Moshe Emilio Lavi

France ’98 is where it all started.

It was my first World Cup, and it came two summers after my first trip outside Israel, to France, the Netherlands and England. With Israel absent, I was naturally drawn to those national teams, while Italy held a special place because it was my dad’s chosen team.

But really, it was about the players. Zidane, Ronaldo, Batistuta, Bergkamp, Del Piero, Owen, Laudrup, Šuker. Names that still take me straight back to childhood, to the TV screen and the Panini sticker albums.

Back then, France had a slight edge because of one magical player, Zinedine Zidane, and the incredible team around him. But four years later, my growing Arsenal obsession sealed it. @england became my team.

I still remember the 2002 quarter-final against Brazil. Ronaldinho’s free kick. David Seaman, my Arsenal goalkeeper, caught off his line. That sinking feeling as England went out. That match has stayed with me ever since.

Yesterday, 24 years later, I finally watched England in person for the first time. And not just any match. A World Cup quarter-final against Norway, the country where I spent two formative years of high school.

The songs before kick-off. The nerves. Going behind. The comeback. The celebrations. Thousands of England fans living every second together.

From 1998 to 2026. My first England match. My first World Cup quarter-final in person. And this time, England were the ones heading to the semi-final.

I doubt I’ll be there to watch England take on Argentina in person, but who knows? All it takes is one second of a YOLO mindset. Either way, I can’t wait for the whistle to blow and for another World Cup classic to begin.

P.S. It’s (maybe) coming home 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿