You my friend, are one of the intelligent ones on here. It's refreshing to see someone so grounded and eloquent on this site for a change

Quality reply to my post on Neymar. The "Kimbo Slice" comparison didn't mean what you interpreted it as. I'll explain it soon. Cheers!

Hello Matty!

It was a real pleasure to read you. I've been quite alright with no big complains (thank The Lord! )

It's true for some time now I haven't been able to log on to FT due to several occupations recently in my life with the usual ups and downs - but nothing to shake me though

As usual, whenever I'm lucky to have a glance at FT while you are conversing, it's always such pleasure to read you.

Hope you are doing awesome on your side while wishing you all the best in your various activities.

Roddy!

Inspirational story. Must have been a beautiful moment to share, watching a live football match with your family, and that being El Clasico in the Camp Nou. I unfortunately have never been to the venue of my favorite footballing club, or even to any professional football stadium for that matter - so I am really amazed at your story and experience.

You speak great truth in the fact that at a young age, we are too young to comprehend the specifics of football - the understanding we have when we mature and watch football from a different perspective. This is true for me and Real Madrid as well.

I did not know anything about Real Madrid except for one player - Zinedine Zidane. It all started when my father told me stories about him. Those stories were usually ones from his achievements with France and Juventus. Like you implied, we learn and mimic that which we hear and see from our parents when we are small children. I started to watch Zidane's football and appreciate him like my father did. Before you knew it, I became a fan. To be honest, I had never witnessed Zidane win the World + Euro double, nor did I witness his football at Juventus. I became a fan of his while he was at Real Madrid.

So I watched Zidane's football. Of course, like you, I did not understand anything about football, nor did I know much about it. In fact, even the Barca-Real rivalry was not something I even cared about back then. I didn't even care about Real Madrid that much either. For me, football was about one thing - Zidane.

Eventually, the day came when Zidane retired from Real Madrid. Obviously being someone who only followed a club because of one player, someone who knew nothing about any other club and/or player, would be confused in a position like mine. So I simply continued to follow Real Madrid. The admiration for the club was there, probably developed through Zidane, but it was not until I started to watch them as a team, and not because of one player, that I became more and more passionate about Real Madrid.

And here I am. A Madridista. Everything I believe and love in football has been thanks in large part to the way Zidane played football. That is also why I enjoy watching Ozil, Alonso, and Benzema. It is also why I look past my rivalries when I watch Iniesta and Pirlo, who are two players I admire much more than I could ever admire Ronaldo and Messi. Ray Hudson has a name for the type of players I enjoy watching - the 'Cerebral Type'.

Apologies for the long post - it's becoming an issue haha

Awesome. Ozil has even a Cule following him! He's definitely had a rigid start to the season but your belief in Ozil's ability to perform well makes a lot of sense. I guess that's why he's so great for his national team.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a Barcelona fan? I'm guessing it has to do with Romario, but still curious.