LFC CHRISTMAS GIFTS

UP THE REDS!

‘Everywhere I go Reds treat me as family or long-time friends’ – My Liverpool Life

My Liverpool Life’ is a series looking at the colourful lives of Liverpool supporters. And in the latest edition, Kerry Macuska shares her life and experiences as a travelling Red.

I started supporting Liverpool because…

I started supporting Liverpool for several reasons. I played football for most of my life.

I grew up as a six-year-old girl kicking the ball around because the sport was so popular for young girls in my country. So I understood the sport very well when I finally travelled to the UK 20 years ago and met people who supported Liverpool.

Most people in the UK at that time supported Manchester United since their glory days were in the ’90s, and I travelled to the country at the end of that but I wasn’t interested in a club that everyone else followed.

I had an interest in Liverpool’s history and the unique culture of the city and I fell in love with the city when visited and as a result, I fell in love with Liverpool Football Club.

It also helped that Michael Owen played for Liverpool at the time as he was my favourite player during the France 1998 World Cup.

 

My first game was…

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Thursday, November 26, 2015: Liverpool's players line up for a team group photograph before the UEFA Europa League Group Stage Group B match against FC Girondins de Bordeaux at Anfield. Back row L-R: Kolo Toure, Christian Benteke, Dejan Lovren, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne. Front row L-R: Jordon Ibe, Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva, James Milner, Joe Allen. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

After my initial trip to the UK 20 years ago I didn’t leave the US for 12 years. But about five or six years ago I decided I wanted to start travelling and seeing more of the world, and it was time to finally plan a trip to Liverpool.

No one was able to travel with me so I booked a solo trip abroad to Liverpool and I was finally able to watch my first ever match at Anfield. It was in 2015 when Liverpool played a Europa League match against Bordeaux.

I was lucky to sit in the Kop, Klopp had only been the manager for a few weeks and Liverpool won 2-1.

The match was actually on Thanksgiving Day back home but I think I made the right decision to ditch the holiday and watch my first ever match at Anfield.

 

My favourite season supporting the Reds was…

Last season was definitely my favourite.

The anticipation of winning the Premier League or Champions League was so high all season. Even though we didn’t win the league, we won the Champions League and we had so much promise going into this season.

And the 4-0 match against Barcelona at Anfield was such a miraculous game!

 

Nowadays, I follow the club…

I mostly follow the club by wearing a Liverpool shirt in every country I travel to and by watching games with supporters’ groups around the world.

I have been travelling full-time for almost three years now working remotely from my laptop and I am lucky to have watched games with supporters’ groups in El Salvador, Nicaragua Guatemala, Mexico City, Chiang Mai, Johannesburg, Cairo, Dar es Salaam, Dubai, NYC, LA and more.

 

Liverpool is a unique club because of…

I have travelled to over 50 countries on six continents and I can confirm that Liverpool is the most unique football club across the globe.

Everywhere I go, I meet Liverpool supporters and they treat me as if I am family or long-time friends. If I reach out to a supporters’ group on social media or even just local supporters within those groups, I receive a warm welcome to watch a game with their group every time.

Many groups and individuals in those groups have taken me sightseeing around their cities, taken me to dinner and even invited me to stay with them. These are people who have never met me but who I can automatically share a bond with thanks to our love of Liverpool Football Club.

We are undoubtedly a unique club with the best supporters around the world.

 

My best story involving the Reds is…

They are always when I’m travelling. It’s difficult to pick just one story so I’ll share a few different stories!

In Dar es Salaam, I wasn’t expecting to meet the Liverpool supporters’ group until the weekend of the game and I flew in on a Monday. Several members of the supporters’ group surprised me and met me at the airport in order to give me a big welcome. I couldn’t believe it!

While in Stone Town, Zanzibar, one man came running up to me in the market when he saw me walking in my Liverpool shirt with Salah’s name. He wanted to tell me that he’s been supporting Liverpool for 30 years because he loved John Barnes back in the day.

And another in Stone Town stopped me in the streets when he saw me wearing my Liverpool shirt. He went inside his shop to bring out his Liverpool flag and started waving it in the street telling everyone around us that Liverpool was going to be Premier League champions this year.

And I travelled to Beirut during the summer when Liverpool wasn’t playing but I posted in the LFC Lebanon supporters group on Facebook anyway and several members of the group offered to take me out partying (Lebanon is known for incredible nightlife) and sightseeing.

I couldn’t get over how hospitable the group was and how many people wanted to spend time with me and show me around their country.

 

I once met…

I’ve actually been lucky to meet most of the Liverpool first team thanks to the USA pre-season tours but my most memorable experience was meeting Salah.

I was excited as soon as we signed him and I had bought a Salah shirt well before he became one of Liverpool’s most popular players, and I was travelling the world wearing it.

ANN ARBOR, USA - Friday, July 27, 2018: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah signs an autograph on an Egypt flag for a supporter after a training session ahead of the preseason International Champions Cup match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC at the Michigan Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

I decided it would be fun to return to Egypt and take photos in front of the Sphinx and Pyramids while wearing my shirt.

As soon as I shared these photos on social media they went viral. The Egyptian media was emailing me asking for interviews and everyone was asking me why I was wearing it around the world and Salah even responded to a tweet of my travel photos.

And during the tour in 2018, I was finally able to meet him face-to-face. Since he responded to my travel photos on Twitter I knew he would know who I was. I told him face-to-face that I was the girl who was wearing his shirt around the world.

While signing an autograph for someone he looked right at me and said: “Oh really?”

I told him Egypt was my favourite country and he smiled and said: “That’s great to hear.” I couldn’t believe I had an actual conversation with the Egyptian King and he knew who I was!

 

If I could have dinner with three people from Liverpool’s history I’d choose…

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND. TUESDAY, MAY 3rd, 2005: Liverpool's Luis Garcia, John Arne Riise and Steven Gerrard celebrate the opening goal against Chelsea during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final 2nd Leg at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

My first choice would be Steven Gerrard. I started following the club in 2000 and he’s been the captain and an integral part of the club for most of the time I’ve been following.

I would love to talk to him as I have so many questions about a few famous moments, including the Miracle of Istanbul. It would be great to hear his thoughts on the new Liverpool era under Klopp, and since I’m from the US I would love to ask him about his time in LA!

I would also like to have dinner with Luis Garcia. During the 2016 Liverpool pre-season tour I had the chance to meet all of the LFC Legends who travelled over.

Garcia was by far my favourite legend to meet and have a conversation with. I even asked him if he drinks sangria and he said yes, so dinner and sangria with Garcia would be amazing.

Lastly, I would love to have dinner with Bill Shankly. Shankly deserves the credit for bringing the initial success to the club and I would be very keen to know his thoughts of Klopp and our current success after so many years of not winning the Premier League.


Thanks to Kerry for sharing her ‘Liverpool Life’ – look out for more from this series on This Is Anfield. Follow Kerry on Instagram @kerrysomewhere.