So here we are, after 3 weeks and 30 games the climax of the 2012 European football Championship is upon us. 14 countries have been left bruised, knackered and defeated; now only Spain and Italy wait nervously to enter the renovated Olympic Stadium in Kiev on Sunday evening. It may not be the final that was expected, but it is set-up to be a memorable one.
Will it be Spain, the relentless beautiful machine of modern footballing times or shall it be Italy, the supreme underdogs who have shown quality and resilience in reaching this final.
I'm sure the odds are stacked against Italy both at the bookmakers and on the pitch but I sense there could be a surprise on the cards. For all the possession and control Spain has displayed in virtually every game, not only in this tournament but also Euro 2008 and the last world cup, they have shown that they do have a weakness. Chinks in their armour, that Italy have the weapons to pierce through to the heart of the Iberian giants.
They don't have a goal scorer. Well at least they don't play like they have a goal scorer, despite the presence of Fernando's Torres and Llorente, where only one has played a small part in this tournament and one hasn't even got out of his substitutes bib.
The Spanish coach has elected to play with no strikers on the pitch in the quarter and semi finals, content in the proven knowledge that his team of skilful mid-field minions will dominate possession and grind their opponents to dust before pouncing for the killer blow.
However, Croatia and then Portugal nearly gave the Spanish their equivalent of a footballing heart attack in the games leading up to this clash. The Italian coach Cesare Prandelli may well be able to hatch a plan, to halt Spain dead in their tracks and thwart their attempts to claim three major honours on the trot.
Both Croatia and Portugal entered the contests against the world’s best side in a way that they wanted to play the game. By deciding not to set up their teams to contain their opponents, and thus play to their strengths, they put the proverbial wind up the Spanish. With some more clinical finishing they could well have sent them packing. It takes a certain sort of bravery and belief to take the game to the Spaniards, but get it right and have a nice dose of luck on your side then the rewards are obvious.
Italy and Spain met of course in the opening group game of Group C, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and so have served up a little taster of what the final may be like. It showed us that it is possible to score against the Spanish but also that they are capable of coming from behind if they need to do so.
It also gave us an idea that it may be beyond even the Spanish to score multiple goals within a game. Leaving the rout against the Irish aside Spain have hardly been prolific in front of goal, whereas the Italians have shown that they can create and score for fun.
The main reason for this difference is of course the style in which these two teams play their football. Despite the respective master plans drawn up by the opposing coaches, perhaps crucially, only one team has a certain Mario Balotelli on the pitch.
'Super Mario' hasn't plumbed the depths (yes it's a bad pun I know) of personal destruction in this tournament, quite the opposite in fact. It took a few games for him to warm up but boy has he caught fire just now.
His two very well taken efforts against the Germans in the semi-final have shown on an international stage just what a supreme talent this young man is. With intelligent movement, strength, power and unerring nerve in front of goal he could well be the one to unlock the Spanish door and bring glory back to his native Italy.
It shall be an intriguing final whatever happens and I for one am whet with anticipation to what could be served up by these two giants of world football. There shan’t be a football fan alive that is not eager to see if Pirlo the mercurial mid-field master can stroke his side to victory. Or indeed, whether the compact intelligent football from the likes of Xavi and Iniesta will be enough to cause the Italians to sink to their knees at the final whistle.
Nevertheless, there is one young man who could steal the show just as he did the other night.
Balotelli described the semi final victory over the Germans as “The best night of my life” but there could well be an even better one coming up. We may just see that rarest of rare moments again, the broad grin on his face as he peels away from the goal knowing that what he's just done is tantamount to paving the way to glory.