How did you become a football fanatic?
The first football match on TV that I remember was a match between Czechoslovakia and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1985. I think it was played in Strahov and we were beaten 1-5. Roughly a week earlier, a hockey match was played between Czechoslovakia and West Germany, which we won 6:1. I hated football, but I was in euphoria when playing hockey. In addition, we won the entire hockey championship in Prague.
Not exactly a good starting position to become a football fan…
I also fancied more hockey for almost a year. This thoroughly negative experience with soccer only changed when I watched my dad watch the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. And without knowing much about it, I was experiencing the dramas quite a bit.
Of course, today’s memories are already quite distorted. X years later, other pieces of the puzzle fit into the original experiences, which then formed some football phenomenon that remained in my head.
I remember, for example, how a bearded player with a headdress played for Brazil. Only later did I find out that it was Sócrates, one of the biggest dudes in football history. Tall, bushy, curly hair, like a hippie from the 60s. On the field with his head always up, great control of the ball with his long legs, perfect overview. In short, a joy to look at. At first glance, it was clear that he didn’t fit in there. Only later did I find out what he was like. When he died in 2011, it was unbelievable how they experienced it in Brazil. His number 8 jersey is still one of the most popular in retro shops across Europe.
What about Maradona? You told us about his spells in Mexico 86 years ago even wrote a comment…
I saw that memorable quarter-final with England. I didn’t understand at all what happened with the first goal that was scored by hand. And before I absorbed it, Diego performed that incredible solo that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Many years later, Gary Lineker summed it up nicely from the point of view of a player standing right on the pitch. He said the pitch was so bad you’d have a hard time running across the pitch with a ball at your feet, even if there was no one stopping you, let alone if you had to beat so many opponents along the way. After the first goal he wanted to kill Maradona, after the second he wanted to sign his signature.
At this championship, I fell for football for good and then never let go of it. And it went from time to time. The Dutch were great at the 1988 EC. That great goal by Van Basten in the final was a gem. The whole trio of Rijkaard, van Basten and Gullit was unreal. And their time together at AC Milan only underlined it. When I think about it, for me it is quite possibly the most legendary trio of players from one club.
