Following the White Rabbit

I’m just a south american on his late twenties, following Arsenal on a regular basis during the last fifteen years or so. There’s no story about getting myself to Highbury, which is something that I deeply regret. Instead, there’s a story about finding without searching, about curiosity and facing the unexpected.

Up to the late nineties, the access to international football over here used to be quite difficult as it was often expensive and reduced to a few matches. Hence, the world cup finals were often the best chance to watch European players in a whole match instead of the 30-seconds video in the news, being France 1998 the last one I enjoyed in that kind-of-romantic way. Lots of people surely remember all the gossip going around Brazil and Ronaldo, but I cherish for myself another memory, vivid and joyful, which leaded me to explore and find out something else. I gathered many newspapers and magazines (El Gráfico, anyone?) with info about the teams, read a lot about the players and, while I actually watched most of the games for the fun of it, I tended to sat down and follow the Dutch team, curious about their humongous keeper and the defender with a really powerful free kick*, the kind of things that get the kids curious and interested –I guess-. And there he was. I found Dennis Bergkamp.

I have a rather vague image of the goal against South Korea and the same happens with the goal to Yugoslavia. But the goal forever imprinted in my mind was the one he scored to Argentina. I watched it as it happened: the long pass from De Boer, the shadow of the roof on the field, Dennis running through it, then he jumps controlling the ball as he gets in the argentinian box -one touch-, moving it inwards past Ayala -second touch-, and an elegant punt with the right foot -third touch-. Goal. That player that looked unable to challenge opposing defenders actually got rid of them with three touches, sending Ayala to the shops, into a boat back home. I thought then (as I still do) that it was the best goal I have ever seen as it shows an incredible talent used as an effective resource to defeat the opponent.

After that, I followed this somehow physically unimpressive dutch to his club. And there you go, I found the Arsenal. I read and I learned. The interest grew as time went on and… we got cable at home. Then I kept following the trail of the non-flying-dutch on TV as he played great football with some great companions like Henry, Pirès and Vieira (only with online videos, I could see him playing with Wright), even assisting some fancy guy named Robin in his last matches. I still remember the countless Sundays I woke up at 7 am to watch the games, the Invincibles, and much, much more.

During all that time I never had a single shirt, poster or even a desktop background. I just wanted to learn as I followed the white rabbit, pretty much like the old story. True magic. And with magic came love. Support, emotion, despair, sadness. All of them. Love for the club, the team and the people that gathers around it. Even now that I can interact with fellow gunners around the globe through whatever social network is at hand, as the feeling comes closer while the family-like interaction gets stronger.

I followed the white rabbit and I feel like living in wonderland, one matchday at a time.

* I know you know I was talking about Ed de Goeij and Ronald Koeman.

 

Something I wrote in 2012 to be shared in a fansite now extinct.