Football Fever

During my teenage days in the 90s, my sports fever was only cricket. This was what I had grown up watching. And naturally, it was more like worship, than just a simple game introduced in our country by the British.

However, my connection with Germany introduced me to the world of football. I easily entered the fan club football. I never imagined that the fast-paced sport would be included in my list of top favourite sports.

During my stay in Germany, I eventually lost interest in cricket (Did I just bring an annoying frown on your face?), and football was the next happening thing.

And my language connections made me more fascinated by it. I started watching Bundesliga (like IPL) matches to better understand the sport and build up my sports vocabulary. I wouldn’t shy away from saying that football became a favourite because of the German language.

An icing to this was the 2006 FIFA World Cup hosted by Germany. I was then based in Munich. The entire atmosphere seemed like the country was canopied by football mania. People were eating, drinking, and breathing football. I bet even a non-football fan would have found it hard to resist the pull towards the game. It was the most incredible experience, especially since my house was just at the edge of Olympia Park and Olympia stadium and was like a stone’s throw away. I could feel the vibes.

The football fan in me took up a step, later with my Spanish connection. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have thought that one day I would take a tour of the stadium in Madrid – the home ground for Real Madrid. It was so enthralling to visit the museum dedicated only to football history.

For me it is like a doorway to a new world, having a new perspective towards global sports. This was enabled through languages! From the confined borders of specific sports to look beyond and familiarise me with something new but nice.

What are you waiting for?

Cheers to FIFA 2022!