No. I didn't get to see even the shadow of Ballack or the team bus of Zidane while in Germany during the World Cup finals. But I did get to see the fans. And what a revelation that was. Fans in all shapes and sizes and race and gender... Noisy teens, couples in love, university students, husbands and wives, father with sons and daughters perched on their shoulders.

A continuous stream of people passed Riju and I as we lounged in front of the Brandenburg gate. People of all nationalities, their love for soccer overriding national pride. Brazilian supporters rooting for Italy, Germans cheering the French team. It didn't really matter. They were all actually shouting for soccer. It was amazing to watch so many true blue soccer fans congregated in one area.

And so many children among the fans. Boys and girls, even toddlers, with faces painted with country colours, waving flags and team scarves. Babies in prams, sleeping peacefully in the racket, while their parents swig beer by the gallon. It was all a great family outing: something to be enjoyed to the hilt.

It was all very novel for me: in India the soccer crowd comprises of men only. I have been to the Salt Lake stadium for a number of matches and never did I spot any woman in the teeming crowd. For the India-Japan match, there was a large number of women, but they were all Japanese supporters. Indian women clearly disapprove of football. Or, even if they do like it, they prefer the privacy of their drawing rooms to cheer their favourite team on. Very different from cricket, which draws a most glamorous crowd, with girls in tank tops and Indian colours painted on their faces (or on other body parts) vying for the roving television camera's attention.

I felt comfortable in Berlin. I was not the only mother in the fan area. It felt good to see women around you also asking their children to be patient, or taking out packets of sandwiches or biscuits to keep them contented. I think Riju liked it too with so many children around. Maybe the on-field action didn't hold his attention so much as the off-field one, but at least he didn't mind being part of a crowd. And being patient till his mom finished cheering for her team. Given that a soccer match is over in about 2 hours, the day-long enjoyment I witnessed in Berlin on July 9 truly proves that football is the world's favourite sport.