FC Barcelona have been a bastion of invincibility all season long in the Spanish La Liga.
Barca have had everyone in Spain in a spin, stringing all and sundry like Toni Braxton ’s Spanish Guitar.
Unbeaten in 36 games (27 wins and nine draws at the time of writing), they had pummelled 94 goals en route to posting 90 points. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and company have been gung-ho gunslingers in the mould of the character of El Mariachi portrayed by Antonio Banderas in the 1995 contemporary western film Desperado.
Now the Blaugrana have a date with the Brazilians for a contest that the Chloorkop crowd have billed champion versus champion. The clash forms part of celebrations to commemorate the centenary birthday of one of the profound personalities of the 20th century, Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela.
While this will be Barcelona’s second visit to the country — the five-time European club champions beat the one-time African conquerors 2-1 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in 2007 — it will be a third time that Andrés Iniesta sets foot on South African soil.In their official announcement of the match, the Barca statement stated that the match will be played at Fest National Bank Stadium. But Iniesta should have told them that it is actually First National Bank cathedral. How could Iniesta ever forget the Calabash (the design so beautiful the Russians have copied it for one of their 2018 stadiums). It was after all the stage for Spain ’s greatest football achievement. My prayer is for this match to prove to be a perfect platform for Percy Tau to confirm to the world that his prolific form in the Percy Soccer League wasn’t an act of potent sorcery but a product of a prodigious potential waiting to burst onto the scene of world football.His game has been sprinkled in magic dust and he gets a chance to steal a march on doubters. My dream is for him to dish out a display dripping with quality to a degree that may force Barca to do what Tottenham Hotspur did after witnessing the supreme talent of Mbulelo Mabizela in 2003.
I ask God to speak to Allah and Jah and send my ancestors to tell me that my prayer will be answered. If there’s one South African who deserves to graduate to a bigger and better league to showcase his silky skills alongside the best in the business, it is Tau.
The time for the starlet to navigate his path to stardom is now.
May Barca do to Percy Tau what Tottenham Hotspur did to OJ Mabizela.Dreams do come true. Give Patrice Motsepe a Bells for affording South Africans an opportunity to be part of the closing of a chapter of the little giant Iniesta, who is in the last mile of a glorious career in the colours of Barca, a club for whom he has been a gladiator since he joined from Albacete in 1996.
By the way, a certain Luis Suarez is returning to the crime scene where he committed the Hand of the Devil offence with his lousy goalkeeping skills during the 2010 World Cup. Here’s hoping that whoever Pitso Mosimane drafts in the Downs rearguard will not be at the receiving end of biting molars of the Uruguayan.
Welcome back Barca. May you be beaten this time. Entender?..