t’s the year 2008, football continues its growth throughout the world, the money is starting to become astronomical, and the stories are of minnows fighting giants but none could have predicted what was occurring in Eastern Europe.

The year of Robinho to Manchester City, Berbatov to the red side of Manchester, Spain winning the 2008 European Championship and little Havant and Waterlooville taking the lead twice in an FA Cup game against Liverpool. The story that takes the interest of this writer though is of an unknown quantity coming out of Moldovan football. A teenage ‘Sensation’ going by the name Masal Bugduv.

Sat in the local watering hole on a Saturday evening watching the 5:30 pm kick-off with your friends, reminiscing over some obscure footballers bringing with them the happy memories of times gone by. The likes of Adel Taraabt, Hatem Ben Arfa and the one-season wonder Michu, are all skilful players and almost untouchable on their day.

Suddenly somebody mentions that name, ‘Rory Delap’, and abruptly there’s a chill in the air, the fear of facing one of those long, flat, direct throws into your team’s penalty area filling you with despair and angst. Nobody knew what was about to unfold.

This got me thinking, do my friends know about the man with the world record throw in football? I mention the name and I am greeted with looks of confusion. Nobody had heard of Alireza Beiranvand.