ROMA, DARIO

“Why Roma?”, I asked.  “Gialla com er sole, rosso come er come mio! Chi tifa Roma non perde mai.” (Yellow like the sun, red as my heart! Who supports Roma never loses.) When recently Lazio beat Roma (Senad Lulic, 71min) in the finals of the Italian cup, my natural reaction was to immediately send Dario a teasing text message saying that such a tragedy happens only … Continue reading ROMA, DARIO

ARSENAL, DAMIR

This is a fantastic news for all of you Footballists fans: Damir Šagolj, a friend, and a reporter who works for Reuters news agency and is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand, joins Footballists and will be our regular contributor. Here is his first post. Enjoy! Why Arsenal? I asked myself. “Because Samir brought me this shirt.” Indeed, although it is bit awkward for one displaced … Continue reading ARSENAL, DAMIR

CORINTHIANS, KIM

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

Czech Republic, Matthew

Why Czech? I asked. “My parents come form Czech Republic.” Matthew is very busy, so our conversation was very brief, but he was kind enough to stop for a moment so I could take a photograph. Ne doesn’t follow soccer much, he said, but major tournaments catch his attention. Finally, I got to meet someone wearing a jersey of a team (club or national) from … Continue reading Czech Republic, Matthew

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, OLIVIER and NOAH

Why PSG? I asked. “That’s my home team.” Olivier came from Paris just a few days ago to spend some time with his cousin Nicolas, and his nephew Noah. I asked if he is considering staying in Montreal and he replied, with a grin, how Nicolas is trying to talk him into it. The family dress code is obvious and Noah looks awesome in his PSG shirt. … Continue reading PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, OLIVIER and NOAH

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, NICOLAS

Why PSG? I asked. “That’s where I come from.” What a thrill to run into a group of people, on a busy Montreal street, all wearing Paris Saint-Germain shirts as if they are going to the game to Parc des Princes. Only Parc des Princes is a few thousand kilometers away. Nicolas came to live in Montreal in 1995 but has never lost his sentiments for … Continue reading PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, NICOLAS