chloe
So, the World Cup of 2018 is over and it has been so special to me. Football has been something that’s been important to me and around me for my whole life. My dad used to take me to Plymouth games when I was a child growing up there, and now takes me to Villa and Tottenham matches because they’re ‘our’ teams. And, of course, I’ve ALWAYS loved and supported the England team as they are my national side.
I must admit, going into this World Cup, I wasn’t expecting much from England. I was expecting to enjoy the tournament because I always do, I always watch every single match. Even matches that clash, I’ll watch one live and then catch up with the other one. But, I wasn’t expecting too much from England, it’s a young squad and I can’t lie, I was nervous going in. I thought we’ll get knocked out early this time and maybe 2022 with be our time to shine. But, oh my goodness was I wrong. Watching England play these last few weeks has been nothing but an absolute pleasure. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, jumped up, felt absolute tension and anxiety and yes I’ve let it’s coming home slip out more than once. And, I’ve loved every single second of it.
From the first match when we won 2-1 a little glimmer of hope has been shining in front of me. Maybe we were going to make the quarter final after all and it was something to hold onto. Every single match has been so good to watch, watching these players grow in confidence and talent, watching the country grow happy and more together has been amazing. There’s been a lot of separation in our country lately and for a few weeks we’ve had a bigger sense of togetherness than we have for a very long time and that’s all down to Gareth Southgate and these players.
And, I know what some people will say, that we “didn’t win” and we got knocked out in the semi-final but in some ways we DID win. Not only did we get further than anyone thought we did, we’ve got an England team that we can truly be proud of for the first time in a very, very long time, a team full of players that actually want to be there and we’ve been together and happy and the country has felt united. It’s been such an incredible few weeks that I’ll never forget and I know this isn’t the end. This England team is going to go so far in the future, it’s full of bright stars that care so much about England and how well they’re doing. I cannot wait to see what the future holds to see these players grow in confidence and talent and to see Southgate do more amazing things. So, the trophy didn’t come home but in a way football still did. This team managed to unite the country and bring us a huge sense of hope and happiness and for that, I’m so thankful!
- Let us know your highlights of the 2018 World Cup by tweeting us @Fuzzable.
