I'll be totally honest - and it may shock some Aficionados out there, but it was only today, one day before the tournament kicks off that World Cup fever really hit me...
I think in the last couple of weeks I just got a bit sick of the press overload particularly on the commute into work - free newspaper in the morning, free newspaper in the evening and three free magazines throughout the week... It felt like I had hourly updates on the latest injuries, squads, tactics, backroom staff, their tactics, words said, words not said, expert opinions on this, expert opinions on that... the list was endless and I wanted to do watch football!
But over the last few days that all changed... it was just a few wee things, but it got the World Cup fire going in my belly!
I was reminiscing with my Dad about Italy's victory four years ago in Germany, how several hundred of us watched the dramatic final unfold on a big screen in a packed hall in north London and then went down to Trafalger Square to party the night away - a feeling I'll never forget!
Dad chipped in with his memory of making exactly the same trip down to Trafalger Square to celebrate when Italy won back in '82, except he'd had my older brother who was only one at the time on his shoulders! Out came the family album and proudly produced the photographic evidence!
At the same time out came the photos and stories of him as a young man with his mates at the '74 Finals in West Germany - not one of Italy's finest outing's as they failed to make it past the group stages, but the beer and bratwurst made up for that!
Also I got word today that my little boy received his first Italy shirt that I'd sent him earlier in the week. Born and growing up in Northern Ireland, it made me feel incredibly proud to be passing on part of my Italian heritage to him through the beautiful game.

Walking home this evening, I did pick up one of those free papers. Avoiding the back pages and thumbing from the front, I stopped a few pages in at an advert for Louis Vuitton shot by Annie Leibovitz, I'd seen it before and the nostalgia made me smile to myself...
Maradona, Pelé and Zidane.
Three exceptional journeys. One historical game.

As I type this post in the early hours of the 11th June, skipping between classic World Cup moments on YouTube and articles I'd torn out, one of them on the genius of Signor Capello, I was definitely feeling the World Cup fever!
Forza England!
Come on Italy!