Paul Stalteri threw a bottle at the ref (at the ref!)
Paul Stalteri threw a bottle at the ref (at the ref!)
Oh Paul Stalteri threw a bottle
Stalteri threw a bottle
Stalteri threw a bottle at the ref (at the ref!)
-- Voyageurs folk song, circa 2004
There are plenty of things you can say about Canadian fullback (and occasional jack-of-all-trades) Paul Stalteri, who officially announced his retirement on Wednesday.
He's the most-capped Canadian men's international in history, representing his country on 84 occasions and wearing the captain's armband on 30 of them. He's one of the most decorated Canadian players ever, with a Bundesliga double (with Werder Bremen in 2003-04) and over 50 Premier League caps to his name -- not to mention a CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2000.
And he also, as the song would suggest, threw a bottle at a ref from the bench. While his career is in no way defined by the incident (and hurling projectiles at officials is wrong, even if the official in question is Benito Archundia), it is emblematic of the passion that endeared him to Canadian fans, and helped make him such a Canadian soccer stalwart.
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In an era of Canadian-born defectors, divided loyalties and ambivalence about representing Canada on the international stage, a player like Stalteri hearkens to that other sport in the north (you know, the one with skates and sticks), where pulling on a Canadian uniform is a source of intense pride and excitement.
It's fitting that on the day in 2010 -- his second-last appearance for Canada -- that Stalteri broke Randy Samuel's record for all-time caps, he was feted by Canadian fans in multiple colours and in both official languages (the game was a friendly in Montreal). Such passion has a way of uniting people across all sorts of boundaries.
So a fond farewell to "Diesel", and a hearty thanks for all he's done, and all he's meant to fans of the Canadian game. And as a fitting tribute to unbridled passion, here is a video of some random (likely intoxicated) fellows, presumably supporters of Tottenham or Fulham, belting out their own Paul Stalteri tune: