Games that changed my life

CRUZEIRO 0 FLAMENGO 1 Copa do Brasil, 1995 “This game made me leave behind youth football and spread my wings. I was 18. We played against Romario’s Flamengo and, despite losing, everyone recognised m

So, you made your professional debut for George Graham’s Arsenal in 1990... I went down there as a 16-year-old, having just scored for Scotland in the 1989 Youth World Cup Final in front of 50,000 peo

Who were your heroes, growing up? Being a footballer is the dream for many boys and girls – I was no different. My dad used to work near Loftus Road, so despite having Arsenal and Palace fans in the f

How did your move to Southampton come about in 1996? I was scoring loads of goals in Norway and I went to Southampton on trial for a few days. They liked what they saw. It was a dream come true: every

Your mum Janice scored goals for England at the unofficial World Cup in Mexico in 1971, in front of huge crowds. When did you become aware of her football pedigree? I was maybe seven when she got out

When the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986, I was nine years old. I’d just had a trial with Dynamo Kyiv, and it had gone well, but everything changed. In the first few days following t