How and when did you become fan of your club ?

When I was very young - must have been about six or seven years old - I saw a Man Utd shirt that I thought looked cool, so I asked my dad to get it for me. He told me that to get the Arsenal shirt next to it instead and, being the impressionable kid I was, I went with it. I barely had any idea who those clubs were.

After that, I sort of became a fan by osmosis. Arsenal would always be on the TV, and I'd always sit in a room with dad and brother watching them. I think I just got caught up in it all. Back then, I didn't really feel anything about football; Arsenal lost the 2001 FA Cup final and won the next two years and I don't remember being happy or sad about it. It wasn't until around 2004/2005, when I was 12 or 13, that I started to really get into it, probably because my dad had left and I was able to watch and concentrate on games without him shouting at the TV screen every 10 seconds.

It helped as well that I spent a lot of my teenage life surrounded by football fans; other Arsenal supporters, West Ham fans (I live close-ish to East London, so they're everywhere), Spurs fans, Man Utd fans (none of them were humble), Liverpool fans, Chelsea fans, even a Palace fan. You couldn't escape football discussion, really.

Was a fan of national team football (brazil in particular) till we installed a cable at home and I fell in love with shevchenko in the 2002/2003 season

Started using his team (milan) on winning eleven.. Then I fell in love with pirlo, rui costa, kaka, nesta and maldini
At that point I was convinced milan was the best in the world. I then became a fan

S wrote:and subsequently FIFA 05 where Juventus were bloody stacked and i loved that team.

had the game, Pavel Nedved used to score some screamers with him.

Anyway, think we've had something similar about this before, or maybe it was in the Arsenal section, I dunno. But might as well tell my story again,
In 2003, a lovely day, a moment/match went down which would turn out to be a pivotal part in my life and which will also take lots of credence when I write my number-one selling autobiography one day... Manchester United vs Arsenal, all I can recall is that my grandad and a friend of his was watching, I went into the tv room and sat on the floor on my little 6-year old ass, I saw my grandad cheering on the team in yellow, friend the team in red, so obviously with the blood running deep I also quietly (doubt loudly because I was a very quiet boy back then in them ages) cheered the team in yellow and that's how a love story began.

Of course I was still young and stupid and didn't know much, but Arsenal has really been there all the way through my childhood and until now, so as I grew older and smarter so did my love and interest for Arsenal Football Club.

I have small bits of memories of Patrick Vieira's goal against Leicester on the final day of our unbeaten season, and slightly more clearer ones of our 2005 FA Cup final. But needless to say, because of my age, the love and passion for football and the club still wasn't that big in me to enjoy and cherish it that much, but I've always been grateful that I at least have some form of recollection of them beautiful days

It's also really why the FA Cup victory last year meant so much to me personally, but still it was more of a relief (as to many other gooners) after all those years of waiting than anything else. In between and through the years I have grown fond and a deep adoration through all the trials and tribulations. I was really emotionally invested through ages 10-12/13, but I soon learned that the club had too much of a hold on my mood at times, so I grew out of that, and also the addition of high school and teenage years, learning new stuff and people and all that, also deflected some of my attention off Arsenal, however I believe that hasn't made me less passionate, instead - more appreciative and knowledgable.

When R9 came in 2002. I've also been a Brazil fan since that 2002 World Cup.

srigooner wrote:' pre-puberty hipster affection' -> pretty sure Moal still has those

Puberty? Nah

Just realised I made a mistake in the above post. Always confuse Tony Adams' goal vs Everton with Vieira's one against Leicester.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

srigooner wrote:' pre-puberty hipster affection' -> pretty sure Moal still has those

Puberty? Nah

And hence the 'pre-'

Mole the late bloomer

When I was very young, I wasn't that interested in football but everyone around me was so I tried to get into it. Dortmund was THE big club closest to my city and everyone obsessed about them. My father took me to a game but I foolishly wasn't impressed, Dortmund finished 3rd in the league (Koller, Dede, Rosicky ). So BVB kinda got me into football but I wasn't a 'fan' yet.

My older brother was a huge Arsenal fan and he made me watch Arsenal. I liked Arsenal's quick style from the first moment, but I wasn't a 'fan' immediately until Jens Lehmann joined Arsenal which sealed it for me. After Arsenal's invincibles there was no way back but my love for Arsenal kept growing over the years.

srigooner wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

srigooner wrote:' pre-puberty hipster affection' -> pretty sure Moal still has those

Puberty? Nah

And hence the 'pre-'

Mole the late bloomer

Better to be late than early

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

srigooner wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

Puberty?  Nah

And hence the 'pre-'

Mole the late bloomer

Better to be late than early

Spoiler:

Fashionably so

DAT R9 influence for Inter and RM fans
It's really truthful Nike spot about him    

Spoiler:

p.s. Zizzle, it ended 1-3 . Baggio was the difference maker of that play off when he was benched for the whole year by Lippi because they hate each other  .
Strange to think Baggio was ostracized in his career by Capello , Sacchi , Ancelotti ( not wanted to Parma ) , Lippi ..

Robespierre wrote:DAT R9 influence for Inter and RM fans
It's really truthful Nike spot about him    

Spoiler:

Best player I've ever seen



Cantona

So Hans is in his 30s ? Interesting to know..

iftikhar wrote:I probably got hooked with Liverpool around 1986-87. At that time we a program on FA Cup on TV (single channel, state-owned, BW).

A decade later we got cable TV and live games from English, Italian, Spanish and off-course Champions Leagues. It's at this point I realized that I'm hooked with Liverpool. My fascination with other clubs (Roma, Valencia, Leverkusen) also started at this point.

This is great. 86

Dani have some competition

Yep. Do I sound too childish?

S wrote:So Hans is in his 30s ? Interesting to know..

You just believed every word of what Hans said? Too naive.. tut tut..

Older than The Franchise

Hapless_Hans wrote:Yep. Do I sound too childish?

Not quite.But i do find you a little cocky for your age though.

I imagined you to be in the early/mid 20s actually.

srigooner wrote:

S wrote:So Hans is in his 30s ? Interesting to know..

You just believed every word of what Hans said? Too naive.. tut tut..

http://realmadridistas.net/Smileys/smileys%20I-no/3732984984.gif

That's basically due to mid-life crisis. I was very mature when I was younger.

Thought same thing , I believed he was   same my year basically
Good for him to have seen Bayern under the GOAT Trapattoni  and Rizzitelli

Valkyrja wrote:

Robespierre wrote:DAT R9 influence for Inter and RM fans
It's really truthful Nike spot about him    

Spoiler:

Best player I've ever seen



Cantona

Agreed

One day I was playing FIFA Tournament mode on the PS1, and I made a custom tournament and selected all the 5* and 4.5* teams, then it hit me. I supported them all.

El Shaarawy wrote:Older than The Franchise

Nah Franchise is 56 imo.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:One day I was playing FIFA Tournament mode on the PS1, and I made a custom tournament and selected all the 5* and 4.5* teams, then it hit me. I supported them all.

Early 90's. Was a young child, just getting into football. My cousin supported Leeds because they had just won the league that year and convinced my older bro to support them too He ended up being a Liverpool fan a couple seasons later

He tried to convert me too but I said nah, and saw a team play in red(my fav colour), Liked their name, liked their badge (for a kid that's important lol) and ofcourse I was entertained by the football and matches I saw of theirs and the rest is history. Little did I know the following season a dynasty was re-born.

One of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.

Hapless_Hans wrote:That's basically due to mid-life crisis. I was very mature when I was younger.

That's a shockingly low life expectancy for the first world