Footballers You've Met?

estebancambias · 24-02-2008 05:37PM

Nunu wrote: »

Too many to list them all:cool:

...so, I'll pick out my favourites:

Eric Cantona (playing beach soccer in Lisbon!)
Eusebio
Franz Beckenbauer (and he gave me a Germany '06 t-shirt:D)
Zvonomir Boban
Dejan Savicevic (eating hot dogs behind the West stand in Lansdowne!)
'Pep' Guardiola
Jurgen Klinsmann
Giacinto Facchetti R.I.P. (had dinner with him at Italys Euro '04 HQ)
Massimo Oddo (beat him in a game of Pro-Evo:D...i'm not joking!)

How you meet all these?

Can someone explain the Dejan Savicevic incident for me.

Nunu · 24-02-2008 06:00PM

estebancambias wrote: »

How you meet all these?

Can someone explain the Dejan Savicevic incident for me.

Cantona, Eusebio, Beckenbauer, Klinsmann, Facchetti, Oddo and many more I met all in the space of a few weeks.

I spent a whole summer working as an accreditation officer for UEFA in Euro '04 so was lucky enough to spend time with loads of football personalities in private settings were they were much more relaxed and open than they might be in public.
The most memorable day was spending a whole day at Italys tournament HQ - first watching the players train and then hanging out with reporters/Rai Unos TV team/ex-players etc for the rest of the day...I was like a kid at Christmas!

The Dejan Savicevic incident was brilliant - Ireland were playing Yugosalvia in a qualifier and he was subbed at half-time. He was obviously well pissed off because he left the dressing room and headed out behind the stands to gorge on hot-dogs!! Couldn't believe it when we saw him there in his tracksuit. Not many fans even realised who he was, but us and a few others chatted with him and he was offering hot dogs all around...just wish i'd had a camera.

s_carnage · 25-02-2008 11:09AM

Scored a penalty on Dwight Yorke at a soccer camp years ago.

kev_s88 · 25-02-2008 02:13PM

met the whole irish team on many occasions.they always stay in the hotel just up the road from me so we always talk to them when they're just walking about.

funniest was the time when we found gary doherty in our local spar buying about 4 or 5 porno mags.we laughed for days....

also hit jason mcateer's room window with a firework

got to meet the whole celtic team back in '03 i think.they had an open training session before a match against Shels.just walked in and got pics taken and talked to them for a while

Jazzy · 25-02-2008 03:15PM

i ignored Niall Quinn at a bus stop before

in fairness, i had just left a bag on the bus i had got off with 200 quids worth of stuff in it so Big Niall wasnt exactly a priority

Xavi6 · 25-02-2008 03:45PM

s_carnage wrote: »

Scored a penalty on Dwight Yorke at a soccer camp years ago.

That wouldn't have been at the airport training ground would it? With Andy Townsend and Mark Wright as well?

CountryWise · 25-02-2008 03:59PM

Sizzler wrote: »

Steve McManaman, and he still continued the conversation when I said I supported Utd

I asked him what he thought opf Rafa and he said " I f**kin hate the way he f**ks around with team, no need for this squad rotation bollox".

Hardly surprising that old Stevie boy isnt a fan of the rotation system, didnt they rotate him at Real Madrid and forget to rotate him back in for a while

ibh · 25-02-2008 04:07PM

Met Paddy Kluivert in Barcelona not long after Ireland beat holland at Landsdowne. We had a great laugh with him and he took the slagging really well.
Also met Joseba Etxeberria who plays for Bilbao. Was wearing my Bilbao jersey in Barca and he approached me.. Never thought to get his autograph though..

Also met Quinner and had a pint with him. He was at a function in a hotel i worked in and when i finished i sat and had a bullsh1t about football in general.

gracehopper · 25-02-2008 04:30PM

I was in UCI in coolock watching batman begins and in walks the entire irish team. All the players looked chilled and relaxed and were drinking bottled water. Then Gary dohery strolls in last with a large popcorn, coke and a packet of maltesers in his tracksuit pocket. I broke my sh*te laughing.

Being a united fan i was obviously looking for keano and o shea. It turned out that these two decided to go and see monstor inc. i didnt get to meet them. They legged it onto the bus. Stephen Hunt stood outside the bus and signed autographs for all the kids.

_blank_ · 25-02-2008 04:38PM

gracehopper wrote: »

Stephen Hunt stood outside the bus and signed autographs for all the kids.

Top, top bloke is Hunty

I met himself, Doyler and Longy in Coppers the night of the LoI Cup Final in December. I'm sure Steve Coppell would love to see them photos.

Met most of the United squad in The Point backstage bar the night before Bex's wedding, it was a Fatboy Slim concert, I used to work there. I called Phil Gary

I asked Giggs where Keane was, but he wasn't there.

I met David James in there once too, really nice fella, he gave me an autograph for my brother because they have the same birthday.

Met a shedload of LoI footballers, too many to mention really.

prendy · 25-02-2008 05:11PM

i met the entire Liverpool team a few years ago in the tunnel at pride park as they were getting off the coach.
was gutted at the time as mcmanaman wasnt in the squad that day.
remember havin a good chat with david james and steve staunton as they walked out to check the condition of the pitch. jamie redknapp was also awfull sound that day!

have photos with most of them.

_blank_ · 25-02-2008 05:13PM

prendy wrote: »

remember havin a good chat with ... steve staunton

:eek::eek:

prendy · 25-02-2008 05:15PM

i know i know!!!
but he WAS a good footballer once upon a time!
okay maybe it wasnt a great chat!:D

DSB · 25-02-2008 05:19PM

Was in Lee Hendrie's house back when I was 11.

MrJoeSoap · 25-02-2008 05:26PM

DSB wrote: »

Was in Lee Hendrie's house back when I was 11.

And what did Lee say to you on the occasion in question?

DSB · 25-02-2008 05:28PM

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

And what did Lee say to you on the occasion in question?

Just asked me was I going to the match the next day and gave me an autograph etc. It was ten years ago and I was a little lad so I can't remember much.

MrJoeSoap · 25-02-2008 05:30PM

DSB wrote: »

Just asked me was I going to the match the next day and gave me an autograph etc. It was ten years ago and I was a little lad so I can't remember much.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.

DSB · 25-02-2008 05:33PM

...

_blank_ · 25-02-2008 05:37PM

What happened there?

Xavi6 · 25-02-2008 05:40PM

Lol I await the explanation

MrJoeSoap · 25-02-2008 05:44PM

Forget about it.

Those Panathanaikos fans look mighty like Celtic fans Des, bar the fact its a basketball game.

River Plate ftw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VvSvHDscKI

_blank_ · 25-02-2008 05:50PM

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Those Panathanaikos fans look mighty like Celtic fans Des, bar the fact its a basketball game.

:mad:

Panathinaikos are the real Irish club. See the size of the Shamrock, at least double the size of Celtic's one.

Anyway, it doesn't matter that it's basketball, they are still the Panatha Ultras. They support the club, not just the football team.

Legendary chanting.

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

River Plate ftw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VvSvHDscKI

Meh, Cork City sing that song.

I can't stand it.

Ole-OleOleOle-Ola biy.:D

patmac · 25-02-2008 05:52PM

Played a game of darts with George Best in a pub in the middle of London one Saturday lunchtime circa 1988, dead sound he had to leave us to spend the afternoon in the casino across the road, ah George where did all go wrong.

Played a game of pool and drank pints with Aldo 3 years ago in Pria de Luz very sound man.

MrJoeSoap · 25-02-2008 05:55PM

DesF wrote: »

Meh, Cork City sing that song.

Cork Village

patmac wrote: »

Played a game of darts with George Best in a pub in the middle of London one Saturday lunchtime circa 1988, dead sound he had to leave us to spend the afternoon in the casino across the road, ah George where did all go wrong.

Played a game of pool and drank pints with Aldo 3 years ago in Pria de Luz very sound man.

Very cool. Best that is, not Aldo.

Zonda999 · 25-02-2008 06:48PM

I met Mick McCartthy back in the day.About a year before Saipan i might add.He was'nt very enthusiastic about chatting which made it quite obvious he was being paid to attend that particular event:D

guinnessdrinker · 25-02-2008 06:49PM

When I was a kid me and some friends seen Mark Lawerenson at a LOI game. At half time me and one of my friends seen him walking towards our direction so we stuck out our hands to try and shake his hand but he just walked straight by us. But another friend at the same match said he seen him giving somebody an autograph so he can't be all that bad.

flyswatter · 25-02-2008 09:03PM

I saw Phil Babb walking on the other side of the road once!

iregk · 25-02-2008 11:05PM

The wife's brother used to play for Bolton so I've met quite a lot of footballers over the years. By far the two nicest were David James and Kevin Kilbane. Two absolute top blokes.

The two worst were Stephen Gerrard and Stig Bjornaby, the latter being in a league of his own all together.

scaramanga · 26-02-2008 12:07AM

Matt Holland at Stansted airport the day after the 2004 Heineken cup final
met Niall Quinn and Stan in Spain (different occasions)
Dwight Yorke in Sydney (crazy man)
o ya was in Beunos Aires in 2006 was leaving a club late one nite and some fella called Maradonna was coming in with his enterage:cool:

cournioni · 26-02-2008 12:14AM

I met Beckham before he became a "super star". Very friendly chap, had time for everybody that was there. Met Henning Berg also, seemed a bit pissed off that he wasn't in the United team at the time. Can't really think of too many others... Am friends with James Hand (formerly of Huddersfield now with Monaghan United), played GAA against Martin Reilly (formerly of Burnley) and went to school with Cillian Sheridan of Celtic.

Footballers You've Met?

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