Father's Day, football World Cup and Thor!
Yesterday father and son sat down for Argentina's first match of the World Cup against Iceland. This match was also Daniel's initiation into the beautiful world of international football. I had already taken him for the BFC game against Mumbai FC, and therefore he was already familiar with the Indian football scene.
What started off with an expectation of Argentinian domination ended with us desperately hoping to get away with a point. The missed penalty and Messi being absent made things worse. So the initiation to world football didn't go the way I had planned. But it was a father-son moment, I would cherish for some time to come.
It also was a reminder of my childhood days when I would watch football just because dad happened to be watching it. And in those days when European football wasn't as widely watched as it is today, the World Cup was the only big tournament we would watch.And I guess that was my initiation to the beautiful game.
Another tradition during the World Cup was cutting out the schedule from the newspaper and then tracking the progress over the days. I used to religiously do this. After quite a few World Cups, the schedule was up again. I guess being a dad makes you responsible for what your kid learns from you.
The Iceland team and the father-son connection
Another interesting thing you might have noticed about yesterday's match is the names of the Icelandic players, (who by the way, did a great job in holding Argentina to a draw.
Look at the squad list and there's one thing that stands out.
Figured it out yet? Yup, I am talking about their last names. Each player's last name ends in 'son'. It isn't co-incidence at all. And the reason I brought this up is because it ties into the father-son theme I was talking about earlier. And being Father's day and all, I guess today is a great day to know about it too. :)
In Iceland (and many other Nordic countries) they follow the custom of having their last name as their dad's name followed by 'son'. So Hannes Halldórsson's (the goalkeeper who is giving Messi nightmares) name tells you that he is the son of Halldor. A great way of paying a tribute to your dad. And saves you from filling up an extra field for dad's name as well.
Friendly tip : Daughters add dóttir after their dad's name. So if Halldor had a daughter, her last name would be 'Halldorsdóttir'.
LINK : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_name
The father-son naming convention in movies
If you a superhero fan and a Marvel fan in particular, here's another interesting titbit for you.
This is also the reason why Thor's full name is Thor Odinsson.
Yes, you guessed it right. Thor is after all a Norse God and the son of Odin.
This is also why in the first Thor movie, Thor refers to Agent Phil Coulson as "Son of Coul". Agent Phil isn't of Nordic descent though and must have been surprised by that.
Have a great Father's Day and enjoy the football!
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| Son and dad in happier times (read before the match) |
What started off with an expectation of Argentinian domination ended with us desperately hoping to get away with a point. The missed penalty and Messi being absent made things worse. So the initiation to world football didn't go the way I had planned. But it was a father-son moment, I would cherish for some time to come.
It also was a reminder of my childhood days when I would watch football just because dad happened to be watching it. And in those days when European football wasn't as widely watched as it is today, the World Cup was the only big tournament we would watch.And I guess that was my initiation to the beautiful game.
Another tradition during the World Cup was cutting out the schedule from the newspaper and then tracking the progress over the days. I used to religiously do this. After quite a few World Cups, the schedule was up again. I guess being a dad makes you responsible for what your kid learns from you.
 |
| The daily tracker |
The Iceland team and the father-son connection
Another interesting thing you might have noticed about yesterday's match is the names of the Icelandic players, (who by the way, did a great job in holding Argentina to a draw.
Look at the squad list and there's one thing that stands out.
 |
| The Iceland World Cup squad |
Figured it out yet? Yup, I am talking about their last names. Each player's last name ends in 'son'. It isn't co-incidence at all. And the reason I brought this up is because it ties into the father-son theme I was talking about earlier. And being Father's day and all, I guess today is a great day to know about it too. :)
In Iceland (and many other Nordic countries) they follow the custom of having their last name as their dad's name followed by 'son'. So Hannes Halldórsson's (the goalkeeper who is giving Messi nightmares) name tells you that he is the son of Halldor. A great way of paying a tribute to your dad. And saves you from filling up an extra field for dad's name as well.
Friendly tip : Daughters add dóttir after their dad's name. So if Halldor had a daughter, her last name would be 'Halldorsdóttir'.
LINK : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_name
The father-son naming convention in movies
If you a superhero fan and a Marvel fan in particular, here's another interesting titbit for you.
This is also the reason why Thor's full name is Thor Odinsson.
Yes, you guessed it right. Thor is after all a Norse God and the son of Odin.
This is also why in the first Thor movie, Thor refers to Agent Phil Coulson as "Son of Coul". Agent Phil isn't of Nordic descent though and must have been surprised by that.
Have a great Father's Day and enjoy the football!
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