An amazing goal, of course. And at 89.59. So it was no surprise that virtually immediately Ollie Watkins was named Man of the Match.
Even more amazing was that he had only been on the pitch for nine minutes, having played just four touches for the Three Lions! And before this match this star forward from Royal Aston Villa had played only 20 minutes for England.
Our congratulations and overwhelming gratitude! “I’m lost for words, really,” Watkins said at a press conference afterwards. “When you score there are emotions that come through your body but this is a different feeling!”
For your information the Vivo Player of the Match has been awarded to the star performer after every game EURO '96. I’ve tried to find out the criteria used but without success. Maybe it’s more of an intuition than a formal process, the player who has had the most impact on the game.
And it is not always a player from the winning side. For the record – and this is the first time this has appeared in print – I was awarded Man of the Match when I played left half for St Nicholas’ in our league match against Lander Road Primary School in March, 1960. We lost 2-0.
It clearly went to my head because subsequently my footballing career experienced a rapid and irreversible decline. We are often not good at handling acclaim.
Furthermore, I’m not sure it is a good idea for the simple reason that football is a team game. So the rugged and relentless performance of a reliable defender may not be as sparkie as a golden goal but just as important for the final result.
However, you have to say it is a human reaction, especially when your team does well. That’s life, and not just in football. Hence the phrase One hit wonder.
It may be my age but I usually read the Obituaries in The Times each morning. It’s surprising how many obits focus on just one event in an otherwise long life. So for example, this morning’s edition leads with Ken McGinley, founder of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association, who died earlier this month at the age of 85.
I’ve just done a word count of the article to show that just over two thirds of the article focuses on just one day, April 28, 1958, when McGinley with his colleagues from the Royal Engineers were just 23 miles away from the explosion of a three-megaton hydrogen bomb on a Pacific atoll.
This one event determined the entire course of his life in his subsequent determination to hold to account the “faceless bureaucrats” in his fight for compensation for the nuclear test veterans. In fact, the obituary gives hardly any other information about this remarkable man, just the schools he attended and the name of his wife.
Clearly this single event led to an outstanding life of service for Ken McGinley, and he has rightly been acknowleged – although sadly not by the Establishment. He was never given an official honour, no Whitehall equivalent of the Man of the Match. And for that reason alone we need to be wary of the whole system of awards.
Of course, the award which counts is the one awarded by God, and there are many such awards in the Bible. There are the big names, of course. Abraham, “father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5), Moses, “friend of God” (Exodus 33:11), David “a man after God’s heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
Even then the Bible does not draw back from describing their weaknesses, even their disobedience. They are flawed human beings, and like all flawed human beings, their achievements can so easily go to their heads. Pride is always a problem.
Hence the warning: If you start thinking to yourselves, “I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!”—well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)
We often have glimpses of individual saints being honoured for their particular ministries, who no doubt would be surprised by such recognition. The apostle Paul, for one, enjoys acknowledging their input. How about Apelles, for example? All we know is that “his fidelity to Christ has stood the test.” (Romans 16:10). Or Paul’s co-worker, Clement, “whose name is in the book of life.” (Philippians 4:3, the Message)
Not so much Man of the Match but Saint for the Saviour, as they allow the Holy Spirit to work through them, the fruit of Jesus in their lives. His fruit that is, not theirs. Even so God honours their faithfulness, not so much for one particular event but in the words of Eugene Peterson, who gave us the Message translation, “a long obedience in the same direction.”
For the very word, faithfulness speaks of an entire life lived rather than just one moment of sheer brilliance. And it is the word featured in the most important award of all, the accolade offered by Jesus himself: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23).
Not so much the brilliant goal scorer but the hard-working midfield player, ever alert for their team and tireless in their work-rate. Nothing spectacular but the ultimate team-player, dependable and selfless. Who keeps going right to the final whistle and never eases off.
“Simply endure, for when you have done as God requires of you, you will receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36)
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