That one (or those two) moment...

On the football messageboard (inhabited by equally maniacal football fanatics as I am, from all around the world), there was this recent post requesting us to choose that one favourite ever moment in football for us ......

It might have been a goal, it might have been the blowing of a final whistle or it might have purely been a beautiful bit of football, but what ONE moment in football do you remember more than any other as being your favourite?

And I was a bit late in responding, there's a bit of work to be done, and Boise is freezing... I saw one of my favourite posters on the forum say this about his favourite moment...

Platini's goal against Brazil in the QF of WC1986.

That game changed my life! From a football enthusiast, I became a die hard fan of the game.... my brothers were supporting Brazil, and I was supporting France, specially Platini... what a game, still ranks as one of the best I have ever seen.

And this is what I wrote, as a reply to his post...

That tournament converted me from a kid without a clue to a convert to the beautiful game. I remember that game vividly, my most striking memories being Zico's penalty miss, and in the same tie-breaker, Joel Bats standing still and not diving, and Socrates who was sxpecting him to move, letting go a tame chip straight to his arms.

My life-changing moment was a few days before though. I, seven then, had nodded off while watching the match, when Baba (that's what I call my dad) woke me up -- "It was a handball". he has always been an England supporter .... I, a Diego fan before a football fan till them, was frantically quarrelling with him... how dare he accuse my superhero... When that meandering, mazy run happened.... Life's never been the same since.

My favourite club football memory was much more recent... the Champions League 2006 finals. I was extremely happy that two of my favourite teams were in the finale.... and I promised the others in the group I was watching the match with, that I will be supporting good football... But well, as the match progressed, I continued to get more and more biased, so much so that while I did not mask my disappointment when Lehmann was sent off, by the time Campbell nodded in the goal, I was distraught...... And then, in the last few minutes, I was cheering louder than any of the other Barca supporters.... Cheering against Arsenal! I cannot quite believe myself being so frenetic then now, but I have clearly decided on which of the two was my favourite team.... Thank you, Henrik Larsson, and thank you, Juliano Belletti. May you have a great time at Chelsea. Just screw up on a clearance once, next weekend, alright??