Footie (3)

People don’t usually understand how I can side with an Italian club and then support Germany’s national football team. But that’s me. I’m weird. It’s similar to me thinking London Calling is the Clash’s best album but having Sandinista as my favourite one.
But anyway, here’s how I came to support Germany.
It was 1990, just a few weeks before the start of that year’s World Cup. I was at my uncle’s house, an England supporter and an avid Chelsea fan. Till that point I was an automatic supporter of Italy. You know the logic of a nine year old boy: My brother and my father have the same surname as me, so I must support the same team as them. It didn’t figure as a choice in my mind. That is, until my uncle decided to put a stop to the madness.
“You have to choose your own favourite team” he ordered me. I was 9 years old for crying out loud. It didn’t occur to me that I could tell him to back the fuck off. So I didn’t.
He picked up his copy of the World Cup album and handed me the choice. Don’t know how many teams he pointed out but there must have been around 5 I think.
“One of these teams will win the cup” he said prophetically. “Choose!”
England, Brazil and Germany are the ones I clearly remember. So without realizing the lifelong consequences of such an important decision, I picked Germany.
They went on to win the cup that year. And the European Cup six years later; which means I’ve seen them win both the World cup and the European Cup and end up finalists in both of the competitions. Something no Italy fan my age or any England supporter can say. Not bad I think, for a hasty decision I took when I was 9 years old. I think you’ll agree…