Football you grew up with

Mrk

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It was around this time that I started watching Football Italia’s live matches and highlights of Serie A in the UK. This was mainly because it came on immediately after Rawhide. Maybe it was the disembodied shout of “gollllllllllazzoooo” that began the programme that got me, or maybe it was the outrageous suaveness of James Richardson as he sat outside a café reading from La Gazzetta. Whatever the reason, this was when I first became fascinated by calcio. I can’t claim to recall much about the games, but I remember Boban, Maldini, Signori and Albertini and being some of my favourite players. That lasted until Ronaldo joined Inter and became the focus of my adulation.

:star:

I wanted to be him, to me he had the best job in the world. So many good memories.
 

Fiero

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Since I was four, my dad had me memorize the name of the team we support. One day he came home when I was six and told me it was time to watch football. It was a derby between our team and their fierce rivals. The game started with a kick off and in less than a minute one player from our team made a tackle, got red carded and started crying. Fans jumped into the stadium, there was havoc everywhere, and our team forfeit the match and lost 2-0. I didn't know what the hell was going on, but I for sure was hooked forever. :D

Later that summer was the World Cup 1998. I didn't watch any game as I was too young, but I remember there was a big fuss about Brazil and Ronaldo, so I hated them. My dad sat me beside him, and I supported France just because I wanted Brazil to lose. I don't remember anything about the game though (I have of course seen footage of it when I grew up.)

Then one day on TV Man Utd were playing in the Club World Cup against some team (the game Beckham got red carded). I was too young, but very excited about football, so I watched any game I found without understanding most of the stuff, but it was a fascinating experience for me. Later that year in the Champions League, I caught the match between Real Madrid and Man Utd. They were the team I saw before, so of course I rooted for them! However, they got nullified 3-1, and I was impressed with Raul and Redondo, so I decided to support Real Madrid. I started playing with them on FIFA 2000 (I loved their home and away shirts as well!). Slowly I was starting to learn all the team's names, players, transfers, and everything. I was addicted to football from day one, but now I was really starting to understand most stuff.

Then came EURO 2000, which is till today, undoubtedly my favorite tournament. I supported France since I supported them in the World Cup Final and they won it. I remember the whole tournament being beautiful, everything about it. The football, the stadiums, the Adidas kit styles, the E-Type Campione song, simply everything. I watched most games and enjoyed every moment of it. Of course, the player that impressed me most was Zidane. He was simply majestic, I had heard about him before from my dad when we went to Italy earlier that year, he told me the Juventus team had an amazing attacking trio of Zidane, Del Piero, and of course, my favorite player of all time, Filippo Inzaghi. Zidane was outstanding and he quickly became my favorite player, with his beautiful play. France won the tournament as well, and in style. I remember the semi final against Portugal and how the team of Figo, Rui Costa, and Nuno Gomes proved to be a match to France, and it took a Zidane (who else?!) penalty to take France to the final. The final drama is something that I'll never forget in my life, at that time it was beautiful for me, but later I regretted it since now I support Italy.

Champions League nights are an unforgettable experience for me. They always showed one live game on my local tv, and I made sure I missed none. Figo had joined Real Madrid thus making sure I like Real Madrid more than all the other teams. I remember Arsenal at the Highbury with Henry, Bayern Munchen and how I hated them because they knocked Real Madrid out, Juventus with their magical trio and Edgar Davids, and of course, Milan. I used to sleep at 10 pm for school, and the games were played at 9:45. Most times I watched them live anyway and my parents let me, because they knew how passionate I was about football. But every once in a while I would miss a game, and my parents would tape it for me. My favorite game still remains Real Madrid vs Lazio. Lazio was awesome at the time with Crespo, Nesta, and co. I don't seem to remember the score, but I remember Crespo scored and Lazio had one dangerous player named Castroman. Anyway, so one day my parents taped a Milan vs PSG game for me. It was my first time watching Milan, and it wasn't a good impression. It was a boring 0-0, but Milan had George Weah and Leonardo the Brazil captain from 1998 (My cousins fav player), that's all I could remember.

Next season I saw in the news live Zidane's transfer to Real Madrid. I quickly transferred him in my FIFA 2001 and enjoyed having him. Real Madrid won the Champions League that season, beating Ballack's Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 with Zizou's wonder goal. They had earlier knocked out Barca in the semis, and before that Bayern Munchen (great comeback by Helguera and Guti!) getting revenge for being knocked out by them the previous season. That season I liked Man Utd as well due to van Nistelrooy, Veron, and Scholes; yet my favorite remained Real Madrid and it was settled that they'd be my team forever, or at least I thought so at the time.

I only had tv access to Champions League matches, and I had really enjoyed Real Madrid's football at that time. They were everything a kid dreamed of. Every year they brought in a big football star, they were winning and playing beautiful, and they had my favorite players Zidane, Figo, Raul, and Guti. It was perfect. In the 2002 summer was the World Cup, and it was epic time for me again. I had waited patiently for that moment and it was my first World Cup. I watched all games, and since France were knocked out early, I didn't have any favorites. Yet I loathed both Brazil and Germany, but Brazil more, so in the final I wanted Germany to win only to see Ronaldo and his friends lose. I saw in the news that Rivaldo had a fall out with the coach at Barcelona and he was going to Milan, I thought it was weird because I didn't think Milan were one of the giants in Europe. At my FIFA 2002, they were playing in the Uefa Cup, so I really didn't know why would Rivaldo go. I managed to catch the highlights though of one game in the Champions League when Milan won by four goals. I don't know the opponents or remember who scored, but I vividly remember the amazing red and black kits and seeing Rivaldo, Seedorf, and most importantly, Inzaghi. I remember Pippo from the trio of death in Juventus with Zidane and Del Piero (two of my favorites), and I remember watching the game against Hamburg when he scored a hattrick, and again when he scored against Man Utd. I loved the Milan hairstyle at the team, that long hair of Pippo, Nesta, Kaladze, etc... Real Madrid and Milan were in the same group, but I don't remember watching the games. I enjoyed the game against Man Utd though, with Beckham coming in the second half proving a point. Anyway, Real lost in the semi final to Juventus, lead by the great Alex Del Piero, with Figo missing a penalty late in the game. I was devastated, Juventus were in the final, and about to face either Inter or Milan. I didn't watch neither of both Milan vs Inter games, because I knew that Inter were horseshit. I missed the entire Old Trafford final, I had totally forgot about it (lost interest since Madrid lost), but my friend was with me on the phone and told me to watch, it was PK time. Ironically, I was wearing my Rivaldo Milan fake jersey. I wanted Juventus to lose, because they beat Real, but I wanted Del Piero to score his penalty and he did. Milan won, and I remember thinking to myself, damn they are good.

The following season I got full access to the Uefa Champions League (not just a single match a week), the EPL, and La Liga. Real Madrid starting sucking badly at the time, Raul wasn't the same Raul, Beckham was in for the show, and I started to little by little dislike Madrid. I still followed them week in, week out in La Liga, but I honestly enjoyed Ronaldinho's tricks with Barcelona more. Abramovich had just bought Chelsea and I got interested in their project. I followed Milan closely though in the Champions League, thought they were very classy. I loved Pippo and Rui Costa, and I hated Kaka at first because he benched Rui. I watched the Depor game though when we won 4-1, and Kaka won me over. The 2nd leg was weird though, and I was really sad by the surprise loss. Apart from that, the tournament was utter shit... the final was Porto vs Monaco, yuck. However, that was the time when I was introduced to the great Mourinho.

Next season I had already realized that Real Madrid were nothing but marketing tools, trying to make money by buying fancy players. I wanted to watch Milan's games, but I didn't have Serie A, but I followed them in all the Champions League matches and supported them, and they became my team forever. That's it, I was hooked, and I knew that my blood and my heart, have always been half black. Watching Milan on the Champions League nights always made me emotional. I remember the PSV return leg in the semi final and Ambro's heroics, and the beautiful first half in Istanbul. At half time, I was already celebrating, I would have never imagined what was about to happen. I followed the EPL regularly (Chelsea's Mourinho were my fav), and Liverpool were so shit. They were lucky to get past the group stage. Then lucky against Juventus, and more lucky against Chelsea, but their luck didn't seem to run out... After they equalized, I still thought we'd win. When it reached penalties though, and after the Sheva miss, I knew we would lose. I was heart broken after that, and that victory took a while for me to get over. I couldn't believe a team like Milan with so much quality and class, would lose to a shit team full of ******** players (Nunez? Baros? Cisse? Smicer? Traore?!).

Continued bellow.
 

Fiero

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Anyway the next season I got full access to Serie A finally, but didn't catch all games. I still remember the heroic SuperPippo comeback from the two season injury, when he scored for fun for half a season. Ever since, he has been my favorite player ever, and will remain so until the day I die. The game against Lyon was special, with Pippo's goal and then Sheva. That Milan was great, yet we bowed down to Barca in the semis. Fuck you Puyol. Again, I was pissed as fuck after the loss, as I couldn't believe a Milan team with so much quality could finish two seasons trophy-less.

Before the World Cup, Sheva was linked heavily with Chelsea. And then his transfer was confirmed. He never was one of my favorite players, but I hated the fact that we lost him, especially for a stupid excuse like 'I want my son to learn English'. However, I wished him the best of luck, until he kissed the Chelsea kit. Anyway, the following season I watched Milan regularly in Serie A and Champions League of course, and since then I have only missed a few games due to reasons I have no control over.

Longest. Post. Ever. I don't think anyone would read it, but I don't care. It is the most post I enjoyed writing ever. I initially didn't want to thank Az. since everyone already did, and didn't want to take a shot at posting my story, because I knew it would take shit load of time; but damn it, that was great. I really enjoyed writing the post as it brought back so much good memories, and reminded me why I love football and Milan so much, so cheers Az.
 

Calum1903

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Writing about my footballing childhood has got me thinking…

You know how I love mediocre players? And anti-football? And you know how I loathe skill, flair and individualistic genius? Well, I’m guessing some of you think that’s all for show. You probably think I just say these things to be different, in the hope of impressing some people on the internet with an off-beat appreciation of the game. Well, fuck you. I’ve always been weird.

The majority of football that I had access to was from either the SPL or the Premiership. In those days, both leagues were characterised by traditional, aggressive, direct play. I loved it. I loved watching towering aerial challenges between, for example, Tony Adams and Duncan Ferguson. I loved watching Patrick Vieira cut opponents in two while winning the ball (tackling was still allowed in those days, remember). I loved watching bullet headers by Dion Dublin or Les Ferdinand. I didn’t give a toss about David Ginola flicking the ball or his hair, both in equally effeminate fashion. I was already spitting out the term “luxury player” with utter disdain before I could spell it.

Consequently, the pieces of play I chose to imitate weren’t quite normal. All the other wee lads were practicing the Cuauhtemiña (that’s the ‘Blanco Bounce’ to us, UK folks) after seeing it at France ’98, or they were trying to do turns like Zidane. Don’t get me wrong, I did that stuff too. I never tired of attempting to recreate Bergkamp’s goal against Argentina. What made me such a freakish little fucker were the other things I enjoyed practicing.

One of my favourite activities was to throw the ball on the roof of our one-story house, let it roll down the sloped slates and, when it dropped, try to head it as far back up the roof as possible, or just as far away as possible. How many boys rush home after school to practice heading the ball like Gary Pallister? Probably not even Gary Pallister.

When it wasn’t headers, it was tackles. My brother and I used to spend hours playing 1-on-1, and neither of us wanted to be the one with the ball. Sometimes it was because I wanted to make clean, graceful sliding challenges like Maldini. Other times it was because I’d watched too much Roy Keane and was desperate to learn how to clatter people who tried the fucking Blanco Bounce. It wasn’t the strangest thing I did as a child (for example, it doesn’t quite compare to my attempt to bungee jump off a 6ft garden fence…with a regular rope tied round my waist), but rolling a ball towards a beanbag and demolishing it in a 50-50 challenge as if it was Barry Ferguson isn’t exactly normal, healthy behaviour for a 9-year-old.

So, as you can see, my view of the game appears to have stemmed from some kind of deep-seated psychological defect. If anything, I’ve softened as I’ve aged. :tongue:
 

Ashish

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Rarely i got friends to play football. fuck cricket but when I played

its all about ronaldo.But wasnt good as a striker cause never got the ball instead of heading i used to do kungfu kick, then coach played me as a midfielder i hated running on the wings it look like ********, so i took DM position or a Cb position, you can destroy anyone and ball will always come to you :D
Plays libero position, want to play like baresi ends up playing as a combination of senderrors+flamini(only in tackling) no bad intentions but couldnt help it, two tricks.

1. spread the legs as much you can(I am tall), only way they can go is pass through the legs, which they always do, so gk knows where to cover:D sometimes i have good sliding challenges
2. while going for a tackle look at them as a weak guy, kind of pippo/pirlo after a
decathlon , and in a flash of a second fly and do a double footed challenge. thankfully i never over commit so that i dont run out of mates to play football

and in paddy fields there is no penalty. Double footed challenges FTW

Oh i rarely saw any football matches cause they only air international matches so watched them once in a while but i was in awe with players forgot to see football :D Always watched ronaldo even small segment in news he was god he was fast he did things so simply i thought even i could but i was a jackasss
 
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crazy4milan

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The year I was born was the year football died – Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup for the last time, and Scotland got beat by a nation of boob-withholding moderators.
1990 was an amazing year :cool:. That reminds me that one of the things that got me obsessive about football was a collection of books my brother had of our NT, that I didn't took notice till 1998. One talked about a supposed golden generation called "Chaparritos de Oro" (never really cared about it), another one was about "CR's NT in the Olympics" which basically spent half of it explaining the one victory we gathered in Olympics, and it was against Italy in 1984 (young Baresi, young Walter Zenga, Cesare Maldini coached them). And the last one which I read over and over and over which was "Costa Rica in Italy 1990". Oh Calum, I knew the goal we scored against Scotland by heart, knew the scottish defenders near the play, knew Leighton's looks by heart, the book had pics and drawnings and I made the drawnings of that goal over and over in my notebooks.

I remember about fucking Alemao punshing one of my favorite players while the ref wasn't seeing, he was just 19 back then (among the youngest of the WC), and he decided to punch Alemao back.

When it wasn’t headers, it was tackles. My brother and I used to spend hours playing 1-on-1, and neither of us wanted to be the one with the ball. Sometimes it was because I wanted to make clean, graceful sliding challenges like Maldini. Other times it was because I’d watched too much Roy Keane and was desperate to learn how to clatter people who tried the fucking Blanco Bounce. It wasn’t the strangest thing I did as a child (for example, it doesn’t quite compare to my attempt to bungee jump off a 6ft garden fence…with a regular rope tied round my waist),
:D.
I do remember playing against my brother, and having to become very physical almost violent in order to beat him (fuck he is 4 years older than me, much taller, bigger and weather I like it or not as a girl I was already in disadvantage). I remeber when I fouled him I went with my legs high up, or I would stump on his toes or elbow his stomach, in fact fuck flair, I practiced to shoot harder and harder from distance (at one point my brother actually just let the ball pass) and then defend myself.

Now in 11 vs 11 girls football in school-HS tournaments (or PE boys vs girls), eventhough I was used as a keeper cause I was basically the only one that had no issues in 1 vs 1 situations, when I was let to play for real, I was like a female version of Gattuso, every once in a while I would have some flair to show, but I was about running my ass off and impossing myself, injuring myself while going for a ball, etc.

(PS-as much of I sound like a tomboy, it was mostly an "in the field" attittude, guess from basically playing my whole life against and with boys-brother, cousins, brother's friends all older than me- so I had to learn to defend myself. I was/am actually pretty feminine, I did went through a "rebel" time around ages 10-12 though, but that was another issue).
 

Ashish

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sorry if you dont have money to buy football what you do? you play with cricket ball and who ever have most threshold for pain when ankles cracks against each other wins. no chance of technique or cross or dribbling it was just i want to keep the ball more than you by all means necessary and none of them are allowed in footballing books

Fuck it now playing in indoors i have improved on technique but i cant juggle :O
I love free flowing football but i can only play anti football because its the easiest thing to learn
 

OneUnited

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I was hooked on United from the mid-90s. Cue 15 years spent with the 'glory hunter' tag.
 

gaizka22

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Consequently, the pieces of play I chose to imitate weren’t quite normal. All the other wee lads were practicing the Cuauhtemiña (that’s the ‘Blanco Bounce’ to us, UK folks) after seeing it at France ’98, or they were trying to do turns like Zidane. Don’t get me wrong, I did that stuff too. I never tired of attempting to recreate Bergkamp’s goal against Argentina. What made me such a freakish little fucker were the other things I enjoyed practicing.
Same here. We all watched players did some movement and tried it ourselves :D Two moves that I tried and finally made it :
1. MvB headed goal vs Real Madrid in CL 89 when he was closer to the floor to head down Tasotti's cross. Nailed it sometime in 97 when I was playing as a striker :)
2. Robbing a ball out of the wingers who's running at full speed down the touchline. You know the one Baresi and Maldini used to do with such ease. Sliding tackle, your left thigh scrapping the grass (and a bit sore after the graze), your left hand touching the grass balancing your body. Got the ball in the top of your feet but never fouling the winger. Finally did it around 2 years ago when I no longer had the stamina to play as a striker and had to content myself being a right back :D

Funny how we spent years trying to emulate some tricks while the real players can do it at a blink of an eye.

My brother and I used to spend hours playing 1-on-1, and neither of us wanted to be the one with the ball. Sometimes it was because I wanted to make clean, graceful sliding challenges like Maldini. Other times it was because I’d watched too much Roy Keane and was desperate to learn how to clatter people who tried the fucking Blanco Bounce. It wasn’t the strangest thing I did as a child (for example, it doesn’t quite compare to my attempt to bungee jump off a 6ft garden fence…with a regular rope tied round my waist), but rolling a ball towards a beanbag and demolishing it in a 50-50 challenge as if it was Barry Ferguson isn’t exactly normal, healthy behaviour for a 9-year-old.
In my home, we had a grass yard the size of a basket-ball court. Perfect for little football action. We put sticks as goal posts. Me and my younger brother used to play there almost everyday. One of us would be GK and the other a striker. Whenever the 'striker' scored, he will switch side to become the GK. That way me and my brother got adept at both striker and GK position.

When my older brother joined us (there are 3 of use brothers), us 3 will play against each other. 1 as a striker, 1 as defender and 1 as GK. No one cooperate with each other :rolleyes: .Same rules, whoever scored will become GK, the defender will turn into striker and the GK will become the defender. Funny way of playing. My dad used to watch us 3 of his sons playing in the porch, laughing and smoking cigarette :proud: and will become the un-official refs and linesman at the same time ("Dad, was it a handball?", "Did the ball cross the line?") although he usually favored my younger brother

Those 3-way matched didn't last long because it usually end up with a screaming match between me and my older brother with my younger brother watching in amazement as his 2 older brothers really and tried to beat each other physically. Then it stopped completely after me and my younger brother broke too many windows :D

God! I really miss those days.... Writing this make me miss my brothers a bit....
 

Congo Powers

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when i was a young child my family moved from USA to a city in indonesia called bandung. i was very very young (5) when i moved, so instead of baseball i grew up with sepak bola.

in 1994...a certain team paid a visit to my country...to play vs. my hometown team. although i was a wee man back then, it was enough to put me on my way. i wish i still had the knock-off red+black #9 jersey my dad got me back then...:proud:

Persibvsacmilan.jpg


4-5 years after this (age 10/11) i started to follow them religiously. still do.
 

DugiNesta

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Well my passion for football started really in an early age.

My dad was a die hard Holland (he still is), he loves the beautiful game.

When I was 5-6 he started to take me with him in the games that my local team was playing and then I fell in love with it, with the fans and things. Then it came the war from 1997 to 1999, we couldnt actually watch the WC98 except the game that Holland played for the third place cause it was two of my dad's fav teams playing against each other. Then after the war stopped in summer of 1999. After the war I started training football and for my age I was pretty tall and strong and I loved challenges so my coach put me to play as defender. Then when the football season begun in august there were two Tv stations that were broadcasting EPL and Serie A.
I liked italian football better back then and started to watch it every game I could, as I was a defender growing up I caught my eye on Nesta of Lazio, I admired him cause he was so young and captain so I started to really like him and even trying to copy his playing style (which I couldnt of course he has way to much class allowed in him) but I didnt support Lazio back then even though they won the Serie A that year. I was more Milan fan cause of their jerseys Red&Black (colours of my nation).
Then when the next season begun I started to like Milan even more even though as I remember they were doing even worse than last season. I had a cousin who was a Milan fan and he told me things about Milan and I got interesing even more and more and I really start liking it, that year I got my first Milan jersey for my birthday. I remember when the Nesta came in my fav. team make me like it even more and more.
But it was year 2003 when Milan won Champions league with the game against Ajax when Pippo scored that goal that made me love MILAN and even cry for it. On 2004 I got the Internet and learned things about Milan more and more.
From that day on, it was my first fav team (after my local team) and it will always be and it'll be for my children, granchildren until my breed disapears :tongue:
 

gaizka22

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when i was a young child my family moved from USA to a city in indonesia called bandung. i was very very young (5) when i moved, so instead of baseball i grew up with sepak bola.

in 1994...a certain team paid a visit to my country...to play vs. my hometown team. although i was a wee man back then, it was enough to put me on my way. i wish i still had the knock-off red+black #9 jersey my dad got me back then...:proud:

Persibvsacmilan.jpg


4-5 years after this (age 10/11) i started to follow them religiously. still do.
Whoaaaaa man! I was there in Bandung when Milan came and played vs Persib in 94. I was in my friends' boarding house somewhere in Cimbeluit area (near Parahyangan University). Dying to get to the stadium but had no money to pay for the ticket (we just finished high-school, no hope). And I remember the street was empty since most of the people who didn't get the ticket was watching the game on TV.

Funny to know that both of us were in the same city on one particular day some 16 years ago and run across each other in this forum :D I mean, what are the chances?

How long did u stay in Bandung?
 

Congo Powers

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Whoaaaaa man! I was there in Bandung when Milan came and played vs Persib in 94. I was in my friends' boarding house somewhere in Cimbeluit area (near Parahyangan University). Dying to get to the stadium but had no money to pay for the ticket (we just finished high-school, no hope). And I remember the street was empty since most of the people who didn't get the ticket was watching the game on TV.

Funny to know that both of us were in the same city on one particular day some 16 years ago and run across each other in this forum :D I mean, what are the chances?

How long did u stay in Bandung?

craaazy! :star: :star: :star: :star: :eek:
if i remember correctly, my dad went to the game...did they play the match at siliwangi? at the time i was living in dago.

saya tinggal di bandung untuk...hampir 12 tahun.
 

samir10

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Writing about my footballing childhood has got me thinking…

You know how I love mediocre players? And anti-football? And you know how I loathe skill, flair and individualistic genius? Well, I’m guessing some of you think that’s all for show. You probably think I just say these things to be different, in the hope of impressing some people on the internet with an off-beat appreciation of the game. Well, fuck you. I’ve always been weird.

The majority of football that I had access to was from either the SPL or the Premiership. In those days, both leagues were characterised by traditional, aggressive, direct play. I loved it. I loved watching towering aerial challenges between, for example, Tony Adams and Duncan Ferguson. I loved watching Patrick Vieira cut opponents in two while winning the ball (tackling was still allowed in those days, remember). I loved watching bullet headers by Dion Dublin or Les Ferdinand. I didn’t give a toss about David Ginola flicking the ball or his hair, both in equally effeminate fashion. I was already spitting out the term “luxury player” with utter disdain before I could spell it.

Consequently, the pieces of play I chose to imitate weren’t quite normal. All the other wee lads were practicing the Cuauhtemiña (that’s the ‘Blanco Bounce’ to us, UK folks) after seeing it at France ’98, or they were trying to do turns like Zidane. Don’t get me wrong, I did that stuff too. I never tired of attempting to recreate Bergkamp’s goal against Argentina. What made me such a freakish little fucker were the other things I enjoyed practicing.

One of my favourite activities was to throw the ball on the roof of our one-story house, let it roll down the sloped slates and, when it dropped, try to head it as far back up the roof as possible, or just as far away as possible. How many boys rush home after school to practice heading the ball like Gary Pallister? Probably not even Gary Pallister.

When it wasn’t headers, it was tackles. My brother and I used to spend hours playing 1-on-1, and neither of us wanted to be the one with the ball. Sometimes it was because I wanted to make clean, graceful sliding challenges like Maldini. Other times it was because I’d watched too much Roy Keane and was desperate to learn how to clatter people who tried the fucking Blanco Bounce. It wasn’t the strangest thing I did as a child (for example, it doesn’t quite compare to my attempt to bungee jump off a 6ft garden fence…with a regular rope tied round my waist), but rolling a ball towards a beanbag and demolishing it in a 50-50 challenge as if it was Barry Ferguson isn’t exactly normal, healthy behaviour for a 9-year-old.

So, as you can see, my view of the game appears to have stemmed from some kind of deep-seated psychological defect. If anything, I’ve softened as I’ve aged. :tongue:

:star:

it reminds of me a little. when i was younger everyone wanted to be a forward or a playmaker but not me. i was always fascinated by those hard tackling cb's and dm's. back in those days my idols were gullit and after that one special player captivated my eyes was gattuso. his fearless tackles made me jump off my chair more than screamers from 30 metres. everytime i played football i wanted to tackle not to score goals :proud:
 

gaizka22

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craaazy! :star: :star: :star: :star: :eek:
if i remember correctly, my dad went to the game...did they play the match at siliwangi? at the time i was living in dago.

saya tinggal di bandung untuk...hampir 12 tahun.
Yes, they did play the game at Siliwangi stadium :) You were living at Dago? Nice place to hang out. I bet you know that Bandung have some of the prettiest girls in Indonesia :D

The rest, sorry for the OT.
 
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I was born in 1990, so grew up with the late 90's football. Milan fascinated me, although I knew very little about football back then, but loved players like Boban, Savicevic, Maldini, Leonardo, Weah, Bierhoff, Albertini etc etc, but followed them religiously a bit later, when I was about 9-10 years old.

Always used to collect Panini's Serie A stickers album when I was a kid, and a lot of players I knew back then were from that. :D

Also my grandpa was a football fan, and injected me that. He was a Partizani Tirana fan, and made me support them.
 

Kalac#16

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One of my favourite activities was to throw the ball on the roof of our one-story house, let it roll down the sloped slates and, when it dropped, try to head it as far back up the roof as possible, or just as far away as possible. How many boys rush home after school to practice heading the ball like Gary Pallister? Probably not even Gary Pallister.

When it wasn’t headers, it was tackles. My brother and I used to spend hours playing 1-on-1, and neither of us wanted to be the one with the ball. Sometimes it was because I wanted to make clean, graceful sliding challenges like Maldini. Other times it was because I’d watched too much Roy Keane and was desperate to learn how to clatter people who tried the fucking Blanco Bounce. It wasn’t the strangest thing I did as a child (for example, it doesn’t quite compare to my attempt to bungee jump off a 6ft garden fence…with a regular rope tied round my waist), but rolling a ball towards a beanbag and demolishing it in a 50-50 challenge as if it was Barry Ferguson isn’t exactly normal, healthy behaviour for a 9-year-old.
Great post, only just seen it.

I can't say I practiced heading a ball as far as humanly possible, but trying to win the ball in a beautiful slide tackle was my thing, sadly I was about 11 and all it really got me was people scared of going past me incase I broke their ankle, as well as perfecting a clean foul of sorts.

Anyway, more on topic, for some reason I can always remember international football clearer than club, but keeping it at club level I'm not even going to write about Villa, rather Leeds united.


Possibly because Villa were doing nothing of note for seemingly an eternity, and Leeds' good few years came about whilst I was still young, they were the team I watched a lot. Infact if I was born a little earlier I'd likely be a Leeds fan, but Villa seemed the more obvious choice when Leeds started to sink and at that point I was still very young, loyalty or anything like that really didn't cross my mind. I have memories of going to a lot of Leeds games when I was younger, as well as the home leg for Leeds - Galatasaray, (and Milan) where my main memory was leaving the game at full time and seeing probably 50 mounted policemen, riot shields and police vans everywhere. I can remember skipping school, sitting outside the ticket office at Elland Road from about 7am onwards with my dad for those tickets too.

It does go a long way to explaining my love of dirty, limited players as well, the likes of Lee Bowyer and Alan Smith were, and still are thugs of footballers, but as I was about 8-9 I sort of idolised them. I could probably write a few hundred words on why Harry Kewell was the best left winger ever in the premiership, but I'll refrain. It's given me a soft spot for Leeds, infact when they do finally come back up I'm not sure how I'll feel when they play Villa. As the british lads here that were sort of born into a club will know, you get club history and legends drummed into you from a really early age. And I can probably tell you more about Billy Bremner than I could about any Villa player pre 90's. Roughly in my dads words 'Hard Scottish ginger bastard who kicked the shit out of Kevin Keegan' already makes him a champion in my eyes.

Infact, as much as it probably makes me embarassed to say now, I was a Leeds fan, but their downfall was so abrupt and sudden I went to the second best choice were I have some of my family - Villa, a glory supporter that went from watching one team get close but ultimately winning fuck all, to watching another team that never got close to winning anything of note. I watched for Villa before that, the likes of Dion Dublin etc don't escape me, but I definitely had a preference at the time, that switched in about 02 as Leeds went on to barely avoid relegation, then go down the season after.



As far as the Milan links, well similar to Calum it was because of some mid 90's show that ran on channel 4, got me interested and then I always kept a look out for Milan. Then they became very easy to watch on tv here, so I liked them more, around 2007 though when Italian football just sort of dissapeared off of tv here it became too much of a chore to keep up with Milan, so they just sort of fell to my favourite European team. Rather than me actively having an interest in them.


Internationally, my memories are a mix of Michael Owen, David Beckham, David Seaman and Diego fucking Simeone. I can't remember 98 that well as I was 7, but I can remember losing to Argentina and the final. 2002 was probably the first tournament I could really watch, but that was shite. Infact, England are just a string of dissapointments that aren't worth talking about.

-------------------------Leeds related rambling that really isn't relevant---------------


I'm not exactly sure why, but something tells me I'd be more passionate about Leeds if I cared to follow football as much as I used to. Probably because I live here, my childhood memories are with them and getting to a Leeds game is so much easier than Villa. It was always easy to support Villa and keep an eye on Leeds when they were in different tiers of football, but when it does happen - and it will, I feel like I'd care more about Leeds. Plus, going to a few games the past few month brought back what I remembered from them. They're still dirty bastards, the fans still have that reputation of being the worst in England, but that sort of adds to everything, weirdly.
 

manutd fan

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Great posts from Kalac and Calum ;)

This bit is especially true:

As the british lads here that were sort of born into a club will know, you get club history and legends drummed into you from a really early age. And I can probably tell you more about Billy Bremner than I could about any Villa player pre 90's. Roughly in my dads words 'Hard Scottish ginger bastard who kicked the shit out of Kevin Keegan' already makes him a champion in my eyes.
 
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