Being in Leicester for the last game of the season v. Chelsea made the journey special, not only because of the result and the game, but also because we “surprisingly” met up with Julian Joachim.
We were all gathered at the Mumbai In, had ordered our food and were well seated, when I looked to the left of me, and couldn’t stop wondering about that one person at the table, a colored bloke, smiling and talking, and it was something familier with him.
I asked around our table and said that is Julian Joachim. No, why would he be here, and to be fair this guy looks too young to be Julian Joachim, he looks to be in his 30’s. We were talking in Norwegian, so no one had a clue what we were talking about.
I insisted, this is Julian Joachim, I will ask. I just turned to the table and asked, excuse me, are you Julian Joachim, the guy just smiled and said, yes. My friend, in the picture with Julian, said as fast as lightening, that goal against Barnsley, could you please go down to the King Power tomorrow and do the same against Chelsea.
Julian Joachim alongside Norwegian Leicester fan, Ulf “Uffe” Larsen, who just loved that goal v. Barnsley, and “not liking” Julian’s betrayal and move to Aston Villa, ha, ha.
Would love to have done that said Julian, as we spoke about his years at Leicester City, and the move to Aston Villa and why he “betrayed” us. Everyone laughed and it was so fantastic to also win the bet with the other guys, me spotting that “too young” Julian Joachim and getting that nice chat with a real Leicester City hero.
He said that he still loved playing and that he was with a local club and moved around in the lower leagues, just for fun. When the news broke about his latest move in football, starting a new adventure in Gibraltar, I just smiled and thought of this as really funny, to see the now 44 year old going for another place to score his next goal.
To be able to play is a “gift” and to see former foxes moving around is a thrill and so fantastic. They might have been “the greatest” of “greats” and idolized by thousands, yet still they play on in places you would believe they would never be, just amazing.
The meeting with Julian Joachim was a pleasant one, a humble guy, who just loved chatting to us “vintage men” with “special voices” talking strange, but switching polite to those of the natives when Mr. Joachim came around.
Besides playing amateur football he has launched an app called “Player Trader“, which helps younger players to get connected to clubs and by that helping them further in their careers. We wish Julian Joachim all the best on his next adventure in football, down there in Gibraltar, playing for 2nd tier team Europa Point FC.
Leave a Reply