italian language in italy : World Cup friendship remains strong in Morgan
Wearing his blue and white Italian soccer jersey and a smile worthy of an all-you-can-eat pasta night, Carlo Pellegrini's happy demeanor this week might bother some French fans, but not Nick Ng (pronounced ing), his close friend.
Pellegrini, who was born and raised in Italy, and Ng, who was raised in France, were exchanging friendly banter Monday after Italy's win over France Sunday in the World Cup.
The banter is nothing new for this pair, after all; Ng also celebrated a soccer championship this summer. His Fort Morgan Optimist team just finished an undefeated season.
Plus Ng holds a two-nothing edge over Pellegrini in another very important category.
"My wife, Marla, and I have two small children, while Carlo and (wife) Jessica are expecting their first ... so I'll probably guide him in that area, too," Ng revealed while laughing.
Young families are just one reason why Ng and Pellegrini have become such good friends. They can talk about everything from original "football", to family, to their respective food-serving businesses in Fort Morgan.
Ng owns Café Lotus on East Kiowa Avenue, while Pellegrini's busy passion is the O' Sole Mio Italian Tratorria he owns on Ensign Street.
Yet they share an even stronger connection not often seen around Northeast Colorado.
"He (Nick) was the first guy I met here from Europe," Pellegrini recalled. "I remember he had long hair, way down his back. It was exciting to find someone who knew the Italian language and our culture."
"We have gravitated to each other because we have so many common interests," Ng added, although not enthused about confirming those long-haired days. "It's just special to meet someone like Carlo in Fort Morgan. We have so many similar cultural aspects."
After being born in Hong Kong, Ng attended a well-known French boarding school and played football (soccer) like virtually every other European youth.
Pellegrini took his soccer-playing skills several steps farther as he joined a semi-professional Italian team. So why did he choose pasta and pizza over a long athletic career?
"There was no money in it," Pellegrini explained. "If you win, you get paid. If you lose, you go home. There were no salaries."
Pellegrini still plays indoor soccer one night a week in Fort Collins just for fun. That last word also perfectly describes these two friends during the month-long World Cup journey.
Normally not a big sports fan, Ng followed the entire tournament which he described as "magic."
Pellegrini rarely missed one second of Italy's World Cup quest, even venturing across the alley behind O' Sole Mio to watch various matches on television at The Fort Morgan Times so he didn't have to go back and forth to his home.
"When the United States played Italy to a 1-1 tie, my good friend Bill Holland (publisher of The Times) kept chanting USA, USA."
"That was a victory for the U.S.," Carlo admitted. "But we (Italy) had a young team. They grew up a lot during the month", right up to Sunday's world championship match, when Italy won a 5-3 overtime shootout.
"I tried to call friends in France after the match, but no one answered," Ng said. "They were all crying."
Some are still talking about the infamous head-butt, red card and subsequent ejection of France soccer legend Zinidene Zidane. Named tourney MVP on Monday, Zidane still wasn't around during those final dramatic shootout kicks.
"Zidane is even Pellegrini's idol, everyone appreciates his skills. He's a fantastic football player," Ng proclaimed. "But his behavior was wrong. There's no justifying it ... unless that Italian said something bloody rude."
"Zidane is the man; he played in Italy for several years," Pellegrini added. "They can read lips on those tapes. We'll find out what he (the Italian player) said."
Whatever the results, don't expect any rude behavior between these local rival fans and friends. Ng actually admitted to rooting for Italy during most matches, and he maintained a classy mood on Monday.
In other words, their friendship will likely continue through many more World Cups.
"We congratulated each other," Ng concluded. "What? No, there's none of that (trash talking). After all, it's only a game."
By R.B. HEADLEY
Pellegrini, who was born and raised in Italy, and Ng, who was raised in France, were exchanging friendly banter Monday after Italy's win over France Sunday in the World Cup.
The banter is nothing new for this pair, after all; Ng also celebrated a soccer championship this summer. His Fort Morgan Optimist team just finished an undefeated season.
Plus Ng holds a two-nothing edge over Pellegrini in another very important category.
"My wife, Marla, and I have two small children, while Carlo and (wife) Jessica are expecting their first ... so I'll probably guide him in that area, too," Ng revealed while laughing.
Young families are just one reason why Ng and Pellegrini have become such good friends. They can talk about everything from original "football", to family, to their respective food-serving businesses in Fort Morgan.
Ng owns Café Lotus on East Kiowa Avenue, while Pellegrini's busy passion is the O' Sole Mio Italian Tratorria he owns on Ensign Street.
Yet they share an even stronger connection not often seen around Northeast Colorado.
"He (Nick) was the first guy I met here from Europe," Pellegrini recalled. "I remember he had long hair, way down his back. It was exciting to find someone who knew the Italian language and our culture."
"We have gravitated to each other because we have so many common interests," Ng added, although not enthused about confirming those long-haired days. "It's just special to meet someone like Carlo in Fort Morgan. We have so many similar cultural aspects."
After being born in Hong Kong, Ng attended a well-known French boarding school and played football (soccer) like virtually every other European youth.
Pellegrini took his soccer-playing skills several steps farther as he joined a semi-professional Italian team. So why did he choose pasta and pizza over a long athletic career?
"There was no money in it," Pellegrini explained. "If you win, you get paid. If you lose, you go home. There were no salaries."
Pellegrini still plays indoor soccer one night a week in Fort Collins just for fun. That last word also perfectly describes these two friends during the month-long World Cup journey.
Normally not a big sports fan, Ng followed the entire tournament which he described as "magic."
Pellegrini rarely missed one second of Italy's World Cup quest, even venturing across the alley behind O' Sole Mio to watch various matches on television at The Fort Morgan Times so he didn't have to go back and forth to his home.
"When the United States played Italy to a 1-1 tie, my good friend Bill Holland (publisher of The Times) kept chanting USA, USA."
"That was a victory for the U.S.," Carlo admitted. "But we (Italy) had a young team. They grew up a lot during the month", right up to Sunday's world championship match, when Italy won a 5-3 overtime shootout.
"I tried to call friends in France after the match, but no one answered," Ng said. "They were all crying."
Some are still talking about the infamous head-butt, red card and subsequent ejection of France soccer legend Zinidene Zidane. Named tourney MVP on Monday, Zidane still wasn't around during those final dramatic shootout kicks.
"Zidane is even Pellegrini's idol, everyone appreciates his skills. He's a fantastic football player," Ng proclaimed. "But his behavior was wrong. There's no justifying it ... unless that Italian said something bloody rude."
"Zidane is the man; he played in Italy for several years," Pellegrini added. "They can read lips on those tapes. We'll find out what he (the Italian player) said."
Whatever the results, don't expect any rude behavior between these local rival fans and friends. Ng actually admitted to rooting for Italy during most matches, and he maintained a classy mood on Monday.
In other words, their friendship will likely continue through many more World Cups.
"We congratulated each other," Ng concluded. "What? No, there's none of that (trash talking). After all, it's only a game."
By R.B. HEADLEY
posted by awesome at 7:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home