‘I often lay awake at night and look back at my life in wonder.
I am married, I have a family and I have changed jobs 5 times, because I wanted to. I feel like I have only moved up.
If my mother had lived to know this, she would find herself in disbelief, but proud.
Growing up, we were poor. My worst childhood memory is not having enough change in the shop for bread and milk. From all of my siblings, it was always me going down to our closest shop. My mother would strive to give the exact change. Yet it was often not enough. The shop assistants, who knew me well, would often turn a blind eye. I always felt ashamed.’
So what’s your best childhood memory?
‘Football. Leaving the small flat and my siblings to play football on the field opposite our block of flats. If I could, I would go down every afternoon.
I had a little routine all to myself: play for an hour, go upstairs, swiftly finish homework, go back down, play some more footy.
As soon as I could, I left home and the neighbourhood. I went away to high school, went even further to university.
I carried on playing football. Never professional. But football is my go-to. If I’m stressed, or tired, or overwhelmed, I kick the ball for half an hour or so, and I’m refreshed. Things are looking up all of a sudden. It is my tool to function well.’
The owner of this story has decided to remain anonymous. I remembered the existence of this story as I watched the only game I actually sat down to watch – England vs Croatia. So I went upstairs and looked through my notes and found it. I know this person. He is slight and humble. Gentle and kind. He had few financial means. But there is a relentless energy seeping through him. He never sits down when he speaks. He always has something to plan for, to dream about.
He says football helped him keep it all together, and I believe him.
I am not a football watcher, but you have to appreciate the incredible physical effort and the unimaginable emotional strain those athletes go through in order to achieve such a performance. I know we did not get where I was hoping to – oh, what a final that would have been -, but I take my hat off to them nonetheless.