PLAYER FOCUS on....."Johnaldo"!

Unfortunately, it's my turn for the horror that is player focus. This is good fun when you are writing about other players but when it's about yourself..... not so good! Anyway, i turned my well thought out answers over for Jodinho's cerebral analysis and pithy comments. I promised not to edit what he wrote but simply post it..... so....here it is.......!

John "Das Boots" was one of the charter members of the Madison Celtic Club, and he has been a mainstay of the team both on and off the field since the beginning. Having grown up in Scotland he brings enthusiasm and skill each week and is always willing to make sacrifices for the team. In honor of Johnaldo's dedication and contributions to the team a consensus was formed to wear his much-loved Glasgow Celtic's colors. Johnaldo continues to be a season ticket holder for his homeland team, and he regularly attends many of their games. Johnaldo plays solidly in the back, but sometimes reminds his team mates that he is accustomed to playing mid or striker. (He even went so far as to demonstrate some of his scoring abilities over this past summer.....)

And now a few questions answered by the Golden Boy himself:

First time you played soccer? Of course, it was called football in those days and i think i was about 3 years old. I had conquered eating, walking and stuff like that and the next thing on my list was kicking a ball which i have now done for more years than i care to remember. (We'd like to stop counting too...).

Fav Team? Really, i need to answer this one? I was born a Celtic fan and will no doubt die a Celtic fan. I can remember my first ever game going to see Celtic in the sixties. They were the best team in Europe then and those years set a high standard for Celtic to live up to. (It's always good to have memories of the good times....)

Fav Player? I have seen so many great players up close while watching Celtic in Glasgow...most recently Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Del Piero, Ronaldinho, Henry, Gerrard to name a few. I was also at the Scotland Argentina game when the 19 year old Maradona scored his first goal for Argentina! But my fav players are Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson! (Any Scottish players that you care to mention? Oh, that's right, the field of choices is very, very narrow....)

Fav Music? Snow Patrol, Foo Fighters, Black Eyed Peas, Kaiser Chiefs,Nickelback, Oasis, U2, Simple Minds, Keb Mo, Mary J Blige, Jack Johnson, Sting, Keane, Lily Allen, Duffy. (Maybe we should've asked who you don't like....)

Fav Movie? Depends on my mood: for entertainment i enjoy the Harry Potter movies, Bourne series, Star Trek stuff, Amelie, Gladiator, Shaun of the Dead, Lord of the Rings,The Great Escape, Mississippi Massala... More serious movies that i loved; Hotel Rwanda, Rabbit Proof Fence, Das Boot....... (Harry Potter?? (listed first no less) This explains a lot......)

Best moment on a soccer field? Scoring the winning goal in the University sevens final. The team got so drunk after the game the only thing i can now remember about the day was the goal. (Yup, that was something....)

Nickname at school? Well mostly "Housty", sometimes Tex. (Now that's original! No "Son of Sam" (Houston)? That's right, he came along well after your ancient childhood!)

Motto for life? Always look on the bright side of life....da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum (The Celtic fight song?)

Something we don't know about you? I played trumpet in my high school band and we won a UK version of "America's got talent" called "New Faces". A TV star and fame, all at an early age.....it's a wonder i am so normal......Please form an orderly line for my autograph.... (Very impressive....We're sure you'll be treated differently now.....)

Thank God, that's over! Some nice comments from Jodinho though, proving that bribery does work! That's the last Player Focus, and probably the last post, of 2008, but we will be back in 2009 with some new amazing insights from Roniildo, Fribeka, Tom the Coach, Hamid The Enigma, Jerry and many more!...stay tuned!

Have a Great Christmas and Happy New Year....and try to keep fit!