I have been a football/soccer fan for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of football is sitting on my dads lap, while him and his brothers listened to a football match over the radio.I was fascinated by their emotions and wondered what it was that was getting them so worked up, what was happening that some of the brothers were so happy and the others were telling me to close my ears for a second.

But something happened there, because my dad started showing me matches on the TV and without realising I was becoming a fan of the game too.

Though my interest really took off when I was a teenager and it grew even further when I watched the Brazilians, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario and Ronaldinho play. What they did with their feet was magical. As time went on I often arranged my social life around the matches I wanted to watch. 

One year we had booked flights to go visit my family in Portugal, when the travel agent said that we would be flying via Madrid, it was as if he had given me the best gift on the planet, a gift that I was going to pay for, but one I was very happy to pay for, I immediately told my husband we would be making a pit stop in Madrid. I had to watch Real Madrid play Porto. 

That was back during the Galactico stage when Ronaldo, Beckham, Figo, Zidane, Roberto Carlos ect still played there. The match was a draw; I even have a funny story about an event that took place before the match, which I will share at another occasion. 
But to me it wasn't about the score. We had anyway already made it to the next round. To me it was because I got to see these huge names in person, playing live right in front of me.That season Porto were crowned champions with Mourinho becoming a big name on everybody's lips. 

 Those "older" players brought me to the sport and kept me interested in the game, but there are players now that are just as talented if not more and whose names will also be remembered forever.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi being obvious candidates. 

Now, I see my 16 year old, a football player herself and her emotional investment in Liverpool, she can tell you all their statistics, she can tell you about every player and every tactical decision she would make.  She now also reminds us about any planned outings that she needs to be home by X time because her team is playing... and I can only laugh at this, because we have truly come full circle.

My favourite players, or at least some of them:  
Romario: I was only a child, but I knew there was something special about him.
Ronaldo: He was often criticised for not working hard enough, but here is the thing, he was a finisher, he didn't need to run the whole field to score a goal, he often just needed one touch and in went the ball. I also love a great comeback story and when he came back from months of injury to win sportsman of the year, that was the cherry on top.
Rivaldo: Always so classy, I loved the way he handled the ball. 
Ronaldinho: Always played with a smile on his face. You could see how much he was enjoying himself and that was beautiful to watch. 
Iker Casillas: My favourite goalkeeper of all time (I also had planned to marry him, but my husband said I wasn't allowed to 😜 ) 
Buffon: Another top class goalkeeper, not only immensely talented, but also a gentleman on the field. I have hoped for the longest time that this man can win a Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo: I mean come on
Messi: I mean come one
These two are ridiculously talented and sometimes I think we overlook other players simply because these two have so much to offer.
Marcelo, Mo Salah, Arjan Roben, Wesley Sneijder, Totti, Samuel Eto'o (My favourite African player of all time)
And many more, I could honestly go on and on.

So football fans, who would be on your list of players that you will remember forever?

#soccer