MY ROSETTA STONE

"I always let LeBron know. They love you man, they love you right now. But please believe me. The first incident, the first time something happens, they are waiting man. They are waiting."

                         --Allen Iverson

Dear Thierry,

I have so much to say to you. And I wish it were all simple things like, "How do you get your socks to stay up?" "Did I miss anything having never seen you play at Arsenal?" "May I have an autograph?"

But let's be honest, the only signature that interests most writers are their own and I am no different. So, I would probably quote, the above A.I. quote, Allen Iverson's words to LeBron James, to you. I would definitely ask you to read Peau noire, masques blancs and tell me in English what Frantz Fanon is saying because I rarely trust translated works from unfamiliar folks. And that's only the beginning. And after the massive mental stimulation ; I could provide the physical. If you can walk it out, we can work it out because not to toot my own horn, but when it comes to the streets of NYC, TOOT TOOT, I am a sui generis (<--extremely big word) tour guide!  Who else, in the same day, goes from dining with a recovering homeless crackhead (<--must discover PC term for "crackhead") in Marcy Projects to Bergdorf Goodman (only to have the alarm sound at entry--yes, this happened to moi). Please note that the superVirgin Tours involve neither housing projects or department stores :) Shooting and shopping are two of my least favorite things.

So Thierry, there it is, you bring your brilliant command of French and I'll bring my serious collection of Fanon...Césaire...Senghor... And I know all of this sounds wildly fantasy, but in the words of our ancestor Aimé Césaire, "Reason, I sacrifice you to the evening breeze.” <--Now, en Francais S'il vous plaît?!
 :)

--superVirgin

BACK THEN

Dear Thierry,

Remember back on June 12, 1998, how it felt when you scored your first international goal against South Africa and Les Bleus won 3-0...Do you remember? Well, when you take on South Africa next year, I hope you find scoring just as exciting 12 years later--if you do, please, do us all a favor and CONTINUE to play, but please, if you don't, don't just do it to just do it.
Afterall, you're no longer contracted to Nike :)
You have solidified your place in history and even though you are my favorite player--the player who inspires
me to walk multiple city blocks and avenues in freezing cold rain (with no umbrella or head covering)just to see you play (haCHOO...yes that was a sneeze), I'd also go the same distance to hear you speak. You have so much to offer the world. Remember, it wasn't your game that sparked my interest--it was your words. And whenever you retire be it tomorrow or 2012--remember that just when the caterpillar thought it was over it became a beautiful butterfly.

--superVirgin

P.S.: Today I watched Roma play Lazio. I must say that if you leave football so will my interest, as I was bored out of my mind watching Roma & Lazio! I try to diversify my footballing portfolio \^-^/

GAME DAY

Dear Thierry,

Sometimes I forget that I'm a girl. When I visit a pub to watch you play my ear becomes a microphone for the 'ish "gents" [English, Scottish, Spanish and yes,even Irish] who say the darndest things i.e. "So where is Getafe located in Spain," or "HENRY,eh,he left us" or "Henry, he's a cute one isn't he?" or "Would you like another?" Sure the latter is simply asking me if I'd like another drink--but because I tend to forget that I'm a girl I initially always feel uncomfortable--especially at the drink offer. I often look at my $5.00 cup of cranberry and lime juice * which is always strategically 3/4 full* and wonder who would accept another drink when they're already holding one?
I abide by a very Native American philosophy, "Don't take more than you need." Today I need :) to watch the game. Where will I watch the game? Now that's a good question.
ALLEZ THIERRY!!!!!!!!!

--superVirgin

P.S. I wonder what would happen if I chewed pieces of hot garlic bread during the game then walked up to random men and put my mouth a centimeter away from their ears and said, "Hey, I heard Messi is from Argentina do you know how long it takes him to fly there from Spain?" ...absolutely nothing. Men.
They'd probably just Twitter "I'm getting hit on..."

PLAY BEAUTIFUL

Henry At His Best - For more funny videos, click here

At 31 seconds--look at him dribble backwards. That is my favorite, he is my favorite, Monsieur Henry, you are my favorite! OMG, America, I have a favorite footballer and he doesn't wear a helmet. While all of my international pals are so proud of me ,my friends in the city, well, they, sometimes accompany me to watch games... A friend once said to me, "How is this fun for you when you don't drink?!?" Au contraire mon frere (did I say that right?)
I do drink. I just don't drink alcohol.
Do you know how much water and cranberry & lime cost at a pub/bar?
Too much. I had to diversify my game place portfolio. Sometimes I go to a Mexican spot, sometimes to an Ecuadorean spot (Jackson Heights stand up!) a Senegalese spot, sometimes to a bar but by far my favorite place to watch a game is ESPN Zone. Where else can I drink TEA and watch football? Agh, I know it's so cheesy (like my fries--yum), I know. But I like it there. And as a New Yorker, Times Square is NOT my scene, but if you catch me on the second floor you'll think I live there. Oh to lounge in that center leather recliner with cheese fries (sans bacon) steaming!!!
Giggle :) Can't wait for WORLD CUP!!!!!!

--superVirgin

CHARACTER

[FIRST]
"So many people say that obviously my game has changed since I arrived here and I say that it's good that it changed, otherwise it would show a lack of intelligence. You learn from your mistakes. When I was younger I was trying to do what I wanted to do, not what the game wanted me to do. I would say that's the difference."

[AND]

“It’s true that I have a character of a pig. It’s not lying to say this. Sometimes I like to be right, even when I am wrong. But to claim that I wanted power, no. To claim that I wanted to play in 4-5-1, no. All those who know me know that I prefer to play with a teammate up front. To say that I pushed my friend David aside… I always defend David for selection. But…fine, I am going to try to smile a little more on the pitch.”

[A CHARM]

'Big boats everywhere, big cars, beautiful women, the sun, the sea, the famous people. Life could seem easy in a place like this and, even as a kid, I thought, "This might not be the best place to learn football".'

These words are Thierry's. It's easy to see why he is my favorite. But, if it's not resoundingly clear--next post--I will tell you how I "discovered" Mr. Henry. And you can decide if it was fate or default .

--superVirgin

A UNICEF ON MY CHEST

I am female, "American," and have never set foot on a pitch in my 20+years of being, making me, to some of you, unworthy of opinion on a footballing matter--but just know that the lady who writes from her Manhattan-sized bedroom is as snug in footballing matters as she is in her cupcake pajamas. Oh, and so that there are no Stevies left wondering out there, my opinion is completely bias. I am pro-Henry. I'm so pro that I've got UNICEF on my chest and HENRY on my back. Ok, let me rephrase that, I'm so cold that I've got...the Super in my building is being stingy with the heat. And so right now I'm fighting off the urge to curl up like a potato bug under my covers to write for a man who's worth writing for :) This is my first "PLEAVE LEAVE THIERRY ALONE" post. In the future I will convince you to support my favorite footballer or I'll write trying. ONE LOVE.
--superVirgin