I'm too old now to feel that same kind of anticipation on Christmas morning. That expectant joy which would make sleep almost impossible has given way now that innocence has faded and cynicism taken hold. There's a small flicker of it - a burning ember not yet extinguished - that can be felt on the opening day of each season but even that comes weighed down. Such are the stakes that come with club football, everything feels a little too important to simply sit back and enjoy. Which is exactly what the World Cup is all about.
This will be my fifth tournament. It would be six - just about - had I been bitten by the bug in 1994 by my fascination with football was still embryonic and would take another couple of years to fully develop. All of them are very unique in my mind, even if the details of some of the earlier ones aren't exactly crystal clear.
Due to the duration between World Cups, they arrive at such distinct periods and as such act as the perfect catalyst, allowing a sound or a picture to take me back in time. The process of creating those personal moments in the next month or so is something that I can't wait to begin. Whatever happens in Brazil and whichever nation rejoices in writing a new chapter in history, I will have my own story running parallel. The wait is all but over.
This will be my fifth tournament. It would be six - just about - had I been bitten by the bug in 1994 by my fascination with football was still embryonic and would take another couple of years to fully develop. All of them are very unique in my mind, even if the details of some of the earlier ones aren't exactly crystal clear.
Due to the duration between World Cups, they arrive at such distinct periods and as such act as the perfect catalyst, allowing a sound or a picture to take me back in time. The process of creating those personal moments in the next month or so is something that I can't wait to begin. Whatever happens in Brazil and whichever nation rejoices in writing a new chapter in history, I will have my own story running parallel. The wait is all but over.
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