So in 2006, Arsenal was up against Barcelona in the Champions League final and I honestly was praying for an Arsenal loss because back then in Uni, 8 out of every 10 guys were Arsenal fans. 4 out of 5 friends of mine were also Arsenal fans so the banter would have been sick and very annoying.
Before the game kicked off, my cousin Labimbi who hardly sat down to see off the entirety of a football match asked that we placed bets on who would win. I laughed because he didn’t know much about the sport, if it was Formula 1 I could have taken him seriously because he’s a big fan of fast cars. Yes, he knew a few players in the Arsenal squad no doubt.
He pushed for the bet and I obliged him. He had a bottle of Red Wine I had been eyeing for days and we agreed that if Arsenal lost I would take the wine and if Barcelona emerged winners he would get the cash equivalent. Fair deal.
Within the first 20 minutes of the game, Arsenal’s goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off for fouling a player. I burst out in laughter and for some strange reasons, Labimbi wasn’t fazed. He just smiled and before halftime, Sol Campbell scored for Arsenal to give them a 1:0 lead going into the break. He honestly got on my nerves with the way he celebrated the goal.
Anyhoo, Barcelona eventually won the game 2:1 with Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti scoring for the Blaugrana. The foolish guy wasn’t even downcast Arsenal lost, he couldn’t be bothered and he was so sure he was going to have some of the Red Wine. Win-Win for him.
CHEERS!!!
