3 Traits that Influenced Me To Follow Football (Soccer) As A Kid In India

As a kid growing up in India, I watched and played cricket religiously. Among the billion people that reside in India, everyone is connected and aware of the happenings around this sport. Hence, any individual who shows a bit of interest in other sports has to share looks of bewilderment from the people.

How does a kid growing up in a middle-class suburb of Mumbai, ends up being a hardened follower of football(soccer)?

The most simple answer is the televised games but there was something that kept me hooked and brought me back week after week to the television set, in anticipation. The swagger with which players carried themselves, the sheer skill involved in the game, and the adrenaline were enough for a kid like me to be in awe of the sport.

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But the 3 qualities that influenced me the most as a kid and still keep me hooked on the game are:

Endurance

The level of skill varies among the athletes that play the game. The talent is obviously there and it shines from time to time. The constant factor that remains is Endurance.

The players, on a good day or a bad one, are required to put in the hard yards, non-negotiable. The sheer joy of the win or pain of the loss is brought about by the suffering the players endure on the pitch.

Skills and Tricks

The most obvious one had to be mentioned. The skills and the tricks and flicks displayed are the number one trait that keeps anyone glued to the edge of the seat.

The uniqueness and glamour that the skills of the players bring to the stage are enough for a kid to keep coming back. More so, try the same on the field.

Fans

Any sport is nothing without its fans. The same is overwhelmingly true for football. They are the driving force behind the players on the pitch.

The sheer adrenaline injected by the football chants of the fans, be it praising the players or trying to rattle them, defines the mood of the game.

Considering Cricket is called a Gentleman's sport, it has the elements of sheer class and sophistication. For a kid, a sport is all about action, and football provided a lot of it.

Football is a beautiful game. A kid growing up in Mumbai suburbs discovering the beautiful game might well be the most purest connection one can ever see between two entities.

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