SUMMER is traditionally a season for nationalism. It could also be the summer of Spain.
The Euro 2008 Championship is already secured, courtesy of that one clinical Fernando Torres goal, and Rafael Nadal broke Scottish hearts by stopping Andy Murray's ferocious surge towards the final at Wimbledon.
Sport is nationalism by the backdoor and Murray's performances to date have been epic in their importance.
At last a hero who fails to give in to the Scottish cringe, a Scot who believes he can beat the best and flex his muscles in that most English of arenas - Wimbledon.
Much as I wanted Murray to beat the impressive Nadal and go on to shake some life into the quiet cloisters of the Centre Court, I can confidently say I have already witnessed the greatest moment in sport this summer.
Two weeks ago, while Europe flexed its ego about who was the best - Holland, France, Germany, Portugal or Spain, the Asian sub-continent was locked in its equivalent tournament.
The Asian Cup, organised by SAFF, the South Asian Football Federation, broadly coincided with Euro 2008. The host nation was the tiny island of Sri Lanka, trapped somewhere between paradise and endless civil war.
Sri Lanka are my wee team, Scotland forever my big team, and St Johnstone - of course - my dream team.
But as the tournament unfolded in South Asia the unthinkable happened. Sri Lanka were knocked out in the semi-finals by the small and unfancied Maldives.
Afinal of unbelievable extremes was about to happen, the tiny gathering of islands called the Maldives were set to play the biggest and most populous nation in South Asia, India.
Anation of 1.1 billion people was about to play football against a group of small offshore islands that can barely muster 300,000 citizens.
Put crudely, it was Aberdeen versus the whole of America.
And guess who won? In a single explosive moment the Maldives - who if you believe doom-mongers of global warming have only 25 years left before they are submerged by rising tides - beat one of the biggest nations on earth.
Not since Berwick cuffed Rangers in the Scottish Cup has David outsmarted Goliath.
Those who have feasted on Euro 2008 will probably dismiss the SAFF Asian Cup as some distant pub league but the standard of football was good and the nations who fell on their way to the Final could probably give Scotland a torrid time.
The Maldives were impressive and India - a country of towering global importance - skulked home knowing humiliation had stared them in the face.
Many Record readers who have asoft spot for Pakistan will not be pleased to know the Maldives had horsed them 3-0 in a previous round. So while the eyes of Europe were on Cristiano Ronaldo, Torres and Michael Ballack, the football fans of Asia had to adjust to the fact the world order had been turned on its head.
The goal that sent the Maldives and their 10,000 travelling army of fans into seventh heaven was scored by Muslim striker Mukhtar Naseer. It was a moment the Tartan Army can only dream of. Think of Scotland beating England on foreign soil - without the bevvy.
The streets of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo were strewn with Maldiveans resplendent in their bright red tops celebrating the most unlikely of victories.
Whatever Europeans now think of Torres, for me the summer of 2008 will forever be associated with the Maldives and their greatest sporting moment.
Nothing can come close to rivalling the incredible triumph of belief over reputation.
As Scots, we have imagined this dream so often but never quite delivered on it. Curiously, it may come one day in the unexpected form of a tennis superstar.
We already know from relentless media bombardment that Murray is an acquired taste who has noised up the touchy sentiments of the Deep South.
Hurt by the fact their greatest claim to fame is towering giants such as David Lloyd and Tim Henman, the Home Counties are wriggling with fear that a recalcitrant Scot might teach them how to win at a game at which they thought they were born to excel.
It's a bizarre thought but maybe the only thing that could have erased the Asian Cup in my memory would have been the sight of Murray facing up to Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
That would have been something special and, like the brilliant Murray, I would have had noproblems about who I supported.
The Euro 2008 Championship is already secured, courtesy of that one clinical Fernando Torres goal, and Rafael Nadal broke Scottish hearts by stopping Andy Murray's ferocious surge towards the final at Wimbledon.
Sport is nationalism by the backdoor and Murray's performances to date have been epic in their importance.
At last a hero who fails to give in to the Scottish cringe, a Scot who believes he can beat the best and flex his muscles in that most English of arenas - Wimbledon.
Much as I wanted Murray to beat the impressive Nadal and go on to shake some life into the quiet cloisters of the Centre Court, I can confidently say I have already witnessed the greatest moment in sport this summer.
Two weeks ago, while Europe flexed its ego about who was the best - Holland, France, Germany, Portugal or Spain, the Asian sub-continent was locked in its equivalent tournament.
The Asian Cup, organised by SAFF, the South Asian Football Federation, broadly coincided with Euro 2008. The host nation was the tiny island of Sri Lanka, trapped somewhere between paradise and endless civil war.
Sri Lanka are my wee team, Scotland forever my big team, and St Johnstone - of course - my dream team.
But as the tournament unfolded in South Asia the unthinkable happened. Sri Lanka were knocked out in the semi-finals by the small and unfancied Maldives.
Afinal of unbelievable extremes was about to happen, the tiny gathering of islands called the Maldives were set to play the biggest and most populous nation in South Asia, India.
Anation of 1.1 billion people was about to play football against a group of small offshore islands that can barely muster 300,000 citizens.
Put crudely, it was Aberdeen versus the whole of America.
And guess who won? In a single explosive moment the Maldives - who if you believe doom-mongers of global warming have only 25 years left before they are submerged by rising tides - beat one of the biggest nations on earth.
Not since Berwick cuffed Rangers in the Scottish Cup has David outsmarted Goliath.
Those who have feasted on Euro 2008 will probably dismiss the SAFF Asian Cup as some distant pub league but the standard of football was good and the nations who fell on their way to the Final could probably give Scotland a torrid time.
The Maldives were impressive and India - a country of towering global importance - skulked home knowing humiliation had stared them in the face.
Many Record readers who have asoft spot for Pakistan will not be pleased to know the Maldives had horsed them 3-0 in a previous round. So while the eyes of Europe were on Cristiano Ronaldo, Torres and Michael Ballack, the football fans of Asia had to adjust to the fact the world order had been turned on its head.
The goal that sent the Maldives and their 10,000 travelling army of fans into seventh heaven was scored by Muslim striker Mukhtar Naseer. It was a moment the Tartan Army can only dream of. Think of Scotland beating England on foreign soil - without the bevvy.
The streets of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo were strewn with Maldiveans resplendent in their bright red tops celebrating the most unlikely of victories.
Whatever Europeans now think of Torres, for me the summer of 2008 will forever be associated with the Maldives and their greatest sporting moment.
Nothing can come close to rivalling the incredible triumph of belief over reputation.
As Scots, we have imagined this dream so often but never quite delivered on it. Curiously, it may come one day in the unexpected form of a tennis superstar.
We already know from relentless media bombardment that Murray is an acquired taste who has noised up the touchy sentiments of the Deep South.
Hurt by the fact their greatest claim to fame is towering giants such as David Lloyd and Tim Henman, the Home Counties are wriggling with fear that a recalcitrant Scot might teach them how to win at a game at which they thought they were born to excel.
It's a bizarre thought but maybe the only thing that could have erased the Asian Cup in my memory would have been the sight of Murray facing up to Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
That would have been something special and, like the brilliant Murray, I would have had noproblems about who I supported.
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