‘I’ll remember it for the rest of my life’: the footballers whose biggest games come before their league begins

Premier League footballers are gearing up for the start of the season, but some of their fellow professionals in smaller leagues across Europe have been going all summer – even those who play a winter campaign. Some played the biggest games of their lives when the rest of us were watching the World Cup. The Champions League qualifiers began when the World Cup was at the last-16 stage, with some clubs already knocked out of Europe by the time England were beaten by Argentina in Atlanta.

Larne, the champions of Northern Ireland, began their European crusade on the day Argentina beat Egypt in the World Cup last-16, Dan Bent’s penalty in the second leg a week later helping them overcome Tre Fiori of San Marino in the Champions League. Larne’s reward was a meeting with former European champions Red Star Belgrade. They were beaten 9-0 on aggregate by the Serbian giants, but it is an experience Bent will treasure for ever.

You want to play those games in those stadiums. Everyone tells you about how long the tunnel is and how intimidating it is, and then you’re there and a part of it. There were 27,000 fans and the funny thing is, for them, that’s a medium-sized crowd.

The stadium was only half-full.” The population of Larne could have fit into the rest of it with room to spare. You do your best, but sometimes there are gaps that are hard to bridge. But to play in that competition, at that ground, against a team as big as that, was amazing.

I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.” The European qualifiers move fast, with teams given little time to prepare or analyse opponents. But after that, each week will just change depending on results. You might be playing one team who could play in a totally different way to the other, or we might want to play in a different way against them.

You need to pick up things quickly. Logistically, it is pretty crazy. You have to plan for all eventualities.” If players find it unnerving, imagine the stress for the clubs’ operations managers and the players’ families.