The Joy of Sports: A Lifelong Passion for Football

Sports is one of the most exciting parts of our lives that spice up our day and probably one of the biggest means of entertainment for humans around the world. There are different types of sports to choose from, and different people have different opinions on which is their favorite and the like, and so do I. I've been a big fan of sport from a tender age, and that's because it's a big rejuvenation mechanism and source of entertainment that light up my day and spirits, so in the light of that, today I'll tell you about my favorite sports.

While growing up, I'm met with a few sporting activities that are popular in my neighborhood, and most of us children are injured in them almost on a daily basis for entertainment, as we enjoy playing these games for the sake of it or competition purposes, and two of the most popular back then were table tennis and football, and I can remember we playing these at almost every given time and space we get.

In terms of table tennis, you'll find we young ones playing it both on a bid table, small tiny bench, even on the floor, and anywhere with a plain surface, and that's to show our love for it; however, it's not widely recognized or appreciated the way football is in our society and country at large, and that's why if you asked most of us back then about the name of the top table tennis legend, we wouldn't have a single name in mind, but ask about four, and the list would be endless.

I think football is the most popular sport out there, and it's evident here in Nigeria because basically everyone plays football when growing up regardless of the gender. I for one played a lot of football when growing up, and I played from a normal open football field to playing on an asphalt road on the street, which happened to be the most popular in my neighborhood then, even and my siblings played it at every single opportunity; we even played it inside the house when our parents went out and instructed us not to leave the house.

But fast forward to present day, I don't play football any longer, although it's worth noting that it's still my favorite sporting activity and I enjoyed it a lot, but lately all that I do is watch it on the television screen or visit a football field and watch others play. I just don't have the capacity to play it that much again like I used to in the past. I remember the last time I played a football match, I barely played 5 minutes before I became exhausted and was panting heavily for hours before I could catch my breath again.

So now I just watch and enjoy the beauty of football. I'm a big fan of Arsenal football club and have been following this football club for over twenty years and have witnessed our good and bad days, and I'm always hoping we'll get back to our best and start winning trophies again, like the good old days of Arsene Wenger, Henry, Pires, Dennis, and other Arsenal great players. Our current squad is trying their best but then needs to do better if at all they'll win come the new season.

I think the last two seasons, we are just unlucky that Gradiola is a coach in England; if not, we would have won the back-to-back league, but the Manchester City coach is a beast and a genius in the game of football. Although I think we can do the impossible this season if we can buy a deadly striker that will be scoring at least 20 league goals, if we can acquire such, coupled with what we've got on the field, I think we'll go far and win more games and ultimately the league or one major trophy this coming EPL season.

Aside from Arsenal, I'm also a big fan of Barcelona, Inter Miami, Argentina, or, in a nutshell, any nation or club side that appreciates Lionel Messi because he's my favorite footballer of all time, and I also believe he's the greatest of all time when it comes to football. He's also the most decorated football player of all time, so there's no debate about anyone being in his level when it comes to football.

There are several hilarious news stories I've heard and watched when it comes to football, and I can't help but laugh at those news stories sometimes. I remember Cristiano Ronaldo fans claiming the last FIFA World Cup was rigged in favor of Argentina, and that's why they had five penalties in the tournament; they said that forgetting that France also had the same amount of penalty in the 2018 World Cup, they won; even Morocco had a penalty in every single match they played in the just concluded Olympics, and yet there was nothing like rigging being shouted, but if it's Argentina you'll hear then cook up lies, I think those are just fabricated claims that's inspired by the pain of not seeing their favorite winning instead.

All photos taken and edited on canva.