As football gets more globalised, it's probably more important than ever to have one or two players in your team who have grown up in the same streets or been to the same schools as the hard-core fans.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Football has an important role to play in society. Players should have a sense of social responsibility, have a moral dimension to them which shows up in good conduct.
Footballers from the street are more important than trained coaches.
Football spectators appreciate a bit of loyalty, and we're seeing that less and less. There are echelons of football, as in society, where some players are clearly mercenaries. I regret in a way that somehow the local identification, the local bonding between the community and its football team has been commercialised to such an extent.
Football can generate excitement and bring people together.
Football fans share a universal language that cuts across many cultures and many personality types. A serious football fan is never alone. We are legion, and football is often the only thing we have in common.
Whenever you can relate to the population of the team that you play for, I think it makes it that much more special.
Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.
Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.
Football (soccer) is a matter of life and death, except more important.
You have different sorts of people in life, so why should it be any different in football?