Happy Mother's Day!
They say, don't they, that no matter how ugly or awful someone is, their mother probably loves them. And in most cases I am sure that is true.
Despite the heartaches it is a real gift to be a mother. It is certainly one of the joys of my life.
It won't surprise you to know, therefore, that mothers are often an important feature in the lives of footballers.
For example, there is evidence to suggest that Arsene Wenger's mother is responsible for
steering him towards the Gunners rather than any other team as a child. I mean look what she named him for goodness sake!
And even if they have not influenced them in a particular direction, footballer's mother's can sometimes provide us with an insight into what has inspired their offspring. Kevin Keegan will certainly be hoping
Berbatov's mother's belief her son has Newcastle running through his heart will help him attract the Bulgarian player to the club in the summer.
And the theory that a love of football can be inherited seems to be proved by the fact that
Frank Lampard's aunty is married to Harry Rednapp, and their son, Jamie, Frank's cousin, also has a career in the beautiful game.
Of course, the maternal influences have not all been good necessarily. There is a rumour, for instance, that Wayne Rooney's mother is responsible for his distinctive facial features because she fed him
too many sprouts as a child. If that is the case, then maybe if I had put more pressure on my children to eat up their greens, one of them would now be a footballing god too. How we mothers let our children down!
And isn't it heartening to know that even one of the most famous football manager's in the world at the moment, Fabio Capello, is still
the subject of his mum's worries, not least because she is concerned he may do so well that England triumph over Italy.
At the end of the day, there's
nothing like a mother's love.
