As a young football fan I unknowingly grew up spoilt with riches. I was born on the year in which Italy hosted the World Cup, Diego Armando Maradona helped his beloved Napoli win the Scudetto and Alan Hansen lifted Liverpool’s 18th Championship title. Despite technically being alive during this period it was obviously not my era, mine was to come.
My earliest footballing memories which spring to mind are the 1997/98 seasons in both England and Italy. My dad is Italian and an Inter fan, almost by proxy I have always had an eye on them but my footballing heart already belonged to Arsenal. I would always watch football with him on the weekends and he would point out all of these great footballers who at the time meant very little to me. As I grew older I would learn of their excellence and that everyone that he pointed out were actually great footballers, a generation of sheer class which I am lucky to have grown up with.
I think about those Sunday afternoons and all of these great players being paraded on my small television in my living room, it brings back so many good memories. Serie A, especially, was littered with excellence – Zidane, Del Piero, Totti, Ronaldo, Batistuta, Rui Costa, Baggio, Claudio Lopez, Veron, Nedved, Thuram, Maldini, Weah, Bierhoff… I could happily go on as I’m sure you’re probably thinking that I’ve missed out someone that you loved. All of these footballers were world class, and amazingly all played against each other at the same time, a truly golden age of football.
In the past week stories in the media have risen, all about players being out of contract at the end of the season, and no, I am not talking about Didier Drogba. I am talking about Raùl, Nesta and Del Piero. All of these players were on the top of their game whilst I grew up, they were absolute giants in their field. It dawned on me that these three along very very few others remain in the modern game and now that they are at the end of their playing days really indicate the closing of the curtain on a beautiful era.
If you don’t like the pop band Aqua, I suggest you mute your audio when watching this video. The same applies for insane man singing about the Italian league in the second part. If you do like the music, well… You probably need to take a long and hard look at yourself.
balotellisbarber 