Sir, – I’ve watched every World Cup since 1974. The tournaments in 1978 and 1982 fell in my formative years – as mentioned by Paul Howard in his article (“You spend your life chasing the way the World Cup made you feel when you were 11”, Sport, June 5th). I found those ones good for sure; sun-kissed summers and re-enactments of the games with my friends made golden memories.
However, I’ve enjoyed the ones watched as an adult more, on occasions booking all my annual leave to coincide with the tournament, providing a switch-off from work that no holiday could deliver. My favourites have been Italia 90, when our involvement and progress to the quarter-finals sprinkled a touch of green magic on the tournament, and Qatar 2022, which delivered superb football once the whistle blew and the politics were left behind.
As I get older, I imagine I’ll enjoy the tournaments even more, as the realisation dawns that each new instalment could be my last. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN QUIGLEY,
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Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
