For Martin Keown, the FA Cup was never just another competition—it was the spark that ignited his love for football. Long before he collected three winners' medals with Arsenal and celebrated Wembley triumphs, Keown was a young boy glued to the television in his parents' corner shop, captivated by English football's most storied domestic event.

"Oh, for me, the FA Cup is everything," Keown shared ahead of this weekend's final between Manchester City and Chelsea. "It's the reason I came into the game."

He recalled a vivid childhood memory: "My parents had a corner shop, and my mum was selling Newcastle Brown Ale. Fans came in wanting to buy it, but my mum didn't understand the connection. It was the day of Liverpool versus Newcastle, and they told her: 'Watch today's Cup final. It's all on the television.'"

"So my mum led me to the TV. I think It's A Knockout was on at 11 o'clock in the morning, and I stayed there until 10 to five watching Liverpool win. Kevin Keegan scored two goals, Steve Heighway got the third, and I told my mum: 'That's me. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to play in a Cup final.'"

Keown would go on to win the FA Cup three times during Arsenal's golden era, but he emphasizes that the defeats stung just as much as the victories inspired. "To fulfil that ambition was something special," he said. "I went on to win it three times. I did lose it as well, and that pain can hurt."

He added, reflecting on advice from Arsenal's former coach Don Howe: "'You get 10 chances, like green bottles hanging on the wall. Don't waste those opportunities to get to Wembley and win it.' So I took every opportunity I could. But it's very difficult just to get to a final and to win it, so I have a lot of pride in holding on to those medals."

Despite the dramatic changes in football since his childhood, Keown believes the magic of the FA Cup remains intact. "At that age, you could almost set the diary around the FA Cup final," he said. "You knew every final and who'd played in it. West Ham, Southampton—you remembered all of them."

As Manchester City and Chelsea prepare to battle at Wembley, Keown's story serves as a powerful reminder: the FA Cup isn't just a trophy—it's the dream that starts with a young fan watching from home, and for a lucky few, it becomes a lifetime of memories.