Like his fellow Sky man, Fenners, Max Rushden is just a little bit fond of the global kickabout that takes place every four years.
"I love the World Cup. I love World Cup Wallcharts." says Max.
"I love predicting all the groups. I love Roger Milla. I love the Group of Death. I just love it."
In the latest of our weekly series as we approach Brazil '14, we spoke to Max to discover his top 5 World Cup moments. Read on for memories from the '86, '90, '98, 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
Follow Max Rushden on Twitter and watch him on Soccer AM, Saturdays, 10am, Sky 1 and Sky Sports 1
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1. Mexico 1986
"I was 7. So I liked football. Or at least I chased after a ball at school and my Dad took me to Cambridge United. I remember having the Panini sticker book for it. I really loved the mascot - Piquet I think it was. That was a great shiny. I remember Brian Robson dislocating his shoulder and seeing a photo of him covered in sweat being carried off. So I just presumed dislocating your shoulder meant you were really sweaty. Looking back now - the best thing about Mexico '86 was the goal nets. So deep. So much top corner to aim for. Remember Denmark and USSR scoring amazing goals. I had a goals video with moody music that showed "the perplexing Barnes running down the wing" in turquoise shorts against Argentina. I don't think I realised how significant the handball was, but I don't think I've forgiven Maradona."
2. Italia '90
"When I was 11, football was my entire life. Posters on the wall of my room from Shoot and Match that made up a goal so I could bounce a tennis ball off the wall and score diving headers. League ladders and football stickers all over the place. I had Argentina in the school sweepstake so I was sad about that 'cos of '86. And sad when Cameroon beat them. There were 24 chocolate bars on offer. But I love those terrible Cameroon fouls on Cannigia...And from England - we look back with such rose tinted specacles. We didn't play particularly well until the semi-final. But for a single moment - that David Platt volley was just amazing."
3. France '98
"In France 98, I was back-packing through Australia - I remember getting a beautiful Norwegian girl to do my facepaint for the Tunisia game. It was a 10pm kick off for us. At half time, me and my mate Nick were suddenly so desparately hungry. We thought we could get a pizza in time for the 2nd half. For some reason we had to climb over a wall - which I fell off - ran to the pizza place, and the pizza took 25 minutes to cook, so we missed half the 2nd half. I had blood all over my hands, burnt my mouth but it didn't matter - we got to see Scholes curl that one in. The Argentina game was at 5am. I couldn't risk staying up all night, so we slept and got up. All I can remember is Sol Campbell scoring, us celebrating like mad - and then having no idea what was going on when Darren Anderton was clearing the ball off our line. I still can't believe he disallowed it."
4. England v Trinidad, 2006
"I went to Germany in 2006 on a boys road trip. We started in Prague, and a guy I know there called Charlie cycled into a hedge after a particularly heavy night in "Middle Europe's largest nightclub" on the Charles bridge. We then went to Nuremburg for the Trinidad game, which wasn't that great. The best bit was the Trinidad fans. After the game, the walk to town was about 10 minutes, but we danced back with them and it took 2 hours!"
5. South Africa 2010
"In 2010, I was travelling through central America. I was in Mexico when they beat France 2-0. That was proper city at a standstill, cars beeping their horns all night. It was amazing. I watched England v the USA on an island in Belize in a tropical storm. Clint Dempsey shot and you could see it was rolling along the floor. When the TV came back on it was 1-1 and we had no idea what was going on. That shot cannot have gone in.
"I watched the England v Germany game in the cinema in Havana in Cuba. It was weird, because before the game everyone was quiet, because people are quiet in cinemas. And then Germany got a chance and all these people jumped up - I had no idea there were so many Germans in Cuba! It was frustrating 'cos they didn't have half time analysis so Lampard's shot crossed the line and there weren't any replays. None. I was incandescent with rage.
"By the final I was in Guatemala. In this bar where upstairs was Spain, and downstairs was Holland and you had to pick. It was heaving. And I was in full (totally ripped off) Holland kit. By pure chance, the future Mrs Rushden was in the same bar. But we didn't meet (probably lucky as I wasn't stone cold sober). We didn't meet until 3 weeks later. There's a photo of her at the bar and you can just make me out in the background. So I suppose, without knowing it, that game was the most important football match of my life...."
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(Images: Getty)
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