I have always been passionate about football and the English Premier League. As a little boy, my favourite club was Manchester United during the Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo era. In 2009, United played Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. In my opinion, Sunderland had a great game and deserved more, but United found a way to take the points. Even in defeat, I was blown away - the stadium, the crowd, the atmosphere. It was one of the best I had ever seen. That’s what football is about. It felt like the people in the stands were truly living for the club. Everyone loves their team, but it’s rare to feel that kind of energy so strongly. From that moment, I started following Sunderland - checking results and hoping they would stay in the league. The following season, I managed to watch the opening game against Bolton on TV. Sunderland won 1–0 through Darren Bent and from that day, he became my first favourite Sunderland player. I was 13 at the time. From then on, I didn’t wa...