The Soccer/Football EuroCup 2008 was so memorable last night that Spain will be celebrating winning for weeks for what occurred last night. Spain & its public were so desperate to win this one, from the adverts to the slogan - "Podemos (we can do it)." In Mallorca, Spain it was a sleepless night, especially for the resident Germans. Personally we have Germans on each side as neighbours - never was victory so sweet & we celebrated till the early hours with the jubilant fans. The last few days, the lead up to the final has become more intense as a country that has 44 million people has not won the cup for the last 44 years. On the night, the better team won & the dancing in the streets hasn't stopped. The recycling bottle banks have been full for the last few days & even typing now the car horns are going & flags are being flown from car windows. The Spanish media have really put their back into this one: here are a few of the ads that have been plastered over the TV for the last few weeks. 
Few would suggest the early morning grind of a Belfast window cleaning round is the ideal preparation for an afternoon attempting to breach the formidable English defensive pairing of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. Stuart Elliott, though, could justifiably beg to differ. Then, while Ferdinand, Terry, et al were eyeing their first lucrative contract, Elliott was shelling out for buckets and chamois leathers as he spent his weekdays hauling his ladders around his home city before turning out for Glentoran on a Saturday. Elliott's early experiences sum up the difference between the two teams as eloquently as the 103-place gap that separates them in the Fifa world rankings. Yet despite having never been to Old Trafford before, the Hull City striker carries with him on to the pitch a growing reputation as a goalscorer of note, underlined by his standing as the joint leading scorer in English football this season. Sharing his tally of 28 goals? Thierry Henry. The 26-year-old established himself at Glentoran before a £100,000 move to Motherwell five years ago provided a more visible platform and 22 goals in 50 League starts earned him a £230,000 to Hull, who were then in the bottom division.
Elliott has maintained his impressive ratio of a goal every other game with Hull, and while his rise has not been meteoric, he admits he has not grown accustomed to his growing fame. "A few years back I was just a young lad from east Belfast cleaning windows and playing for the Glens," said Elliott, a committed Christian. "It is by God's grace that I moved to Motherwell and then on to Hull City. I have been in good scoring form this season and if I get an opportunity on Saturday I would be confident of taking it.
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