The Football Nerd

It is finally over! When you are not a big football fan (and that's a euphemism to say I found it more enjoyable to brush my toe hair with a cheese greeter) the World Cup is just a pain in your backside. The world think football, breathe football and more annoyingly, talk football. Day and night, seven days a week, it's all about the round ball.

But I have to say that as much as it does my head in, it is impossible not to be overwhelm by the enthusiasm, the hope, the energy that the people release in a city whose pavement is trodden by so many football fans (especially when you live between 2 stadiums – don't ask me what went through my head). “I hate football but the sense of belonging it brings and everybody getting involved is such a nice friendly feeling” one of my friend, rightly stated. I even gave in and went to the pub to watch some games myself. Enjoying sharing a drink with friends, betting on the winner, trying to understand what the fuss was about (I even watched an English game with some colleagues in my office's boardroom while a friend's company completely shut down!).

Some do understand it well. In Camden Town lives a football fan called the Autistic. He's the guy who only wants internet on his mobile to get football scores, as a sport newspaper as home page on his computer, starts the newspapers by the end and can lightly talk about the company in charge of the electricity in a random stadium. Quite scary really.

During the world cup, the big question for many people was : which team am I going to support ? It might seem weird but many people didn't put many hopes on their home countries and were already thinking about plan B. Being French, he didn't take him long to realise he was screwed. England then ? Not much help either...Lucky for him, he happens to study Spanish, that was a much better bet. Isn't betrayal not to support your team til the end some may ask ? I see it like the chicken and egg story : if they let you down, why should you bother? Although I need to add that I personally believe the chicken was first which might impair my judgment.

With his misbehaving curly hair, round black glasses and relaxed trousers, the Football Nerd would leave the site where he engineers and go straight to the pub to watch the evening's game. He collects t-shirts from all around the world football teams but don't wear them as much as he used too (thanks to his girlfriend). Except when the world cup is on. Pure pleasure. My month of Hell (ok I'm exaggerating) is his month of Heaven (I am not exaggerating).

Now it's finished. The pubs are quieter, the streets cleaner, people back to silence, the summer and its ghost town atmosphere has wrapped the city up. The football nerd is back to wearing normal t-shirt and watching unknown 3rd zone teams play. Until the next big football event comes up and brings him back to full life.

You can check out his blog here