Football Obsession, Loving Klopp's Reds & Dealing with Depression

Detailing my passion for Liverpool Football Club

Daniel is From Limassol, Cyprus. Studies journalism at Liverpool John Moores University

I’ve been a Liverpool fan for as long as I can remember. The journey started, as it does for many fans, with my dad. He surprised me with the 2007/08 white Liverpool FC strip, Torres on the back. He took me to my first game at Anfield in 2009 as the Reds thrashed Newcastle. Clichéd as it sounds, I fell in love straight away.

From as young as eleven, I knew I wanted to go into football writing or reporting. I loved Liverpool and would cry whenever they lost big games. 

When I was 15, Jürgen Klopp began transforming Liverpool into the best team in the world, and I became absolutely obsessed. This coincided with me becoming massively introverted and sometimes it felt as though football was my only friend. 

Everyone started going clubbing, getting drunk, and smoking weed, but I didn’t like any of it (well, I have never tried the weed). I had pretty bad social anxiety, looking back. It probably stemmed from two of my supposed best and only friends ditching me for no reason. 

Some people at school were interested in football, but no one was like me.

The loneliness and the anxiety led me to therapy sessions. 

On the therapist’s advice, I began writing about Liverpool regularly, and started my own blog. Every morning and every afternoon on the bus home, I would listen to The Anfield Wrap’s podcast. In class, when I arrogantly thought that I didn’t need to listen, I would read The Tomkins Times. It was a huge help.