Run of play

I don't know how this exactly happened, but somewhere along the line I've become crazily addicted to soccer. It's all the stranger because it completely came out of nowhere. I still have trouble getting myself to refer to it as football, as is common everywhere else in the world. Football to me is still the one and only game played with pigskin, where my New York Giants will always reign supreme in my mind. Speaking with friends in Hebrew makes it a bit easier to concede that point though..

I suppose the seeds were sown back in 2009 when I was still in the army, and Avram Grant was still at the helm in Chelsea. It was the Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona, and it was a huge deal here in Israel. Barcelona being the most beloved team here, and Avram Grant its native son. I remember just how high the competitive spirit was at the time. Apart from playing in a youth league as a kid, where I totally just coasted along, this was my first real exposure to the highest level of the sport where I actually paid attention and cared. I was completely into it. Barca ended up scoring in the final minutes to take it, and would then later match up against Manchester United and ultimately dominate to win the Champion's League that year. Watching Barcelona was like seeing masters of their craft at work, the best of the best, the finesse, the skill, it was all there like nothing I had seen before. Anyone with any appreciation for seeing talent displayed at the highest level I think would be in awe. That was the beginning, which allowed me to finally understand the fanatic FC Barcelona cult that exists worldwide, especially in Israel. 

Messi. The King.