You know when you don’t even know how or when it happened, but somehow you’d subscribed to Amazon Prime Video and you, kind of, ignored the e-mails from Amazon, because… Amazon, but, then, one day, you accidentally (not) open the e-mail and boom, you see you’re so subscribed? You’ve been for a while.

My instinct, at first, was to end the subscription. But, just as instantly, Vlad crossed my mind. Vlad is a funny guy I have a great time with, whenever we bump into each other. Vlad saw a birthday cake dropping from my hands, whilst a lot of people were singing Happy Birthday and, obviously, looking at the candle lit cake and, hence, me, at midnight, at a party, once. They were not singing to me and it was not my fault, the handles of the tray the cake was on were not the real deal, but that’s another story, one of the most embarrassing, but fun to remember about now stories of my life.

The connection between the Prime subscription and Vlad is a delightful discussion we were trying to have, whilst at a concert. Cristina, what do you think is the deal with Pep Guardiola’s style? I mean, his white some kind of neckband, the white some kind of cuffs. You know him, right? Fireworks fired up inside, because – aside from being at a concert and waiting for it to begin (oh maaan! I hope concerts will be possible in the very near future, oh maaan, oh maaan!) – I entered, with him, a space I enjoyed, within a space I’d, already, been enjoying so much. Oh man, oh man! We were talking about a guy – Pep Guardiola – I’d noticed, here and there, and, even if I didn’t know that much about him then, I could tell he was a good guy. The more I found out about him, the more he got my interest. This man is one of the best football coaches ever and, on top of that, he has a special sense of style. In dressing, as I’d noticed while googling him, but in coaching, also, as I’m discovering through this documentary Vlad told me about, whilst at the concert (oh man, oh man!). And yes, it is on Prime and if you want to take a break from Downton Abbey or whatever it is you’re watching, at the moment, I suggest you watch All Or Nothing: Manchester City.

With Pep, like with any authentic person, the style is, in fact, his soul showing up and doing the trick. Pep is playing, just like a kid, it seems, with subtle details. It’s a fun game the rest of the world is watching and, without knowing why, likes.

Clothes can help the rest of the world to do that, too, play, when the rest of the world lets them to. Some of us don’t care about that, play, so think it’s not important and it isn’t when we choose to believe it’s not. Think of Steve Jobs. There’s only one Steve Jobs, though. 

Some of us sense our soul’s desire to express through everything that makes us us and find it interesting. The style becomes our left hand and our right hand and what’s more romantic than holding hands? Freely. Kissing, duh.

So, yes, I guess we’re talking about romance. These details Pep chooses for himself – the white some kind of neckband, the white some kind of cuffs – are subtleties the romantic in him shares with the romantics in us. Magic happens when these subtleties lock eyes and hold hands with the the subtleties in someone else. Subtleties are unique to each and every one of us. Romance, romance, romance, see?

It takes courage to be yourself. Courage is romantic, oh man, is a declaration of love to life. We’re all, at times, wobbly, newsflash, but, newsflash, we’re in this together.

The rivalry between Pep Guardiola and José Murihno is like a metaphor for life, however. They both have style, but it’s the one love we all, actually, sense, and are, and are in awe of, no matter what team we’re on. Or the way we got to sense it. An accidental (well…) subscription might be one. Expressing this love, into the world, is inevitable and we, also, are the world. Interesting. We only have to choose if we do it through love or through fear. Easy.

Their contrasting styles were on full display, All Or Nothing.

It’s fascinating how their styles are called attacking football and park the buss. And it might come across as shocking, at first, but Pep’s is the attacking one. It makes sense when you come to think about it. Isn’t this precisely how it is in life? You have to be a worrier for love. There, I said it. 

Manchester City, Pep’s team, won, spoiler alert. The two coaches hugged, in the end. And it’s not only fair-play to do so in sports, obviously. The world is built on hugs. There are a lot of elements in Mendeleev’s table. 118 to be precise. Ok, so not seven billion, but still!

Guardiola doesn’t understand the concept of parking the bus, he just unleashes the Ferraris, All Or Nothing…while wearing his simple, grey or black sweaters and, almost without exception, with a white some kind of neckband, the white some kind of cuff, underneath. 

A white detail close to the face always (always) brightens up anyone’s face. However, the white must be a cold white for a cold skin tone or an off-white for a warm skin tone. It’s that little extra that brings a subtle je ne sais quoi to Pep’s style. The white shirts, t-shirts, details bring up this allure of relaxed etiquette that brings up, in fact, the light in his eyes. Coming from his soul. His love for what he does. For people. Players. His passion. Fierceness. Confidence in the light. Tone. Warmth. Fierce warmth.

Be a team, guys, be a team!, Pep Guardiola.

Watching this documentary on football not only reminded me of the energy I remember experiencing on the stadiums, during the football matches (or concerts, oh man, oh man!) I went to, but also of the excitement, from back in the day, in middle school, when it felt like the whole world was watching the big championships. I even had favourite players. When it felt like We Came One, by Faithless. Just like it felt going through this whole pandemic. We came and we come one.

Anything we do is about being here mentally, not just physically, as Pep Guardiola says. This pandemic felt like a brick humankind needed. Let’s hope that the damage done is not for nothing. Every human being is inspiring. When getting dressed or undressed, when holding hands and so on.

Cause I’m the left eye, you‘re the right. Would it not be madness to fight?

And if we think about it, Vlad, rules is what we could have discussed only. But no, we chose the romance. There isn’t really anything else, I know. You asked me what Oz In Paris was doing and you, instantaneously, put a smile, on my lips. Since you don’t have any social media account, this is for you, Vlad! Wahaha!

Be a team, guys, be a team!