You Never Forget Your First

Just the other day, I got invited to play in a curtain raiser for an S-League match and while we were getting ready, some of the guys and I started talking about our boots and when we got our first pair, what brand it was, and how.  Well, after reading Miyagi’s post, I decided to share my story about my first pair of football boots…..

Ever since I was a kid, I had always been interested in football.

For as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to get out and have a kickabout with the boys.  Somehow, I never got good enough to get into the team.  That never stopped me from bugging my parents to get me a pair of football boots because there was a church football competition happening and I HAD to have a pair of boots.

My folks always “teased” me by making me walk past this shop near Bedok Interchange that sold football boots and there was this one pair that always caught my eye.  On hindsight, it must have been tough for them to see their son wanting that pair of boots so much (when he’s not that good anyway, he’s going to outgrow the boots in a flash of an eye, and it cost about $50 if I remember correctly).

After a while, I gave up bugging them for it and sort of gave up the dream of ever owning my own pair of football boots.  Until….. my birthday came rolling around.

I still remember the day, we were at my grandparents house in Toa Payoh, everyone was there, my parents, my sister, uncles, aunties and cousins and we had a cake and all.  Then, my dad hands me my present.  I knew in an instant what it was.  The unmistakable shape of a shoe box!  Could it be?  I was quite sure I knew what it was, and yet, I was afraid to open it for fear that I was wrong.  I didn’t want to open it.  I was excited, yet, I was scared I was going to be disappointed.  After some urging from my cousins, I opened my present, and there it was.  That pair of football boots, that up till that day, I had only dreamt of owning.

I was estatic!  There were no words that could describe my feelings when I unboxed the boots and tried them on in the middle of hall of my grandparents house.  I really couldn’t wait for the following weekend to come (that was when the first game was going to be played).

Now, the boots didn’t last very long, I think it lasted only for the duration of the competition, which allowed me to wear it a total of 6 times before I actually outgrew them and had to give them away.  I don’t remember what happened from then until now, but you know what?  Try asking any guy who plays football and most of them will always remember their first pair of boots.

Some other things do last…… like memories……