Why Liverpool? I asked. “When I realized that Yossi Benayoun plays for Liverpool I became a fan. You know, I’m Jewish.” Lev’s answer further complicates what’s already complicated; he provided yet another reason, first of this kind on this site, to fall for a club. We met in a pub one early Sunday morning and shared the experience of watching, on TV, Liverpool beat Man … Continue reading LIVERPOOL, LEV
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 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
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
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
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