MOOD #06 - Childhood Sports Heroes of a 92 Kid

I was born in 1992, when Jordi was rocking Dur dur d'etre Bébé et Marco Van Basten was winning the Ballon d'Or. Some year altogether, you might say and you'd be right.

This means my key memories as a sports fans arrived at the end of the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s. We won't dwell on any of the French world champions in 1998, even I am sick of them at this point. (Zizou my love I hope you'll forget me). 

I just felt like talking of sportsmen and women that put stars in my eyes, and they are not here because of their career but because of moments, frozen in time, that bring all the nostalgia in me and make me feel 10 again.

Djibril Cissé (& that Auxerre Team)

He ran at the speed the light, hit the ball like a man possessed. And that was pretty much all he did, but boy did he do it well and with style. The hair, the smile, the heartbreaking injuries. His career has been a crazy ride, from Greece to Corsica, Marseille and Liverpool of course. We'll never know what an injury free Djib' would have achieved but he was such a fun player, specially when you are 11 watching him. Give that man a nice ball in the space at the edge of the box on his right foot and he would fire it in the net with a Shaolin Soccer-like kind of power. Baller.

Steffi Graf (& Roland Garros 1999)

She made 1999 Martina Hingis cry (well the crowd and the tension of the moment did really) and frankly at that time, that's all that mattered. Fact that a great champion at the dusk of her career managed one last hurrah went a bit above my very young head at the time. I hate Martina, I was 7 but I vividly remember rooting first against her and then for Steffi. Once I got to know Steffi's career better, well, 7 yo me was a tennis expert what can I say.

Richard Virenque (& the Festina mess of 98)

''I loof forward seeing you next year'' he said. From the backroom of a French bar-tabac (I'll end up moving very close to that sacred place), Richard cried on his way out of the Tour de France and I felt so sad. Richard, the man that was going to give the Tour de France back to the frenchies. Doping and the Festina scandal obviously killed that hope but Virenque stayed the poster boy for offensive racing, the polka dot jersey and French cycling joy. Loved him, still do. He had that candor and naiveté that Jalabert never gave us and will never give us. 

''J'vous donne rendez-vous à l'année prochaine'' Ricbie

Mike Bibby (& the losing/robbed 2002 Kings)

Didn't know anything about basketball but I knew I liked that Kings team. And well they lost in dramatic fashion so of course I started loving them even more. I liked Bibby because Bibby is not a loser, he was a leader and a steady clutch player that still lost. He was everything you want in an athlete but he did not get polluted, in my 10 yo head, by the weight of a ring at that time.

Maurice Greene (& the Sydney 2000 Olympics)

The Pitbull. The force of nature that met the perfect technique. The smile, the confidence. He was my first glimpse at the sprint superstars and at the awesome madness that are the Summer Olympics. Maurice Greene stan forever. Sydney 2000 are the first Olympics I remember, Ian Thorpe/Pieter van den Hoogenband, David Douillet, Brahim Asloum, France/Team USA in Basketball (and the Vince dunk we wont elaborate one)... So thank you Sydney to have ignited my love for skeet, archery and badminton every 4 years.