Growing up in a small Upper Franconian beer village called “Weißenbrunn” (Bavaria / Germany), I was practically born with a passion for football. My father, his 5 brothers and all of my parents' friends were footballers themselves, or at least football-crazy.

I've had a ball on my foot since I could stand on two legs and walk.

At the age of 6 I was finally allowed to join our local football club.

Almost a year after I officially joined the club, we went on a trip to a large football stadium, but not to Manchester;) 

- but to the “club” in Nuremberg. 

And so it came about that, since all of my older football colleagues I looked up to at the time were club fans, I also became a club “fan”.

Over the years, however, this fanatic existence increasingly flattened into a "sympathy".

But one thing was given to me from a very young age - FC Bayern - doesn't work at all, to put it mildly.

So it came about that in my childhood I had sympathy for the club and for the Munich Lions, but was an absolute anti-Bayern fan.

Enough about my fan history. 

How did I come to  Manchester United fan? It was an act in several steps.

First step: Cantona fan.

It happened almost in parallel in the mid-1990s. I would say I was around 11 years old.

The NIKE commercial GOOD VS was on TV. EVIL. The advertising was a hit, but even cooler was the guy who raised his collar at the end and shot the demon in the gate a hole in the stomach. I was absolutely impressed!

When I also needed new soccer shoes, I got a free Umbro poster from the local sports shop when I bought it. At home, when I rolled up the poster, at first I could hardly believe who was photographed on it -  Eric "The King" Cantona !!!  

From then on I wore the number 7 for soccer as far as possible and that still today. 

I also found the coat of arms with the devil totally awesome!

Thus the first connections and sympathy with ManUtd was established.

Second step: Beckham FAN

At some point you heard of a certain David Beckham, who brings good crosses and kicks good standards. And which club did he belong to ?! Right, Manchester United!

When I saw David Beckham on TV many times, he became my first real idol!

On one of my birthdays I got the Predator shoes, just like Becks wore back then.

I was overjoyed at the time  over the shoes and wanted to play like him. We already had three things in common, the shirt number 7, the shoes and I also played on the right side. Next step to ManUtd established.

I also played the PC game DSF Manager 98 at the time. Where I often played with Manchester United. So I became familiar with other big names around the club. 

I kept trying to see more of United on TV or read Bravo Sport.

At some point I decided to save my pocket money and buy a Red Devils jersey. So it happened and I bought the home shirt from 1998/99, which I still have today (it even fits) !!!

Last step: Finale ´99

Actually, of course, but ......

At home, together with my father, sitting in front of the TV and proud in my new jersey!  As a new ManUtd fan, watching the game against the club that I hate so much was amazing! At first it was very devastating to see how the hated Bayern Munich dominated the game. But I didn't give up my belief in Manchester United and kept saying to my father until the last minute, Manchester wins the game, you'll see !!! When the 90 minutes break, he declares me completely insane. Two houses down is an inn, from the large terrace I can already hear the chants of Bayern fans, rockets and firecrackers cracking. I tell my father again, Manchester wins you will see !!!

And then…. then it happens !!!! 

End of the game ... absolute silence in the street ... only one thing can be heard -  ME!!!!

Shoes on, off to a lap of honor through the pub two doors down and back home. Somebody in the pub applauded for me. The guy who raised me to not like Bavaria.

This is how love was born!

In the meantime, I had less to do with being a fan, because I thought other things and things were more important. But the connection was still there over the years.

I came back through a certain "CR7", playing Fifa (I always only played with United) and above all thanks to my great partner who gave me a United ball and scarf for Christmas almost 11 years ago.

Since then, the love for ManUtd has been rekindled and more intense and stronger than ever.

My first game in OT was against Brighton and Hove in November 2017. 

(One to zero for us)

In this sense GGMU

Your Oli