Hey u guys- i was surfing n i came across this: (quite interestin i must say- has some similarities with me :)
source: evening standard (newspaper)
Landlady to conquer fear to see idol
PETER WALSH
05 September 2006 10:15
A pub landlady must conquer her fear of flying so she can travel to Spain to meet her footballing idol Jose Antonio Reyes.
Regulars at the Lillie Langtry in Unthank Road, Norwich, have been trying to comfort Maxine Riches - Reyes's self-confessed number one fan - who has been distraught since the Spanish international was loaned out by Arsenal to Real Madrid this season.
Her fixation has led to her turn the Gold Triangle bar into a Reyes shrine and now she wants to fly out the Bernabeu Stadium to see him in action.
But it will remain an impossible dream until she can conquer the same flying demons which famously grounded Reyes's former Highbury team-mate Dennis Bergkamp.
“I've never been on a plane and I'm so scared of flying,” said Mrs Riches, 48, who is happily married. “But I've now got to face that to see him play football - I will have to go on a fear of flying course. I've always been scared of flying, but you never know.”
Her obsession began two years ago after she decided to learn more about football so she could chat about it with punters during televised games.
But within 18 months, it was the beautiful Reyes and not the beautiful game she was waxing lyrical about as she slowly turned the pub into a shrine to the young player - even renaming the bar after him. And despite his move to Spain, Mrs Riches said has vowed to support him from a distance and begin to replace the red of Arsenal with the white of Madrid. “The pub will still be dedicated to him wherever he is. I just hope he does well, that was his dream,” she said.
“There will be lots of white in here, lots of white - I've already got last year's Madrid shirt. It all came up last year before he signed his contract (at Arsenal) and they were unsure if he was staying or going, so I thought I would go and buy one just in case and when it didn't come off I just kept it.”
Mrs Riches is hoping to get this year's Real shirt signed by Reyes so she can replace the framed signed shirt above the bar she has of Reyes when he was at Arsenal.
The landlady, who has run the pub with husband Mark for the past five years, hopes to go one better and meet her hero in person.
Earlier this year the Evening News contacted Reyes to tell him about Mrs Riches' adoration for him and he sent her a message of support before she underwent a hysterectomy.
“Football is my passion and my life, and I always love to hear from fans who share the same enthusiasm,” he said.
Jose Antonio Reyes
Jose Antonio Reyes exploded onto the English football scene in January 2004 when he signed for the Gunners from his childhood favourites Sevilla.
He was born in Utrera on September 1, 1983.
Height - 5ft 9ins.
Weight - 11st 2lbs.
His loan move to Real Madrid comes despite him signing an extension to his Arsenal contract last year until 2011.
While at Arsenal he won the Premiership (03/04), FA Cup (04/05) and was a Champions League finalist last year.
:real madrid: :arsenal:
hmmmmmmm. sounds a bit like me 2 lol :D
although i'm not scared of flyin and i don't own a pub, and i woz into football before she woz.
i wish i could go and see him play as i never had :( :( :( :( :angry: :angry:
i am so puzzled though :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:
if she woz his number1fan how come she didn't now bout this forum lol :D maybe she doesn't have internet
all i can say is she's one lucky lady goin 2 see him play at madrid
howu no she dont use this forum?