Why Liverpool? I asked. “Born red, always red.” John was born in Liverpool so I inquired further: Why not Everton, why Liverpool? His father was a Liverpool fan and one of John’s earlier memories is of the 1971 FA Cup final between Liverpool and Arsenal at Wembley which his father attended. Liverpool lost the game but John became a fan. In all of his family only … Continue reading LIVERPOOL, JOHN
Why Real? I asked. “I like Ronaldo.” More and more young people I meet wear a jersey because of a player and not the team. It must be good for economy – if not for football – since today’s stars change teams easily and fans follow them. Zain came to Montreal only two months ago from Karachi, Pakistan. A smart young man, he is a … Continue reading REAL MADRID, ZAIN
Why Italia? I asked. “I love the country and their soccer team.” Ameer is the first person I met wearing Italian national team jersey. He comes from Saudi Arabia but is in love with all things Italian. He is in love with its history, people, soccer, culture and architecture. I thought he’s been to Italy many times but it turned out he’s never been. It … Continue reading Italy, Ameer
Why PSG? I asked. “Why? That’s my team since 20 years ago. I love PSG.” Today, my heart was broken. I met a guy in a Senegal national team jersey. All excited, I explained what I do and showed him the pictures on my phone. He said he would be glad to pose for me. But when I took my DSLR camera from the bag … Continue reading PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, SEUDU
Why Man United? I asked. “Because I’m half Japanese and the best Japanese player Shinji Kagawa plays for Man United.” When I spotted Jonathan walking down the street I debated if I should approach him since he is not wearing a jersey. But there was something about him so I couldn’t let him pass by. Jonathan was born in Montreal after his father came from … Continue reading MANCHESTER UNITED, JONATHAN
Why Lyon?, I asked. ” I love the feel of the team. My family originates from that part of France.” It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and St. Catherine street was packed with people when out of the crowd emerged Luc. He appeared surprised and amused that someone would want to photograph him just because he wears a soccer jersey. Quite a few times during … Continue reading OLYPMIQUE LYONNAIS, LUC
Why Timão? I asked. “When I was a kid I looked at all the symbols and colors of different Sao Paolo clubs and I liked Corinthians’ best.” And, as he added later, a few family members helped with that decision. In Sao Paolo, it could be difficult to choose with Palmeiras, São Paulo, Santos, Corinthians and probably a few other clubs existing in the same city. Kim was 5 years … Continue reading CORINTHIANS, KIM
Why Barca? I asked. “When you’re watching Barca play you know you’re watching real football.” Just like Seif, who I met the same day, Zakaria comes from Algeria and is a big Barcelona fan. The encounter was brief just like the most of them, and we didn’t get to talk much, but Zakaria was all smiles and sometimes that’s all it matters. Continue reading BARCELONA, ZAKARIA
Why Brazil? I asked. “I bought it on e-bay. You see, it’s half black and half white, anti-racism jersey.” I met Alex at the Mondial de la bière where he was working. I have a soft spot for people going to work in a soccer shirt. And this is not your ordinary jersey but a special Anti-Racism edition. Alex bought the one with Pelé’s name on … Continue reading Brazil, Alex
Why Barca? I asked. “It’s the best team in the world and they have Messi.” I came out of the metro as he was about to go down the hole. Even though in a hurry, Seif graciously gave me a few minutes of his time. He is from Algeria but lives in Montreal and studies engineering at l’École Polytechnique. He had no doubts that Barcelona … Continue reading BARCELONA, SEIF
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