Thank you, football, for these lessons...

I was five once.

In 1970, I was vaguely conscious of the excitement around Chelsea's victory in the FA Cup Final, and like many of my peers at school in Surrey, I became a fan. Later that summer, I felt the expectation of England's World Cup defence and I followed their campaign in Mexico with souvenirs and collectibles. I can't remember watching any matches, and I am not even sure we had a TV (if so, it wasn't colour - we got the first colour TV in time for the 1974 World Cup), but I remember singing "Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, we're off to Mexico" at school.

I often say that there is no decision that you make at that age that has anything like the influence of that first, critical, directional choice - "who do I support?". No doubt, that summer of 1970 has shaped my life.

This summer of 2021, I have shared a very special football journey with my family. Chelsea turned their season around, narrowly lost the FA Cup Final, finished fourth in the Premier League and, of course, won the Champions League. Events that would have been exciting in a normal year, became intense and amazing with the passion and interest of the youngest member of the family: Finn Carter, who is five.

Finn dislocated his elbow and fractured his left humerus in May, so he has been unable to do any sport, to play any football, for this whole period. His new football focus became the teams, the squad numbers, the individuals, the matches and the goals. I am continuously impressed by his knowledge and his memory - he knows who scored in which match, and also how... one recent guessing game I had to play was to identify which particular goal he was re-enacting (Olivier Giroud's overhead kick against Atletico Madrid was a favourite, and also the easiest to recognise).

As Finn's injury healed inside the cast on his arm, we started to play 'calm football' in the garden. I believe his control is improving and he seems to be learning, learning, learning... and not only the technical skills of the game. I have observed with horror some recent, deeply worrying conversations about race. But at our house, every session is preceded by Taking the Knee, and we discuss racism quite seriously.

Thank you, football, for these lessons.

We sang football songs on the way to school, in the beginning the two Chelsea classics: Blue Day and Blue is the Colour. We celebrated as the Chelsea Women won the Super League (but then were soundly beaten by Barcelona in the women's Champions League final). And we watched the final of the men's Champions League together, joining Tom Carter (30) for a family facetime celebration of the victory with a combined total of 77 years of Chelsea fan experience. Such joy!

The last game of the club season merged gently into the build-up for the Euros, postponed originally from 2020 due to the pandemic and now gradually becoming a symbol of the emergence from the crisis. Finn's footballing education continued, as we discovered together that the same players we know from club football can also represent their countries. Finn's own heritage gives him an interesting perspective; he is English, and Welsh, and German, and Turkish, he lived for three of his years in France and now lives a short walk from Luxembourg's national stadium (we went to see the Scotland team arrive when they played a friendly against Lux). Finn's big sister, Hannah (28) has her own reasons for loving the EU in general and Brussels in particular, and enriched the mix by buying Belgium shirts for the family. Our family has been augmented and enhanced by the visit of a family friend - Klara (22) - who is half Italian, half Czech. Our immediate neighbours are Dutch, French, Ukrainian, Spanish, Swiss (and American). I work for an Italian company, and my direct team is Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, Russian, Austrian and French.

We ARE the Euros...

What a tournament it proved to be. We sang again, starting with the painful but hopeful lament of Three Lions (it's coming home), but happily embracing songs and anthems from all the teams. Finn tracked and recorded the scores on the wallchart in the kitchen; the chart is adjacent to another which counted down the days until his cast was removed (July 9). He read and wrote the country names, developing literacy all the time.

Thank you, football, for these lessons.

We watched football at home, we watched in Paris at Cafe Central in the 7th arrondissement, and step by step the English contingent started to hope. "We are good. We are professional. We are likeable and authentic. We are even lucky. Is it... could it be... coming home?"

The excitement in England was palpable, and I found myself becoming addicted to articles and podcasts about the England team and their chances. I am acutely conscious of the role model these players represent, and what a force-for-the-positive sport can be. These young men are holding themselves with grace and dignity and I am very proud of them. The manager has a calm authority and decency, and has been able to create a sense of team spirit which is beyond any individual performance; he has been inspirational for anyone interested in leadership and accountability. I believe Finn has also learned - about teams and about the importance of helping each other.

Thank you, football, for these lessons.

And so it came to the final weekend. Finn had his operation on Friday; the metal pins and the cast were removed. On Sunday, as we were preparing food and counting down the hours to kick-off, we were surprised by the visit of Klara's parents from Italy...

The scene was set for the final showdown, as the house split into camps of friendly rivalry, one of which was doomed to disappointment.

Penalties.

Italy.

Oh.

I am emotional now. Not because England lost; on balance the best team of the tournament won - but I am deeply proud and appreciative of the England team and their achievement.

I am emotional, because I was five once, and I see how powerful those experiences have been. So I have treasured this time with my youngest son and I delight in his intelligence, his enthusiasm, his passion and his love. I have seen his pain in the last weeks and I have felt his joy. I have watched him learn: about countries, about Europe, about race, about skill, about inspiration, about sacrifice, about winning, about losing, about trust, about leadership... and about fairness. I am so thankful for these moments, and for the chance I have to feel and experience all of this as a family. Thank you Tom, thank you Hannah, thank you Ebru.

Thank you Finn.

Thank you, football, for these lessons.

It's home.