West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio remembers his favourite Boleyn Ground moments

Hello,



Thinking about the last season at the Boleyn Ground makes me want to cry! 



It was an amazing period of my life, not only as a player but also as a person, I have great memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. 



I get asked a lot about that goal against Wimbledon.  I remember it well, it was a good goal! 



We moved the ball well with my friend Marc-Vivien Foe who unfortunately is no longer with us, the ball came to Trevor Sinclair, he gave me a fantastic delivery.  I didn’t have much space but in an instant I decided to go for a bicycle kick that I was always trying in training. 



This time I was very lucky that the technique was perfect, it wasn’t easy but it was an amazing goal. 



I always had great self-belief; it was a risk because if it went wrong a lot of people would have laughed.  I was feeling confident at the time, so I decided to try and it worked.  It was a moment of perfect technique. 



Another moment was in the 5-4 win against Bradford City.  The penalty was not a great moment but it was OK because we were down all game.  There was a little friction, a difference of opinion between myself and Frank Lampard.  But in the end I took the penalty.  I said to him afterward, you will also score, and he did.  So in the end it was a great day to share together. 



If I had missed the penalty I’m sure people would have wanted to kill me but I didn’t actually think about that at the time because I was focused, I was confident. 



Another special memory was when I came to play for Tony Carr’s testimonial, he’s another symbol of West Ham.  He worked for many, many years, often behind the scenes to improve the Club.  His quality as a scout to find quality young players is easy to see. 



It was great to be reunited with my Claret and Blue family.  I don’t see them often but they are in my heart always.  To see them again was fantastic. 



When I first arrived I met Razor Ruddock, Ian Wright and the other senior players, they really helped me understand what it’s like to wear a West Ham shirt, what it meant to play for West Ham. 



Looking at West Ham now, Slaven Bilic is a very good manager, at international level, and different clubs.  I will follow him, I will follow the Club, I always hope we get the best results ever. 



I want to see the people celebrate with a cup one day soon, the fans deserve that. 



West Ham will be in my heart forever. 



Paolo