Lucia's father, Graham, has spent the best part of 40 years in and around football, landing a job as an interpreter at FC Barcelona just in time for Terry Venables winning their first title in 11 years in 1985 and later moving on to roles in the media and technical departments of UEFA.
Lord, can there be any better way in which to spend a winter's afternoon than sitting in front of the fire in the pub, sculling four or five pints, talking about the players who shaped the way you view football and then trying to squeeze them into a team, in positions in which they have some history of actually playing?.
My wife's many years feted at the Nou Camp as a child before eventually working there herself, Christmas cards from Gary Lineker and, then, our first-born being taken to the stadium just weeks after making an appearance at Hospital del Mar on the seafront to be tossed into the air by Gerard Pique's grandfather Amador, an ex-player and former vice-president.
Aware of the need to stay grounded in grim reality, mind you, to know that football is about much more than World Cups and the Ballon d'Or and thunderbolts from 25 yards, he gets me to take him to St Johnstone matches.
We all have a role to play in preserving the family traditions that make football so very special, writes GARY KEOWN By GARY KEOWN.
