When I was growing up, the World Cup always felt like the pinnacle of football. The sticker albums, the wallcharts, the opportunities to relive the greatest moments while having a kickabout with friends. Trying to replicate Ray Houghton’s lofted strike against Italy in 1994; Dennis Bergkamp’s ridiculous pull down and volley against Argentina in 98; or, for when you really didn’t want to be in goal, David Seaman’s desperate backwards flailing against Brazil in 2002.
While I wasn’t a bad player, the dawning realisation that I’d never get close to doing it professionally didn’t diminish my enthusiasm as a fan, or my interest in finding a career related to football. At university, I sat in the press box at Lincoln City covering matches, and eventually found myself working on one of the longest-running and most successful football video games – one I’d played religiously from my early teens.
