CHILDHOOD DREAMS AND WONDER GOALS: SCENES FROM A STRIKER’S LIFE

N JANUARY 1993, Julian Joachim scored one of the greatest-ever FA Cup goals during a third round tie against Barnsley at Oakwell.

The 18-year-old youth team graduate had been handed his City debut just months earlier and became an instant favourite.

Almost 30 years on, Joachim has penned his autobiography, You Must Be Joachim, in which he reflects on a career that began at Filbert Street.

He said: “All I ever wanted was to become a professional football and, when I joined the School of Excellence, run by Nev Hamilton, when I was just 12 years old, I knew I was one step closer.

“Six years later, I fulfilled my dream and I’ll never forget the feeling when I walked out of the tunnel at Filbert Street for my first team debut against Peterborough in October 1992.

“Every hair on my body was standing on end and I got an unbelievable buzz. I was used to sitting in the stands, cheering on the lads and suddenly, I was one of the lads and fans were cheering for me.”

Over the next four years, the striker scored 31 goals for City, including the strike that sparked the comeback at Wembley in the 1993 play-off final, and Leicester’s first ever Premier League goal in 1994. But most City supporters still remember him for his FA Cup wonder goal against Barnsley.

“That goal is the best one of my career and fans still want to talk to me about it all these years later,” he said.

“I remember picking up the ball in my own half with no one ahead of me so I just ran with it. When I was 25 yards out, I hit it with the outside of my right foot, which was something I used to do a lot in training, and the ball just flew into the top corner. We lost the tie on a penalty shootout, but no one remembers that, just my goal.”