There's a film by German director Wim Wenders entitled The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick. Doesn't exactly sound like a breezy summer comedy, does it?    But that feeling of anxiety is probably closest to what went through Rodney Peterson's mind during the semifinals of the European Championships this past June. Holland versus Italy for a spot in the Finals. Dutch players missed two penalty kicks in regulation that would have likely sealed victory. Then they missed three more in a shootout. For you football neophytes out there, you're supposed to score on penalty kicks with a bit more regularity than that.    Rodney Peterson is 17 years old. He is passionate about football in the same way that Lance Armstrong is passionate in the saddle heading up an "out of category" climb in the French Alps.    Trying to digest that passion as an outsider is usually fruitless. You can't just parachute into somebody's world and hope to understand it. C'mon, do you actually know anyone who learned a new language by listening to those tapes? After years of continuous brand building we've earned a unique space in the minds of European consumers. Our success in Europe comes from the inside. We are on the pitch, in the saddle.    In the face of a woefully weak Euro, our European revenues grew four percent in fiscal 2000. Had the U.S. dollar remained constant at prior year levels, sales would have increased 15 percent.    In dedicating the Bill Bowerman building at our new European Headquarters in Holland last September, our chairman said, "If you want to see the future of Nike, come to Hilversum." Six years ago, a quote of that kind would have seemed unfathomable. Yet during that period, our dedicated and locally relevant European team has generated compounded revenue growth of over 20 percent.    The 15 percent constant dollar revenue growth this past year was particularly challenging. Gross margins improved considerably. Our distribution center in Laakdal, Belgium continues to provide a competitive advantage for us in the marketplace.    But at the end of the day, it comes down to product. Much of our apparel and a growing piece of our footwear that we sell in Europe is designed there, so we are able to live and breathe the same air as our consumers. Like we said, we are about consumers.    Two happenings best illustrate the accomplishments of our European team in fiscal 2000. The first is a place: the intersection of youth, culture and sport at the northeast corner of Regent and Oxford Streets in London. Also known as Niketown London, the store opened in July 1999. The success of the store can only be measured in part by the 15 percent increase we saw in U.K. revenues for the year. More importantly, it's a place for consumers to live the Nike brand with the same passion as our European team.    Euro 2000 was probably the best illustration of our success in Europe this past year. It wasn't so much that Portugal and Holland — both Nike-clad teams — made the semifinals. That was great, but the true success of our effort was captured in the 500,000 young players who went through the six Nike Parks we set up throughout major cities in Europe, and the 2.5 million hits to the nikefootball.com website.    We asked Rodney Peterson what it is that he admires most about Edgar Davids, his favorite midfielder. "I should say I like his style. You can see he wants to win the game." So do we.