Football, England, & Me

Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash

I remember the first time I watched a live football match. It was June 21st, 2002. I was nine years old and the whole school had gathered in the assembly hall to watch England play Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinals. I don’t remember anything from the actual game itself. At the time I wasn’t interested football. But I do have a vivid memory of the occasion, particularly the aftermath. Brazil beat England 2–1, and I can recall the moment the…