Planes, trains and automobiles – that’s how I’m getting around Germany for my 2006 World Cup road trip which kicked off last Friday!
I’ve just played for Germany in the European Under-21 Championships but now it’s time to let my hair down, kick back, and concentrate on watching rather than playing football!
The idea is to visit as many different host cities as possible – and if I can’t get into watch games at the actual stadiums, I’ll just be out amongst the crowds soaking up the atmosphere and watching on all the big screens that are up all over the place.
It’s all about soaking up the World Cup fever that’s gripped the place. I’ve been in England since I signed for Arsenal as a 16 year old, so I don’t feel I really know Germany very well.
Usually, the summer is about escaping football, but this is a one off occasion – my country might not host a World Cup again for a long time, so I just want to make sure I experience it. I still have the target of making the full national team at some point, and hopefully playing in a World Cup.
But the good thing about not taking part is that I won’t get pestered for tickets - I’ll be doing the pestering this time! You can keep up with all of my World Cup adventures every day by reading my diary here…
An early start on Friday morning. Had to leave my house in Siegen at 4.30am to make the 7am flight from Cologne to Hamburg, the first destination. Headed straight over to Hamburg’s Park Hyatt where the US team are staying to catch up with my Fulham team mates, Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride.
No mistaking it’s the American hotel – had to show my passport and have my bag searched just to get into the lobby! Eventually caught up with Carlos - looked more like he was on holiday than playing in a major international football competition! They’re all strollin’ about in shorts and flip flops – just like they’re on holiday!
Left Carlos to his flip flops and headed off to watch Germany-Costa Rica at this huge concrete bunker bar in the middle of Hamburg which overlooked a huge square where thousands of fans had gathered to watch the match on a big screen. With Hamburg in the background it was a stunning sight – the whole place has gone absolutely football mad!
Good to see such attacking football and so many goals in an opener – but maybe that’s because neither of the two sides actually know how to defend! Being in any city where Germany play means loads of people wearing lederhosen – always good for a giggle. Not had any since I was a kid, but am getting tempted. Watch this space!
Headed back to the American HQ on Saturday morning. Their families had just arrived and my girlfriend Anneke is good friends with Brian McBride’s wife, so we all met up for a coffee before the US players headed off for their first game in Gelsenkirchen. Think Carlos Bocanegra is slowing going native – he loves Hamburg.
He was also telling me about the police escorts their team bus gets every time they go anywhere – even to training! God bless America! Seems that some of the Americans are a bit green though – apparently a few were seen trying to pay for things using dollars!! Think they may be mistaking the motherland for some kind of small Latin country where the dollar talks!
Had a quick chat with Kolo Toure on the phone - going to pick up my match tickets was from their hotel was a slightly different experience from the American base - I just walked straight in! Being a match day there was no way I’d have got to see him. Hopefully soon though.
Next, the most important job of the day - buying my Ivory Coast shirt to wear to the game. Wasn’t easy mind – sold out everywhere! Found an extra large at the Hamburg stadium shop - like wearing a bright orange tent!
Argentina – Ivory Coast, what a contest! The tempo was insane, and the technical level was really high on both sides. Seriously proud of Kolo and the boys – an incredible performance for a first ever World Cup appearance, especially given the opposition.
The second Argentina goal was pure class though. Thought Kolo’s brother Yaya looked pretty good too. He was on trial at Arsenal when I was there – I’m not sure where he ended up though. Will look it up in my Panini album – when I arrived back in Germany last week, my brother told me he’d bought the World Cup version.
After giving him no end of stick for it, went out and got one myself, along with about 20 packs of stickers! So one of my many ambitions for this trip is to fill he album!
Sunday morning, and off to Hamburg airport for the flight to Cologne. While at the check-in desk I clocked Cameroon legend Roger Milla. Absolutely had to get over and talk to him, so ripped the boarding card out of the check-in girl’s hand and legged it over across the airport.
But my bag was still open and right in front Milla, its entire contents came flying out all over the floor – including all my autograph cards I had to give to the kids in my hometown! Couldn’t have been any more embarrassing - I’m desperately trying to pick up all my stuff – especially the pictures – and he’s there looking a bit confused while this crazy German kid is scrabbling around at his feet!
Managed to get a picture with him before he went off to catch his flight, and turned out he was on the same plane as me so collared him again at the gate – poor bloke! Tried to have a chat in my best broken French – asked him what he’d made of the Ivory Coast game but didn’t have a clue what he was on about when he answered.
Think it was something to do with Ivory Coast not having as much experience... Tried asking him who was his tip to win the competition. Got a bit more of this answer – said he needed to wait to see all the teams play first (…I think!) Told him I played in England - but he just looked at me blankly.
Was either totally unimpressed or didn’t have the faintest idea what I was on about! Bumped into him again at the baggage carousel at Cologne airport and got him to sign my Panini sticker album – not a bad autograph for the first one!
My friend picked me up at Cologne airport in his Vauxhall Corsa which he bought on eBay for 140 Euros! Watched Serbia-Holland at my friend’s and then down to the beach volleyball area by the stadium to watch Iran-Mexico on the big screen.
Got a call from Edwin van der Sar who was on his way back from the Holland-Serbia game - think the Dutch boys were pretty happy to have got that first win on the board. Dropped a few hints about tickets for the Holland-Ivory Coast game – we’ll see if he picked up on them! Am trying to sort him out with getting into a restaurant near where he’s staying so surely if I scratch his back….??!
Headed off to buy Portugal and Angola shirts – got both but opted go for Portugal at the match in support of my Fulham team mate Luis Boa Morte who’d sorted me out with a ticket. Amazing atmosphere in the stadium – the Angolan fans just didn’t care about winning or losing. They were just getting off on being there. Have to say, Angolan football is a little behind that of the Ivory Coast – surprised it was only 1-0 in the end. Could have been five!
Headed to the Portugal hotel straight after to try and catch up with Boa. Met a load of Angolans on the train out of the stadium. Had a singsong and ended up losing my brand new Angola shirt in a bet about pull-ups using those metal bars you get on train carriages!
Boa had been pulled for a drugs test after the game but he eventually turned up in a FIFA car. Had a quick chat and gave him my Portugal shirt to be signed. After some fine dining on 1 Euro pizza, it was back to the hotel to bed so I could be up early for the early morning flight from Cologne to London for the second of my A-Level maths papers. But instead of revising, spent the entire flight organising the 15 packs of Panini stickers I bought at the airport!