Claim to Fame Thread

[Vince]

I met Jean-Alain Boomsong and Olivier Kapo at a summer football camp. We talked with them and Boomsong was ref during some games we played. Boomsong is a very nice guy, very funny.

I played footy at a good level when I was younger, in Paris's suburb. I played in the Sylvain Wiltord stadium once (it's the stadium of his first Club). Anyway, I played with/against some guys who became pro. I've no regret coz I knew there were a big gap between me and those guys.

And I use talk with Coquelin on msn, who is a very good lad.

.. And Darren Tulett (who is very famous in France, probably the famousest english in France) is honorary member of my association. He's a real gooner, and he's the guy who talk about English football in French tv (he has a Tv Show called "Match Of Ze Day" ). I met him twice, and he has told us a lot of great stories about Arsenal players or ex-Arsenal players or manager.

[U.F.G Anfield '89]

me and my dad met professor robert winston at the 2001 fa cup final. we just get a better class of fan at arsenal.

[Gooner Jim]

my m8 knows Alex song as his dad works for the Cameroon embassy, he got my m8 sorted with a pay as you go season ticket thing.

[gusher311]

The closest I've come to any footballer is by using Liam Brady's season tickets last season for my first game. I didn't meet him, but it was a suprise when I saw his name on the membership cards

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

Going for a footy/rock'n'roll connnection here. When I was about 10, a mate who lived up my road had an older sister (18/19) who had a boyfriend called Steve Harley who we played footy with in his back garden who later turnd out to be the Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel fame, one for the teenagers there He had a limp due to childhood polio but was game to have a kick about with us young whippersnappers

[Bergkamp-Genius]

Played against quite a few at schoolboy level that went on to do well and have met a few whilst training at different clubs as a youth....most unlikely and memorable was playing in an under 14 tournament in France... one of the teams we played was Benfica boys whose manager was Eusebio... i got a chance to say hello and shake his hand..embarrassingly most of our players had never heard of him..

[MM99]

played football with cesc fabregas in our local town park with a few of my mates for some spanish tv ad.

[potter]

Walking through the plaza mayor in a town near Barcelona, I saw a man playing football with a group of kids. I said to my missus : see that guy he's played at a very high level " after they packed up he came into a bar we were drinking in and he was introduced as Bakero the Barcelona and Spanish international.

[brazilianGOONER]

On November 26, 2005, Náutico was very close to returning to the Brazilian top division. Playing against Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense at home, in Recife, they needed a win to secure a spot in the Brazilian first division. Having already missed a penalty shot in the first half, the team were awarded another penalty kick in the second half, following a personal foul that resulted in the sending off of 4 players on Grêmio's side. That penalty kick was also missed. Náutico then had a player sent off. Despite being outnumbered 7 to 10 players, Anderson scored to Grêmio and secured a spot in the 2006 First Division league. This game came to be known as "A Batalha dos Aflitos" (The Battle of the Afflicted), a literal play on the stadiums name. Two DVDs and a book were released about this match

whats so special about this?

Not easily impressed, are you Samis!

Sounds like a cracking game, Brazilian!

it's a very emotional story, it's unbelievable. i was already an arsenal supporter for long time, of course, but gremio is my second team, so it still moves me until today. imagine that gremio is one the biggest brazilian clubs, and in 2004 they were relegated to the second division (something like newcastle now, but a little worse). well, the team was very young (there was anderson and lucas leiva for example) and not very good, but it was major embarassment for such a great team to be in the second division. well, the following year, they were doing a fine job to return to the brazilian premiership, but a few slips made them need a draw in the last game IF some other results went bad. it just happened that all other results did go bad, and gremio needed a draw at nautico's stadium (something like 5000 quilometers from porto alegre, gremio's city) to go back to the premier league. it wasn't hard to get, since gremio vs nautico would be something like newcastle vs hartlepool, but then the game started. if gremio won the game, they'd be champions of the second division - a draw would make them promoted as second and a defeat would mean hell and 4th place.

in the first half, penalty to nautico (with gremio dominating the game). the fellas missed it. ok, lets keep it on, gremio thought, and the game moved on. at around 37 of the second half, the game nil-nil and becoming a little comfortable for gremio, a guy from nautico kicks the ball in the CHEST of gremio's right back one full yard OUTSIDE the box and the referee gives a penalty. gremio's players go mad, the rightback already had a yellow card and gets sent off for complaining. the others go completely nuts, and one of them kicks the referre, gets sent of, another pushes the referee, gets sent off, and one does not let the referee put the ball in the penalty spot - sent off as well. so gremio has now 7 players, a penalty against, and if they lose the match, a club who won the america twice gets to spend another year in the second division. i was wasted at home, the city completely silent, my mates crying and desperate. gremio's managers and staff and even the directors invade the pitch, and it takes like 20 minutes for the police to make them all go away. over 10 thousand people who were gathered in a big park here in the city to watch gremio's return to the premiership were seated, most of them crying, desperate.

nautico's player goes to take the penalty kick. gremio's goalkeeper, a 20-year-old called gallato saves it. i thought my building was going to fall out. then everybody realised the truth - there were around 8 minutes of football to be played, and gremio were playing in a 4-2-0 tactic, against 11 players. nautico attacked in everyway they could, and gremio were hanging on.

just after that, and gremio gets a foul in the left side of midfield. nautico's player gets sent off, and gremio takes the free kick very quickly (dont ask me why, we should hold it!) and the ball is given to anderson. he dribbles 2 or 3 players, and FUCKING SCORES A FUCKING GOAL. god damn it, gremio had 7 players on the pitch. gremio holds on for another 5 minutes and the game ends, and gremio becomes second division champions.

it was around 7pm. most of the streets here in porto alegre were closed, and i drived and partied until the sun rose the following day. i think i kept myself drunk for a week.

guys, i left a few details out, it's very long story. but here you can have an idea:

(penalty and goal here, and you can see the park i mentioned):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDjFI5OKqg

believe me, my eyes are completely filled with tears once again. unbelieveble.

[Where's Charlie fishing?]

I once played for Hackney in a London District Cup Final against Camden on the hallowed turf of Highbury. Game finished 0-0 and we shared the trophy.
We'd beaten Leon Knight's (went on to play for Chelsea and then Brighton, I think) Tower Hamlets side in the semis.

Also was presented with an award by the legend Charlie George at my club's end of season ceremony at Waltham Forest Town Hall when I was about 12. Heady days indeed....

[mrgnu1958]

Well my claim to fame is this.
I once had Lisa Rogers in me cab and when she got out,
i drove round the corner and LICKED her seat for half an hour.

[Chippy]

Robert Green's Mum and Dad live around the corner from us (literally). We assume he's there when we see the Aston Martin outside.

He also went to my son's junior school.

[franksav63]

Played football (school) against Dean Coney (think he went to Robert Clack)

Bob McNab came to our school to give training in the late 70's...

Franksav, you must be from the Dagenham area. What school did you play for?

I was, (sort of) Chadwell Heath mate, (actually I think Dean Coney went to Erkenwald) I went to Warren (when I actually turned up)

[franksav63]

Oi...

[dbrien]

I play football with Oleg Luznhy, nice bloke and although he wasnt the best player AFC ever had, he is class for us!