Dubai : As David Beckham broke into celebration after firing home the winning goal from the penalty spot in a 2002 World Cup group match against old foes Argentina, one of the first men to appear alongside the emotional England skipper was Trevor Sinclair.
"I'm quite enthusiastic when we score, and, it was only my sixth cap," the affable Sinclair told XPRESS while enjoying a leisurely lunch with wife Natalie at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.
However, Sinclair's enthusiasm extends to several things beyond football, and Dubai is clearly one of them.
A trip to the emirate in 2001 with Natalie, who was expecting the couple's first child at the time, was all it took for them to decide on making Dubai their future home.
"We stayed in one of the hotels along Jumeirah Beach and absolutely fell in love with the place. We thought it seemed a really safe place," said Sinclair. "It's nice and chilled with perfect weather. So we thought maybe we'll come back and have a look at making an investment here," he added.
Sinclair was spared the arduous task of house-hunting after he, like the rest of the England squad who underwent a training camp in Dubai ahead of the 2002 World Cup, got offered a plot on a project we now know as Palm Jumeirah.
"It was the sea at the time so we thought, ‘We're buying a piece of sea'," he said. "In the end 12 of us got involved and each purchased one. I was approaching the end of my career and was thinking about what I was going to do. To get involved in media in England, it's like dog eat dog with so many players around," he added.
The Sinclairs, who now have three boys, finally made their move towards the end of 2007.
"Since we've got here we've really enjoyed it. The kids have settled really well and Natalie is in her element. I wouldn't say Dubai is for everyone but it certainly suits our needs," said Sinclair who is a part-time coach at the Transguard Elite Sporting Academy at Repton School.
