Guy Moreno—Professional FootballerFavourite interest at school:

In this section, you will hear a professional footballer, Guy Moreno, talking about his life and work. This pas sage mill be read twice. For questions 21 —30, complete the notes in three words or fewer for each blank. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
    I don’t think I’m a typical sort of footballer with a typical footballer’ s background. For one thing, my father hated the game, and I never really enjoyed sports at school. 1 was much more interested in playing the piano’ Now that’ s a bit strange, isn’ t it? Don’t get me wrong. I loved playing football as a junior player with our local club—but other sports just didn’ t have that much appeal.
    I was born in Spain, in Barcelona. My mother’ s English and my father’ s Spanish. They met while he was doing a language course in London! By a strange coincidence, my mother’ s birth day’ s on the 14th of July, and my father’ s is on the 16th. Well, as it turned out, I was born on thel5th. I had a great childhood in Spain. The summers seemed endless, and there was always some thing to do. When it got too hot, we’ d pack up and go to England for a few weeks.
    I suppose it was when I was in England that I really began to take an interest in football. Some of the kids in the neighbourhood where my grandparents rived played for a local boys’ club. Anyway, one summer, I entered a competition and the prize was a place with a well known foot ball club on their junior side. It was called the Bright Stars. I didn’ t think I had any chance whatsoever of winning, but I decided to enter more for the experience than anything else. That did it for me. I was one of the lucky winners, and the envy of all my friends. They thought that the fact I was allowed to leave school(although I did continue my studies while I played, of course)sounded like paradise! But in a way it was the toughest time of my life! Yes, it was exciting—but as well as the schoolwork, we spent four hours every day training—every day no matter what the weather.
    Fame is a funny thing. You can’ t quite believe that the person you read about in magazines and newspapers is actually you. And it’ s not all plain sailing. You have critics, too. They are usually the people that you might expect to be your strongest supporters or greatest fans, you know-childhood friends! But I don’ t let that bother me. That’ s the way things go! I just get out there and hope that everyone says, ’ Well, he may not succeed all the time but he always does his best! ’ The point is that you can’ t be brilliant all the time and people shouldn’ t expect that kind of perfection.
    I’ m often asked how I cope with the pressure of the game and the lifestyle it brings. There’ s no doubt that there is a lot of pressure, but I find that I can usually unwind if I go and play golf. It’ s not the most obvious form of relaxation for a footballer but it does help me to unwind. It’ s also a chance to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the countryside and meet a few people, too. If I ask myself whether I’ m happy in the career that I’ve chosen I’ d have to say no, not happy exactly, but very satisfied. Who wouldn’ t be? Happiness is something that I feel only exists for a few moments and then disappears, so you have to settle for something less than that \ And as for the future well, who knows what they’ll be doing in a few months, let alone a few years’ time? Yes, I have plans—but in some ways I don’ t want to make plans that are too definite. I’ d like to get married at some point. I think that would be my real ambition long term—but that won’ t be happening for a while yet.