The rock-ribbed 'Red' in me.

Way back in 2002, nothing about the footballing world interested me. I was happy in my own world playing cricket, video games, collecting GI Joe’s and going to school. Even the 2002 Football World Cup which I  followed was because everyone at school was watching and talking about it. As most of my friends and relatives were talking about a nicely-rhymed 'Ronaldo-Rivaldo-Ronaldinho' trio of Brazil, I started supporting Brazil as I loved the rhyming scheme in the above deuce-ace, with no genuine mania for anyone from within. Slowly and steadily I developed a mild interest in the game with Brazil going all the way to life the trophy, and Ronaldo winning the ‘Golden Ball’.

That year I looked forward to the much talked about English Premier League (Courtesy: ESPN-Star Sports news-cum-talk shows). Initially, the League went completely over my head. With so many players playing for so many uncannily-named teams, I was completely jolted. Yet, I ended up learning the names of few English players and for the clubs they played. I very soon realized that England is the team to watch out for! I developed an intense charm for England- its players and their hot and sizzling wags. I also learnt a lot about Liverpool Football Club (LFC), where two of my favorite players (Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen) played. Then came Euros in 2004, the time when I was aware of a handful of players from the EPL (mostly English players). Consequently, I supported England with more passion this time but unluckily England was eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals in the penalties, but the heroics of Gerrard made me in complete awe of him!  I started admiring and following him with a lot of vigor, passion and dynamism. Later, during the EPL when I saw Gerrard playing for LFC, everything just clicked. I did not wake up one morning and say “I am going to support Liverpool today”, it was something that grew with me, it is more like a calling than anything. 

Being a Red unremittingly doesn’t make me have an aversion for other clubs and for those who support other clubs. I respect a lot of players who actually don’t play for LFC. I love the Football game in its pure form, and the players who play it so. Still, Liverpool is the club I have found an intense attachment for, and England is the country I can never stop supporting.  I have a 'little dream' of going to Anfield some day watching the Reds play and I, completely clad-in-Red with  a scarf on my shoulder reading, “You’ll never walk alone!”, dancing and singing to the tunes of the anthem! I’ll end on a high with the famous quote by former Liverpool Manager, Bill Shankley: ”Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, its much more serious than that.”