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The TV presenter explains why covering World Cup matches in Mexico was completely unforgettable

The World Cup gave us historic moments, unbelievable matches and some incredible stadiums across Mexico, Canada and the USA. Travelling around to present games for the host broadcaster, Fox Sports, was a dream come true for me, and covering the matches in Mexico was an experience I will never forget. The fans, stadiums, culture and atmosphere captured everything the tournament stands for.

I was fortunate to watch multiple matches in all three Mexican host cities — Guadalajara, Monterrey and, of course, Mexico City. Each city felt very different from the others, but they all shared one thing: passionate, emotional and seriously loud Mexican fans right at the centre of everything.

From the moment you landed in the country, green shirts were everywhere you looked. Men, women, children, babies, dogs and even ducks were all wearing the jersey. Mexican players’ faces were on billboards on the streets, on juice cartons and sweet packets in shops, and World Cup signage was around every corner. It is a football-crazy country — the atmosphere was infectious and brilliant.

I got a true sense of what football means to Mexicans by working on all the games there with Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, who still holds the record as the country’s all-time leading goalscorer. In a nation that treats football like religion, Chicharito is revered like a god.

Across Europe, I work with some of the biggest names in the game and fans get excited when they see them. Many ask for selfies, autographs, or simply stop to say hello. But moving around Mexico with Hernandez was something from another world. Peter Schmeichel was also with us, and even he said, “You never see this in England.”

Fans would run after Hernandez and shout his name when they spotted him, all desperate to get as close as possible to touch him or get his signature. Moving between stadiums, we needed a police escort to get from A to B. I have never seen anything like it before, but that is how much football means to Mexicans; it is everything to them. Their passion was infectious and they were a perfect example of a 12th man for their team.

Then there were the stadiums. The Azteca is iconic. As you approached the area in Mexico City, you could see it rising in the distance. Its bright colours stood out, yet it was imposing — old, but grand. The area was gritty, which gave it an edge, and the streets were lined with taco vendors.

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There are not many stadiums you can walk into and feel an atmosphere, even when it is completely empty, but the Azteca had a rare, magical feeling the moment you stepped inside. Fill it with thousands of Mexican supporters and the noise was indescribable. When a goal was scored, you were lucky if you did not end up completely drenched in beer! It was wild and crazy — exactly how football should be enjoyed.

When you looked around, you could picture the historic moments — Pele and Carlos Alberto, plus Diego Maradona’s Hand of God and the incredible solo goal that followed. I was there for three games, including the tournament’s opening match, and no other stadium bettered it during my travels. It had already hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, and it would have been a worthy setting for this summer’s showpiece as well.

Estadio Guadalajara was unique. It was built to almost look like a volcano, with the external walls covered in grass up the sides so that it seemed as if the stadium was growing out of the ground, and then topped with a large, futuristic ring for a roof. It was picturesque from the outside and spectacular inside.

Monterrey was simply exquisite — the pictures do not do it justice. The whole area around the stadium is a postcard backdrop of green mountains. Not only was the arena modern inside, but if you were lucky enough to have a seat on one side of the stadium, there was the most stunning view of the mountains through the roof. Even in person, it did not look real.

After Mexico’s games, the street parties packed with thousands of fans produced some of my greatest images from the World Cup. Cars drove past and handed tequila to passers-by out of the window, loud music blasted from bars and the party mood carried on into the early hours of the morning.

Football is deeply rooted in Mexico’s culture and the country fully embraced its role as one of this year’s hosts. They made it a special, unforgettable experience.