Yep, panini sticker books came out months before the World Cup and all these players from all continents used to amaze me, with their little info box below, and I couldn’t wait to see them for the first time on TV......The 1998 World Cup was the last one that had any mystique about it. There's so much football on TV and online these days that there are rarely any unknowns or a player you're desperate to see for the first time. I remember my school mates and myself all playing CM97/98 and being desperate to see Denilson play for the first time. You don't get that anymore.
TV football and endless fucking debate shows about it has really killed the romance of it all, WC & EC have lost its appeal, the FA cup has become a chore and the League cup has died long ago.
I feel sorry for younger fans who have never and will never experience the romance of football.