What is in the name?

Football, should not be far from being classified as a disease. During world cup, it becomes an epidemic or even a pandemic that nobody would want a cure for. To make it sound less alarming, lets stick to 'epidemic'. When the epidemic is at its peak, the behaviour of human kind reaches proportions that becomes difficult to explain when the phase finally passes, well, temporarily. But it does leave residue. Sometimes, for a lifetime. I am sure, like me, there are many who are painted for life by the color of this residue.

It was during those times, when the epidemic was spreading through all strata of the society, transcontinent, unstoppably. Those times, when i was safe in my mothers womb. Those times, when i was not even aware of myself. Those times, when nobody knew if i am male or female. Those times, when the excitement of the infecting epidemic had clearly ruled over the excitement of the nearness of my arrival into the world. Precisely during this time, during the heat of the pre-quarter finals, an uncle of mine, about whom i was clearly unaware of, who was consumed by the delirious infection, decided to give me a name, a tag, even befire my parents had even given it a thought.

At that point in my life and his, he decided to label me with the pet name of a popular epidemic causing footballer!

Even before i could see what the world outside loods like, i had to shoulder the burden of the thought that i would have to carry the name of a celibrity in the outside world! You can well imagine that, being safe inside the womb, I had neither resources nor the chance to either react or protest. I closed my eyes and tried to teach myself to accept what was being pushed on me. Even my mother was clueless on what the tag would be!

On the day i arrived, it was imeperatively pronounced by him, proudly, as though i were a child of his imagination , "zizou"!

Oh! the burden of that name. I have just about learned to sit down and i make all efforts to kick the ball whenever one is given to me. An effort which is sincerely hope will bring joy to the one who chose to give me a name and make him proud of his judgmental abilities. (not to mention that i was also physically resembling the star in that i was almost bald at birth) while i could not care less that the Star himself is unaware of my existence.