Dear France Team,
My name is Kin. My parents are from Hong Kong and China, so I don’t have any special family ties to football. When I was a kid, the sport at home was table tennis. Always table tennis. So I started playing soccer in kindergarten during breaks, when my friends and I tried to replicate the skill moves we saw in the Captain Tsubasa manga series.
Now I love soccer, and it’s my passion along with travel and photography. When I can unite the three, it’s ideal. I’ve experienced many great moments over the years traveling to see you, and some not-so-great ones too. One of my earliest memories of Blues was Zinédine Zidane’s stunning performance in the game against Norway in February 1998 on television. The game ended in a 3-3 tie, but the score didn’t matter, what mattered was the privilege of seeing Zizou play.
I was 11 at the time and I remember seeing the team and coaching staff passing by my parents’ supermarket after that special victory over Brazil in that same year. I always dreamed of seeing the team play in a stadium, and that dream finally came true ten years later, when I went to watch a friendly against Uruguay. It was one of Hugo Lloris’ first games.
Since then, I’ve been doing everything I can to be in the stadiums watching you as much as I can. I covered five thousand kilometers to watch you, driving across Europe during Euro 2020. I even lost a job in the past to go on vacation to follow you in Russia. Fortunately, it was all worth it when we lifted the trophy!
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to go to world Cup from Qatar. I won’t be able to create lasting memories with my best friends. I will not sing The Marseillaise in the stadium before the ball rolls. But I’ll do it at home, hoping you bring the trophy to France for the third time.
I wish you the best!
Kin
