I know we have a good national team, but the point is we haven't won anything other than the Gold Cup which consists of US, Mexico, Canada, T&T, and others from Central and North America. The only two teams that are "good" out of that group are Mexico and the US. That's hardly an achievement for a nation like us.
The general opinion around Europe at least is that we suck, so that's where I'm coming from. Our failure to be big on the World Stage is partly why people flock to the Azzurri, Brazil, Argentina etc. I even know some US fans who instead support England. :sick:
I was amazed by Baggio as well at my age of 9 back then. Had his shoes and everything. You could certainly say that I was a fan of the Azzurri in that tournament because it was just amazing watching those guys play at that age. Perhaps like you, that was THE FIRST time I ever saw such top class players play, and it changed my life, or at least brought me into European football.
But then I realized that I had to support my own nation, yet I still respect the Azzurri, like them quite a lot, and thank them for giving us Baggio.
I'm not saying you can't sympathize with the Azzurri, Snoop.
It's not wrong to like them, Snoop. But, at least in my case, I think it's wrong to support them, which is something I cannot do.
Imagine what would have happened this past summer if I started to support Italy after 1994 and also supported the US. I wonder which team would have received "more" support and I wonder which one I would have let down.