Germany staged the competition, the first as a unified country, and the tenth time that it was held in Europe. Italy won the tournament, claiming their fourth World Cup title. They defeated France 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out in the final, after extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw. Fabio Grosso, who had already decided on the matches with Australia and Germany, scored the final 5-3 penalty and allowed Italy to win the 18th world football championship, the fourth in the history of Azzurra after the successes of 1934 , 1938 and 1982. According to the critics, the victory was achieved by Lippi’s Italy through a very organized choral game, exceptional physical strength and, as in the best Italian tradition, a solid defense that in seven games only granted one goal from a penalty and an own goal. Another decisive factor for the final victory was the ability not to depend on a single player, as confirmed by the fact that Italy’s twelve goals in the tournament were scored by ten different players. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 to finish in third place. Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Trinidad and Tobago, and Togo made their first appearances in the finals. It was also the only appearance of Serbia and Montenegro under that name; they had previously appeared in 1998 as Yugoslavia. FIFA had Serbia and Montenegro play in the World Cup tournament as one team, marking the first instance of multiple sovereign nations competing as one team in a major football tournament since UEFA Euro 1992.The 2006 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in television history, garnering an estimated 26.29 billion times viewed, compiled over the course of the tournament. The final attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people. .
I was only 3 years old when Italy won this fantastic World Cup so I don’t know much about it except through stories, but seeing this particular match again after 17 years confirms to me how strong the Azzurri team was at the time, able to dominate all the others they had previously faced and then beat France on penalties.         
I was just a kid when this fantastic World Cup took place, but I decided to talk about it anyway because when you ask in Italy what happened in 2006, everyone answers “We won the World Cup!”                                                         
I am aware of how important the past is for understanding the present, obviously in all areas, some in particular. Sport, too, is undoubtedly a passion shared by many, a good reason to feel involved, to support a team and to rejoice or be saddened by it.                                         
All in all, I like the idea of being born at a time when my country distinguished itself in the world.