Ex-Northampton Town and Carlisle United striker Derek Asamoah talks us through his football memories
First match? My family wasn’t really into football, so the first live match I went to was Northampton Town when I was playing! It’s just something we didn’t do as a family. I used to watch a lot of Italian football when I was younger. I remember watching AC Milan vs Juventus but I cannot remember the year. First hero? The Brazilian Ronaldo was my idol. I aspired to be like him as a player. It was his confidence and his eagerness to attack as soon as he got the ball which made me love him as a kid. He had nothing else on his mind but to beat a defender or go at goal. I remember watching him in the 1998 World Cup and he was incredible. Everything he did I tried to replicate. First boots? They were a pair of Adidas Predators. I remember saving up for them because they were quite a lot of money for boots back in the day. But I managed to save up and, once I got them, I couldn’t wait to play in them. I wanted to play in them all the time. David Beckham used to wear them, so that made me want them. I wasn’t particularly fascinated by getting loads of boots. I would just play in any pair. It was more about what you did with them than the boots themselves. First kit? As I said, I wasn’t really into watching loads of football or having replica kits when I was a kid. It wasn’t something that interested me, so the first kit I owned would probably be the one I wore for Northampton. I enjoyed playing the game, but I didn’t know how good I was because nobody in my family liked it. But, once a few other people saw me, I thought I could take it somewhere. First game? It was for Northampton against Bristol City in 2001. I was a second-half substitute for Sam Parkin and the reception I got from the fans was fantastic. I think a lot of the fans were looking forward to seeing me because I’d had quite a few trial games and they were expecting big things. I was so excited to get out there and prove myself. It was a surreal feeling, to be honest, to have people cheer me, despite never kicking a ball professionally. I was really pumped up. Over time, it was more of a nervous energy but in a good way. Unfortunately, we lost the game 3-0. First goal? My first goal was against Brighton. Again, I came on as a second-half substitute and the game was goalless at the time. Marco Gabbiadini scored the first goal late on. I scored in the final minute to make it 2-0 and it was in my first month as a professional. It was a through ball, and I was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. I managed to slot the ball with the outside of my right boot past the keeper. It was strange because I celebrated like I’d been scoring for years. First red card? It was for Mansfield at home to Colchester in 2004. It was late in the game and I don’t remember too much about it. My second one was not long after, against my former club, Northampton. I was shown a red card within 20 minutes for two dives, but they weren’t dives...