Clint Dempsey has revealed that his first World Cup memory is of the 1986 tournament which was held in Mexico.
The Seattle Sounders ace, who is preparing for his third straight tournament with the USA, wrote a piece for MLSsoccer.com explaining his earliest memories of the sport's biggest spectacle which kicks off in Brazil in June.
Dempsey remembers watching the great Diego Maradona guiding Argentina to victory in a documentary entitled 'Hero' and said that was the moment he fell in love with the world game.
'[When I was a kid], there was a movie called Hero, about the 1986 World Cup when it was in Mexico in the year Argentina won,' Dempsey wrote.
'And I remember watching Diego Maradona play and some of the other countries. Seeing the passion, seeing the fans - that was pretty special for me because I really loved the game.
'But here I am in Texas, where not very many people are as passionate about the sport as I am. And then I'm looking on TV [the movie, Hero] and seeing people from all over, from different countries that have the same passion that I do and willing their team on.
'That's when I fell in love with it [soccer]. To one day be on that stage and represent my country, what could be more special than that?'
