By Msgr Christian Pereira, Vicar General and parish priest, Santa Rosa, Arima

My interest in football began many years ago. I remember one of the first Christmas gifts I received as a child was a football and my father joined me and my two brothers in our backyard to show us some of the game’s finer points.

I played soccer at college and community level for many years. As I prepare for my second trip to the World Cup Finals I remember my first in 1982. The Antilles was not represented then.

Following the fiasco in Haiti in 1973 that deprived Trinidad and Tobago of a place in the World Cup Finals, it would be a long time before the Antilles would qualify. Even though we scored the most goals in that 1973 game, historians and sports commentators know only too well that we were not given the reward of that achievement.

My trip to Spain in 1982 afforded me an opportunity to share some of the drama and excitement that is World Cup football. The highlight for me was what I still consider to be one of the best ever soccer games – a match between Brazil and the eventual winners, Italy.

That game was pure rhythm, class, coordination and drama. It was a ballet among 22 of the best footballers in the world for 90 minutes - before Brazil were beaten 3-2 by Italy.

My support for Brazil and their style of football has continued to grow, but this has never diminished my support for the national footballers of Trinidad and Tobago. I followed the “Strike Squad’s” anti-climactic campaign to reach Italy.

The Sunday afternoon goal that the US scored against the Strike Squad meant tears for thousands of die-hard supporters. We lost the game and a chance for us to be in Italy – but there was something won on that journey that will forever be a major point in the national psyche.

The fortunes of T &T were mixed, interest continued to be nurtured and our footballers had ongoing challenges to overcome – from the peak of 1989 to the crisis of 1990 when, at a game in the National Stadium, many footballers representing our country were called from the field of soccer battle into a different battle in Port of Spain. That was also the year when Jack Warner was made a senior official of FIFA.

Stars continued to be born; horizons continued to expand. The World Youth Cup Finals were held at the four newly-built stadia, and a major women’s soccer tournament followed soon after.

Then came the start of the journey to Germany. Again, the nerves and faith of our people were severely tested before Leo Beenhakker was introduced and a new flame of hope and possibility was lit, ignited on the foundational work of Bertille St Clair and his staff.

Whatever Stern John did to Guatemala and México helped to change the quality of faith among supporters and the team began to show that they were ready for the world stage.

Since that moment, my eyes have been focused on Germany and efforts BEGAN to allow me the chance to be there. I anxiously look forward to witnessing the first three games of the T&T Soca Warriors at the World Cup Finals.

I will miss the luxury of instant replays and of being able to switch between radio and television to hear the opinions of respected local sports commentators.

However, there is nothing to rival the experience of being in the right place at the right time: actually seeing one’s team engaged in their first ever games at this level is something I will treasure for a long time.

It is not likely that our footballers will bring home the World Cup trophy, but the Soca Warriors have already established themselves as icons of hope in our national psyche - which is a far more important trophy than anything made by human hands.

It is my dream that after our third game and certainly after the July 9 final, the people of our country will tap into their inner resources and come together to re-build a nation of discipline, tolerance and production. It is important that our children inherit something substantial from this “journey”. The legacy of our footballers is the lesson that “only when we aspire together, will we achieve together”.

Germany, here we come! Let us therefore return to the Trinidad and Tobago of which all of us can be proud.