导读：11月13日，意大利足球队在世界杯预选赛中爆冷出局，也让那一夜成了无数意大利队球迷们的不眠之夜。足球球迷们可以为球队获胜而欢呼雀跃，也可以为球队落败而黯然神伤……一颗小小的足球，究竟为什么会有如此大的魅力呢？
On Nov 13, Italy played one of their most memorable soccer games. But it was memorable for the wrong reason.
11月13日，意大利国家足球队进行了一场最难忘的比赛。但难忘的却是一些错误的原因。
“Players from both teams slumped to the ground, the Swedes in exhausted ecstasy (狂喜), the Italians in losers’ agony.” This was how AP described the game, between Italy and Sweden. Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades.
“两队球员跌坐在场上，瑞典人筋疲力竭中带着狂喜，而意大利人则沉浸在失败者的痛苦之中。”美联社这样形容这场意大利对阵瑞典的足球赛。四度加冕世界杯冠军的意大利队60年来首次在世界杯的预选赛中出局。
The failure was described as an “apocalypse” by the nation’s newspapers. “It’s an intolerable disgrace ... It’s the end. Apocalypse, tragedy, catastrophe. Call it what you want, but our football is in a serious crisis,” commented Corriere dello Sport-Stadio, one of three major Italian sports daily newspapers. It’s no surprise that the country went into mourning, given the fact that Italians are so passionate about this sport.
这场失利被该国报纸形容为一场“灾难”。“这是个无法忍受的耻辱……一切都结束了。末日、悲剧、灾难。随便你怎么说，但我们的足球正处于一场严重的危机之中，”意大利三大体育日报之一的《罗马体育报》评论道。毫无意外的是，这个国家陷入了悲痛之中，因为意大利人是如此地对这项体育运动充满了激情。
Soccer is the national sport of many European and South American countries. Probably more than any other sport, soccer fans are passionately attached to this game, similar to how people are attached to their family or country.
足球是许多欧洲和南美洲国家的国民运动。足球球迷们或许比其他任何一项体育运动的爱好者们都更加热爱这项赛事，就像人们深爱着自己的家庭和祖国一样。
How does a game inspire such passionate devotion? With World Football Day – or soccer, as it’s also known – coming up on Dec 9, it seems like the right moment to ask. To understand people’s love for soccer, you can look at how soccer culture is generated and passed from father to son, mother to daughter.
一场比赛如何能激发出如此高涨的热情呢？在12月9日的世界足球日即将到来之际，提出问题似乎正是时候。想要了解人们对足球的喜爱，看看足球文化是如何产生并且代代相传的就知道了。
It starts at an early age. Children, encouraged by the enthusiasm of a parent, pick a team, most likely their local club. They soon become fans of “the beautiful game,” as it’s known.
一切都从孩童时期开始。孩子们被家长的热情所鼓舞，选择了一个支持的球队（多数都是当地俱乐部）。他们很快就成为了人们口中的“美丽赛事”的粉丝。
They cover their bedroom walls with photos of the players. They go to games whenever they can. Many will play themselves, with friends at the local park, or in school. It’s a passion that will be lifelong. Even marriage will not dim their passion for soccer, and when they have kids, the kids will become fans too, just as their parents helped make them fans.
他们在卧室的墙上挂满了球员们的照片，一有时间就去看球赛。不少人会在当地公园或者学校里和朋友一起踢球。这段热情将贯穿他们一生。甚至连婚姻也无法削弱他们对足球的热情，当这些人生儿育女后，孩子也会成为球迷，就像先前他们的父母把他们变成球迷一样。
British soccer manager Bill Shankly once said something memorable and true about the game that goes a long way to explaining the true soccer fan’s attitude: “Some people think that [soccer] is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more important than that.”
英国足球经纪人比尔·香克利曾说过一段令人难忘的真理，用来解释真正的足球球迷们的态度十分贴切：“一些人认为（足球）就是一件生死抉择的事儿。我向你保证，足球比这还重要得多。”
Indeed, these are words that most of Italy will surely be able to relate to.
的确，这些话毫无疑问大多数意大利人都能感同身受。
