40 years of Hurt is not necessarily the words in Three Lions but 40 years ago was when my World Cup football journey began. Mexico 86 was MY FIRST WORLD CUP and was what propelled me to a four decades love affair with the beautiful game.
Writing this out makes it seem unreal. If you subtract 40 years from 1986 you have 1946 and one year after the end of World War Two. I cannot comprehend that. I will try and comprehend this.
Sadly, I am not massively excited about USA 26 and probably couldn’t name the England squad in its entirety. I know of the fall guys but maybe that is the time of my life where football is not the be all and end all.
To search for some excitement, I have reached into the soul of my past and where it all began. As an 8-year-old I was extremely naïve to what football was. I vaguely recall watching the 1985 and 1986 FA Cup Finals but they are not that vivid. My real football memory comes from Mexico 86 and 40 years later I still fondly recall the journey beginning.
I think I can attribute this to one Saturday in May when my Grandad turned up with the golden ticket. The holy grail for all football lovers. The 1986 Panini World Cup Sticker Book. Probably the most beautiful sticker book of them all.
The white book with the colourful designs of the green writing, the bright football and the mascot Pique in and amongst the flags. I can still see this to this very day. I was mesmerised form the off. I memorised the facts, looked at the qualifying results, read about previous World Cups and learnt where the players were born. Bryan Robson was from Chester Lee Street you know!
I treasured this album and sadly do not have it now. I think those dodgy days between the ages of 17 and 21 put paid to it when it must have got boxed away and probably chucked away. It kills me thinking this. It was not complete but having a quick look at eBay sees that the album fetches for up to £900! Would I sell it if I still had it? Of course not!
The colour from the album set me off onto a path of football in the playground and football forever. Mexico was bright and the late night matches glowed in the dark and I was keen to find out what was happening.
It sparked into life when England defeated Poland 3-0 and Gary Lineker bagged a hat trick. It was all over the news and when I was at school, I wanted to be that player who scored three goals. I was learning and did not have the knowledge. In fact, some of my friends were further advanced in the footballing journeys and I was only allowed to play on the playground in 1v1 or 2v2 matches with the plastic ball the size of a tennis ball with holes in. I would play with my best mate Daniel and all of the 8-year footballing gods would play on the upper pitch with a proper ball. I watched with envy.
However, I was learning fast and I stayed up late to watch the Paraguay victory where Lineker (2) and Beardsley scored the goals to send England through to face Argentina in the Quarter Finals.
Ah the 1986 World Cup Quarter Final. My first experience of Diego Maradona.
Now I stand by the fact that he was the greatest player of all time. He was strong, brave, graceful, aggressive, ruthless and explosive. He was like a ballet dancer in a boxing ring. He had it all. Sadly, he was adept at tipping the ball off. More on that in a minute.
To mark this occasion my Dad took me to the Haymoor Pub in Canford Heath. I was with the big boys. There was a small television in the corner but the atmosphere was electric. I think the TV was electric too but it was a long time ago! 40 years to be precise!
The game kicked off and there was roaring and cheering and I felt alive. The atmosphere took a turn for the worse when Maradona scored the opening goal.
‘HANDBALL REF,’ was the cry. I didn’t really understand but in my first prominent match of note I had the first glimpse of the power of a referee. Sadly, Maradona punched the ball in past an outstretched Peter Shilton.
I suppose I knew the handball rule but I dint at the same time. I knew it wasn’t right and the goal was given.
Shilton gets a lot of stick for that goal. An early memory of him was him claiming high crosses in his majestic grey goalkeeper shirt rising through the masses in many corners. I might be slightly exaggerating but I do remember this and subconsciously it probably is an early reason why I subsequently became a goalkeeper.
Was Shilton expected to react to the punch from the attacker? I used to think that he did not need to come for the deflected ball in the first place. However, on further inspection I think he knew that he had to come because Maradona would have controlled the ball dead and produced some magic on the ground. He was not expecting a magic trick in the air. Now you see it, now you don’t.
The second goal was pure footballing brilliance. He took the ball from the half way line and dribbled the ball past everyone. I always recall Barry Davies say:
‘YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT WAS MAGNIFICENT.’
It was a great goal. It was a playground goal. I had seen it on the top field. It was the goal the good players scored. Sadly, it was against England.
Gary Lineker got a headed consolation and I was introduced to instant replays. The pub kept cheering each replay. 2-1, 2-2, 3-2! Hahaha! I though England were winning ha-ha.
My memory also takes me back to super sub-John Barnes destroying the Argentina full backs. He was powerful, strong, electric and direct. I loved his crosses. There was one at the end where I still swear Lineker was pushed into the goal.
Argentina prevailed and my first World Cup Hurt was born 40 years ago. I was inducted and initiated straight away within a month of liking football.
From that day I was hooked. I would read the newspapers, collect the magazines and follow the scores. Football was instilled in me and it was more romantic than romance itself. It was something that made me feel alive. It changed my life!
So that was where it began back in May 1986. It has been a beautiful ride.
What about 40 years later? Well having just got back from California visiting my brother I bought a Los Angeles FIFA World Cup Hat. But what took me back was my two nephews having their first Panini Sticker Book delivered. My brother gracefully passed the honours to me to present them their sticker book. They were hooked! The 6- and 8-year-olds took me back to my 8-year-old self and it was lovely.
Guess what? They got Ronaldo and the Brazil Team straight away. The excitement was simply just lovely to see. The bribe of the stickers before school was cemented if they got changed, brushed their teeth and had their bags ready. A real game changer right there!
When I left to return home to sunny Bournemouth, I hid two packets of stickers under their pillows! I think Harry Kane made an appearance in one of those. I hope they have the same 40-year journey.
So, what of now as the World Cup is about to start? Have I found that excitement that I had for the first time 40 years ago?
YOU BET I HAVE! COME ON ENGLAND!
Just for the record my skills were getting better and I’ll tell you now if I did not move up to Middle School, I would have been allowed on that top pitch with those Footballing Gods!