Hanyar Neil Sullivan zuwa ƙwallon ƙafa na ƙasa da ƙasa ba ta kasance ta yau da kullun ba. Tsohon mai tsaron gidan Wimbledon bai samu matsayinsa a cikin tawagar Craig Brown ta Scotland ta hanyar wasan sa kaɗai ba — wata magana ta bazata a wani taron tallafi, da dan jarida daga wannan mujallar ya ji, ta taka muhimmiyar rawa.

Sullivan daga bisani ya samu kofuna 28 na ƙasa da ƙasa tare da Scotland kuma ya kasance wani ɓangare na tawagar da ta tafi Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya 1998 a Faransa. Yana jaddada cewa labarin kiran sa ba tatsuniya ba ne.

Haduwar bazata da ta canza komai

"I, gaskiya ne 100 bisa dari," Sullivan ya gaya wa FourFourTwo sa'ad da aka tambaye shi ko mujallar ta taimake shi shiga tawagar Brown a shekarar 1997. Yaron da kan gida ya kasance yana halartan taron tallafi don Sondico, kamfanin gyar hannu da ya dauke shi a wancan lokaci.

"Ina tsammanin kayan kare ƙafar David Beckham ma Sondico ce ta dauke su," Sullivan ya bayyana. "Dukkanmu mun kasance a wannan taron — muna tallata alama, ɗaukar hotuna, sa hannu ga magoya baya. Ba a samu kyauta ba don hasashen wanda layin sa ya fi tsayi."

Dan jaridar FourFourTwo ya kasance a can a wannan rana. A cikin wata tattaunawa ta yau da kullun, Sullivan ya yi ambaton bazata cewa yana da kaka ɗan Scotland — wata bayani da ta shiga shafukan mujallar kuma, abin mamaki, ya ja hankalin manajan ƙungiyar Brown.

"Ya kira ni kuma na yi amfani da damar," Sullivan ya tuna. Ya yi wasansa na farko na ƙasa da ƙasa da Wales a watan Mayu 1997 kuma ya yi isasshen wasa don tabbatar da matsayinsa a tawagar Brown don Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya 1998.

Rayuwa a Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya 1998

Sullivan ya tafi Faransa a matsayin mai tsaron gida na uku na Scotland, bayan Jim Leighton da Andy Goram. Sa'ad da Goram ya janye daga tawagar kafin gasar ta fara, Sullivan ya koma matsayi na biyu.

"Mun yi wasan farko da Brazil, don haka muka rasa bikin buɗe gasar — muna ƙarƙashin filin wasa muna shirya," ya ce. "Wannan ji farin ciki ne na gaske."

Sullivan ya bayyana dukkan wannan kwarewar a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin manyan lokutan aikinsa. "Lokaci ne mai kyau, yana da kyau a kasance cikin harkar ko da ƙaramin hanya da sha'awar yanayin," ya ce.

Bayan Leighton ya bar ƙwallon ƙafa na ƙasa da ƙasa a shekarar 1998, Sullivan ya zama mai tsaron gida na farko na Scotland a yayin yaƙin neman cancantar Euro 2000 da Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya 2002 — hauhawar ban mamaki ga ɗan wasa wanda aikinsa na ƙasa da ƙasa ya fara da jumla ɗaya a taron ɗaukar hoto na kamfanin gyar hannu.