I don’t know when it did start, but the thing is that it was nearly 30 years ago. Two days back from the publication of this entry, it was commemorated the 26th anniversary from the Seventh European Cup for one of my Spanish Teams, Real Madrid, when Mijatovic scored on side in front of the faces of Juventus of Turin fans. All a surprise for a team that was the favourite against a Spanish Team that did not make a great season, but that 32 years back was the last time it won the last European Cup, when it was not even changed the name to Champions League. For some football supporters, especially for those on the other side of the road (culers) this Cup was the first of the real ones… Nothing out of the ordinary, of course, my dear readers. Such a jealousy mind…😜

So then, it was 1998 when my dad gifted me the first football T-shirt. Which one would you like, Javi? I was tempted to choose the 7 of Raul, as that number was my favourite one, but I finally chose the T-shirt of the scorer at the Champions League Final who certified the title for los blancos. I would like the 8 of Mijatovic. I cannot wear that T-shirt anymore, because of the size, but it is one of the 38 hanged inside of my wardrobe.

Suddenly, it would arrive the World Cup in France, and there, I would watch lots of games, not only Spanish Team ones. La Roja did not make a great tournament, being eliminated in group phase, after the defeat against Nigeria and the draw with Paraguay. The 6-1 against Bulgaria, that I perfectly remembered it was shown at the party of my recently finished Fourth Grade at School, never worked for nothing. For my football lover readers, it is not necessary to say that the World Cup was conquered by French Team. Still, I need to say that it was the revenge of a still young Zinedine Zidane after he lost the Clubs European Cup with Juventus against Real Madrid. Congratulations, Zizou, see you three years after!

And indeed, three years later was my first (and only one till now, in a stadium) football match of Real Madrid. It was the first match of Zidane with the white T-shirt in Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga. Roberto Carlos was the scorer for mi Madrid and Fernando Sanz, son of the previous Real Madrid President, the one who draw for Malaga CF.

I just come back two years from that match, but it is because my other Spanish Team, the Team of the city where I born, Cordoba CF (you can see a scarf in the previous photo above, white and green colours, red and white in the middle of the shield and crowned on top), was promoting to Second Spanish Division, nowadays called as La Liga 2. Since then, my dad and me were in few games on that and following seasons. I remember the draw against Salamanca, Badajoz, Getafe, the defeat against Levante, with Mijatovic on that Team 😃, and a draw against Oviedo, that was, my last match at Nuevo Arcángel, in 2018. On TV, I remember that first winning game against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga in December 2014. It was at home of my forever friend Carlos Arroyo, a great guy that was the first person I met in York, UK, and since then, we made a real and strong friendship. There where you are, my dear, I hope you are happy and watching football, the thing we loved to do when we were living at the same city (and somehow, we still doing years and years after) 🫶🏼.

In England, a special love for football grown inside of me. Few years before, I decided not to ask my parents to gift me football T-shirts anymore, because the huge amount of its cost. When I got my first job, and starting to get my own money, then I kept gifting to my own, but besides some exceptions as the 8 of Robinson in the season after Liverpool won its 19th Premier League title, and the 7 of Raul at Schalke 04 (a T-shirt I always wanted from long time before), I always tried to buy cheap stuffs.

After my return to England in October 2018, I decided to became a member of Wolves, the closest Premier League Team from the place I used to live at that time. My first season was poor in games watched at The Molineux. But during the second season, I was present in 14 games, besides I needed to go home (as everybody in the world) because of Pandemia. Europa League matches were the most specials, as the team was back in European competition after its promotion just a season before. On that season, I could see my first Big Six (teams, in English football): Wolves vs Liverpool. Also, I got the signature of a young Pedro Neto, and an always remembered photo with Quique Sanchez Flores after his Watford was defeated 2-0 against my Wolvinhos. I saved the scarf for that game. Following season, I watched everything from home, because of Covid-19 restrictions. But on my fourth season as Wolves membership, I watched Manchester United and Tottenham Spurs. On last season with the membership, I watched matches against Manchester City (I was present in the two first goals from Erlingo Haaland to Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Arsenal, a great team that was nearly to win its first Premier League title after two decades.

It was just before the World Cup I watched not even a full match, as veto to a country that never should celebrate a tournament. My dears friends of La Media Inglesa described really well the corrupt business from FIFA that finished in the award of Middle East country as host of 2022 Cup. Such a shame. After that, I keep watching less than the count of hand fingers (as we say in Spain) of football games. I lost the interest of football and I even but just a T-shirt in a year time. My friends told me that it was only because I was as boyfriend of a girl that hated football. I knew that it was not all of that true. Still, I can admit that if at the time of the World Cup I were single, I could even stay at home and not watching any football game. But well, the reality was what it was, and because of going to meet some friends during a France vs England in December 2022, I can say that it was the first football match that I stayed just below the TV, looking to opposite side, to avoid watching any goal or nothing. I did almost the same in the final of the French Team against the victorious Argentina. Congratulations for our brothers, but red card, again and again, against the corruption in football.

I will mention them in another entry, for sure, but before finishing this writing, I need to say that La Media Inglesa made me watching football in a different way. The YouTube Channel that I started to follow in June 2020, and in December of same year, I became a Premier League member (top membership amongst all of its levels), is now one of my favourite hobbies during the week, watching or just listening, at work (in not busy journeys), driving, at sofa, cooking at the kitchen or just before going to sleep, I can say that it is my preciousness (as Gollum, Lord of the Rings character, would say😂), as well as SergioBasket_Vlogs, that I mentioned a few blog entries back.

So then, that is my Love for football, perhaps the longest entry on this blog till now, but also, a short version to describe all my experiences related to football. I hope you enjoy the same than me. And if not, as I said with My Love of Basket, I wish you, at least, enjoyed this story, first one in English before be written in Spanish. Give it the same affection I give it while I was remembering all these 26 years…