Saturday 5th June 2010

This time next week many of us will be sitting in front of the television with a pint about to watch England take on the USA in the opening Group C World Cup game which has been so eagerly anticipated. It only comes around every four years and after missing out on the European Championships in 2008 the excitement is even more built up than usual.
With all this preview coverage of the world's greatest tournament I've been reminicising about previous times, watching highlights from classic tournament games and posting my favorite moments to Twitter daily. This will be the fourth World Cup I can remember and the last three have provided me with flashbulb memories. Here are the matches I can recall so vividly from past summers:

1998: England 2-2 Argentina
At the age of eight, the World Cup held in France 12 years ago was the first in which I had become a football fanatic. I can remember getting my first ever pair of football boots a few months before and spent countless hours playing on the "the green" outside my house. This match was on a school night, but my parents knew there was no way they could send me to bed before the end of this huge second round contest.
When Argentina won a penlty early on I recall going upstairs to hide as I couldn't take watching it, but that didn't stop Batistuta coverting from the spot. England levelled 4 minutes later through a penalty of their own and then an 18 year old Michael Owen stunned us all with that wonder goal which announced himself to the world. Argentina equalised from a free kick just before half time and whilst that may have been the last goal of the night the real drama was yet to come. Like many eight year old kids at the time, David Beckham was my idol, so I was absolutely gutted when he was sent off early in the second half for kicking out at Diego Simeone.
We all thought Sol Campbell had won it late on, but his header was ruled out after Alan Shearer was judged to have fouled the Argentina keeper. Ever since then I've always looked straight at the linesman when the team I'm supporting scores, as I learnt on this night to go into wild celebrations only to find the goal has been disallowed is a real kick on the teeth.
The game went to penalties, England inevitably lost and that was my first taste of World Cup disapointment, I should have got used to it then and there.

2002: England 1-0 Argentina
Revenge is a dish best served after four years of waiting as England got one over the team who had knocked them out at the last World Cup in this crucial group game. This tournament was held in the Far East, so most of the games were played in the morning or at lunch time. Luckily, I was on a half term break from school so could watch this game at a gathering of family friends. As half time was approaching lunch was being served, so I went into the kitchen to take my pick from the buffet. As I sat there, someone burst into the room shouting "ENGLAND HAVE GOT A PENALTY" and I jumped up so quickly I didn't realise my arm was still under the table, so ended up hitting my hand against the side. The pain of bruised fingers would last until England got knocked out by Brazil two weeks later, but at the time I was so caught up in the moment I didn't feel a thing.
It was all up to David Beckham, the scapegoat four years previously after his sending off to convert from 12 yards out and he didn't let us down. We held on for a win which felt so good against the team that had reduced me to tears in 1998.

2006: England 0-0 Portugal
I watched every England game of the 2006 World Cup in Germany at the Royal British Legion in Hungerford and altough I wasn't yet old enough to drink there, it was still a great place to watch the big matches as there was always such an amazing atmosphere when the national team were playing.
This Quarter Final showdown took place on a Saturday, a day which I usually worked washing dishes at a local cafe. Fortunately I managed to convince my boss to let me have time off when England were playing, telling him that we wouldn't have any customers whilst the matches were on, so there was no point in paying me (£3.30 an hour!) to be standing around doing nothing.
I finished my shift 15 minutes before kick off, so had to run up to the Legion and got there to find all the seats had been taken, but it was worth standing at the back to sample the atmosphere. The whole pub was singing throughout the game and the language was most colourful when Rooney was sent off in the second half. After losing on penalties once again, the Legion emptied very suddenly amid a huge anti-climax. Good thing I had a Pirate themed party to attend after the game, otherwise the evening would have been very depressing!

In the years to come I wonder what my flashbulb memory of this upcoming World Cup will be. Maybe Rooney's extra time scorcher against Spain on July 11th? We can all dream...