My Game

Eniola Aluko (footballer, England): For me, football is a gift. I grew up playing football not really knowing how I was good or why I was good at football. In my local area, there were a lot of boys, so for me, football was my quickest way of being accepted. Playing the game was to be accepted amongst boys, and then I quickly became the girl that was better than the boys. So, it became an identity for me, playing football, being cool because I could play, and the boys thought I was cool because I could play. So, from a young age, even though I’m different from the boys, or different in terms of my background, it’s something that actually became acceptance.

Maxwell (assistant sporting director, Brazil): Football brings everybody together. There’s no difference between boys or girls, rich or poor, everybody has a ball, everybody can play on the streets. I come from a culture where everybody loves to play football and this is something that impressed me. The purity of the game and the passion of the game brings people together.

Vaclav Sindelar (massage therapist, Czech Republic): Football is accessible to everyone, all over the world, regardless of race, age… It’s accessible to children, the middle aged, adults, pensioners, all people around the world together. More than anything else, it gives me optimism and energy in my life. This is something we blind people need a lot.

Denis Glushakov (footballer, Russia): I think football is the most popular sport that can be played anywhere. On the streets, at home, everyone can play it. And it’s good for your health. It’s better to go outside to run and play rather than sit inside at the PC or play a console. Of course, everyone plays FIFA but it’s better to play for real.

Moussa Dembele (footballer, France): I learned almost everything I know through football. It taught me a lot of things in terms of acting as a man, as a human being and as a footballer too. It really means a lot to me.

Giorgio Chiellini (footballer, Italy): Football is about joy, passion and also relating to others because when you’re part of a squad, you have to know how to conduct yourself and show respect to coaches, referees and your opponents. Football has so many qualities that have to taught, particularly to young children.

Alberto Botia (footballer, Spain): All over the world, football sparks passion and gives off the message that, from the first minute to the last, anything is possible. You see the passion shown by children and parents, people from all walks of life, when they go to matches, and that shows that the love of football transcends racial and national boundaries. Passion for football is everywhere.

Panagiotis “Takis” Lemonis (coach, Greece): I think that what we love about football is the unpredictability. This may be the most democratic sport. Everybody has the right to win whether you’re an amateur or professional. For 90 minutes all social differences are levelled out. We see, for example, famous lawyers or politicians who are sitting in the stands and celebrate goals. This is the magic of football.

And many more…