DARIUS
WHAT’S IT TO YA?
July 26, 2026
Darius Motazed is a former professional goalkeeper turned kit collector, DJ, and lifelong FC Köln supporter. Born and raised in Vancouver, his relationship with football began with the 1998 World Cup before eventually taking him from the pitches of Vancouver to the professional game in Germany. Since returning home, he has remained closely connected to the city’s growing football community, sharing his passion for the game through music and kits.
We chopped it up about his earliest football memories, the highs and lows of his playing career, what makes a shirt special, his connection to Köln and how football culture in Canada has changed over the years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your earliest football memory?
My first memory is probably World Cup ’98. I remember Iran and Germany, which are the countries of my parents, qualifying for the tournament. It was kind of a big family event, and that was the first time I was really introduced to the World Cup.
I would say ’98 kind of piqued my curiosity, but the 1999 Champions League final really solidified this lifelong draw to this game. To feel this high emotion and then, all of a sudden, drop down to the lowest of lows.
We chopped it up about his earliest football memories, the highs and lows of his playing career, what makes a shirt special, his connection to Köln and how football culture in Canada has changed over the years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your earliest football memory?
My first memory is probably World Cup ’98. I remember Iran and Germany, which are the countries of my parents, qualifying for the tournament. It was kind of a big family event, and that was the first time I was really introduced to the World Cup.
I would say ’98 kind of piqued my curiosity, but the 1999 Champions League final really solidified this lifelong draw to this game. To feel this high emotion and then, all of a sudden, drop down to the lowest of lows.
How accessible was football in Vancouver at the time? Were your friends watching, or was it mostly something you shared with your family?
I would say in 1999 and early 2000s, in Vancouver—at least in Canada—exposure was really low. That specific Champions League final game I’m talking about was a replay I saw a week later. Even in that regard, I didn’t even know what the Champions League was.
I played youth soccer at the time, but none of the kids that I played with watched soccer. Years later, Sportsnet Central came around with their Soccer Saturdays, so that was kind of the next exposure. Fast-forward years later, and here we are with a World Cup in our country.
When did you begin playing organized football, and how did you end up in goal?
I was around 10 when I watched that Champions League final, and I had played football just in school and whenever I’d go on holiday to Germany. After that final, I had gotten, that summer, an Oliver Kahn Bayern Munich jersey.
I started playing when I was 11 in organized sports, and I was in goal right away.
When did you realize football was something you wanted to pursue as a career?
I didn’t really think much about playing college or professional soccer until I was around 15 or 16. We went on tour with a local academy to Europe, and we played some Bundesliga and Dutch academies, and that was the first time I realized, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
I quit hockey, and I loved hockey. I became a goalie in soccer because I was a goalie in hockey. But the bug hit when I was 16 in Europe. I’m looking around me, and I’m like, “Yo, this is amazing.”
I would say in 1999 and early 2000s, in Vancouver—at least in Canada—exposure was really low. That specific Champions League final game I’m talking about was a replay I saw a week later. Even in that regard, I didn’t even know what the Champions League was.
I played youth soccer at the time, but none of the kids that I played with watched soccer. Years later, Sportsnet Central came around with their Soccer Saturdays, so that was kind of the next exposure. Fast-forward years later, and here we are with a World Cup in our country.
When did you begin playing organized football, and how did you end up in goal?
I was around 10 when I watched that Champions League final, and I had played football just in school and whenever I’d go on holiday to Germany. After that final, I had gotten, that summer, an Oliver Kahn Bayern Munich jersey.
I started playing when I was 11 in organized sports, and I was in goal right away.
When did you realize football was something you wanted to pursue as a career?
I didn’t really think much about playing college or professional soccer until I was around 15 or 16. We went on tour with a local academy to Europe, and we played some Bundesliga and Dutch academies, and that was the first time I realized, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
I quit hockey, and I loved hockey. I became a goalie in soccer because I was a goalie in hockey. But the bug hit when I was 16 in Europe. I’m looking around me, and I’m like, “Yo, this is amazing.”
What were some of the most important lessons you learned during your playing career?
I would say in college, the first thing I learned was really how to be a good teammate. One of my coaches, Michael Casper—shout out to him—famously told me, “You’re the kind of guy that if you eat grass, people will follow.” It kind of wrapped my head around: do I want to do the right things for me? Which, yes, but I’ve got to do the right things for the guys around me.
Something I learned later on in my professional career in Germany was from one of my goalie coaches. He said, “Try to stay in a club where they nurture you, they back you, and they really support you as a human, because in the business of soccer, you’re going to get thrown around.”
How did your family support you throughout that journey?
For the college journey, definitely a lot of support from my dad and my mom. A lot with my dad because he took me, obviously, to the trips and the ID camps. I think he saw I was committed as a young guy.
I think sometimes with immigrant parents, you don’t always get that freedom. I’ve been really blessed to have parents that understood athletics wasn’t just about making millions of dollars, but it brought me a lot of joy.
What advice would you give a young Canadian player hoping to become a professional?
You have to be the best at what you do, and you have to dominate the age bracket or field you’re in if you’re playing in Canada. Whether that’s CPL, BCPL, formerly known as League One, or Youth Academy, you have to dominate. That’s non-negotiable.
But my advice to them is to be ready for a lot of no’s before you get a yes. If this is something you really want to do, you’ve just got to have that mentality of water off a duck’s back. That’s kind of something you goalkeepers learn: a goal goes in, and it’s on to the next one.
Just prepare for the negative, the “no,” and understand that there will be an opportunity. Just keep working.
I would say in college, the first thing I learned was really how to be a good teammate. One of my coaches, Michael Casper—shout out to him—famously told me, “You’re the kind of guy that if you eat grass, people will follow.” It kind of wrapped my head around: do I want to do the right things for me? Which, yes, but I’ve got to do the right things for the guys around me.
Something I learned later on in my professional career in Germany was from one of my goalie coaches. He said, “Try to stay in a club where they nurture you, they back you, and they really support you as a human, because in the business of soccer, you’re going to get thrown around.”
How did your family support you throughout that journey?
For the college journey, definitely a lot of support from my dad and my mom. A lot with my dad because he took me, obviously, to the trips and the ID camps. I think he saw I was committed as a young guy.
I think sometimes with immigrant parents, you don’t always get that freedom. I’ve been really blessed to have parents that understood athletics wasn’t just about making millions of dollars, but it brought me a lot of joy.
What advice would you give a young Canadian player hoping to become a professional?
You have to be the best at what you do, and you have to dominate the age bracket or field you’re in if you’re playing in Canada. Whether that’s CPL, BCPL, formerly known as League One, or Youth Academy, you have to dominate. That’s non-negotiable.
But my advice to them is to be ready for a lot of no’s before you get a yes. If this is something you really want to do, you’ve just got to have that mentality of water off a duck’s back. That’s kind of something you goalkeepers learn: a goal goes in, and it’s on to the next one.
Just prepare for the negative, the “no,” and understand that there will be an opportunity. Just keep working.
You’re wearing an FC Köln shirt today. Tell us about the history behind it.
The jersey itself is very traditional, with white and red, which are the city’s colours. In addition to that, you have the famous goat, Hennes. He’s kind of the symbol of FC Köln. On top of that, you have the cathedral in Cologne, which is Gothic architecture and also a big symbol of the city.
The jersey itself is from 1996–1997. They were in the Bundesliga at the time, and their main sponsor was Ford. After the Second World War, 90% of the city was decimated. Ford came into the city and built a manufacturing plant, employed the city and helped build up the city. The manufacturing plant is still there to this day.
The name of this series is “What’s It To Ya?” So, what is FC Köln to you?
Köln is a really special club. When I was younger, FC Bayern was kind of the team because of my favourite player, but FC Köln was kind of my family’s club. My uncles loved them. They were the city close to the village my mom grew up in in Germany. Over the years, they’ve become my hometown club. I’ve lived there. I’ve been part of the city. I’ve been part of the marches. I’ve been part of the promotion parades. I’ve been in the fan block where the flags have waved in front of me the whole game, where I don’t see anything, and I’ve loved it. Outside of Vancouver, it’s probably the second place in the world that I genuinely consider home. Not just because I played football there for a living, but because of the people I met and this club.
Your Instagram page, Kits in the Wild, explores football culture beyond the pitch. Where did the idea come from?
It’s just finding shirts in the wild or anything football-related. Whether it’s my shirts, people I see on the streets, whether it’s a super cool soccer stadium or soccer mural, it’s just tied into football culture. Shout out to my buddy One Kit a Day, my brother for a long time. He’s a guy that’s also opened me up to a lot of football culture outside of on-field stuff. That’s just a place for me to share my football journey and what I love about the game.
The jersey itself is very traditional, with white and red, which are the city’s colours. In addition to that, you have the famous goat, Hennes. He’s kind of the symbol of FC Köln. On top of that, you have the cathedral in Cologne, which is Gothic architecture and also a big symbol of the city.
The jersey itself is from 1996–1997. They were in the Bundesliga at the time, and their main sponsor was Ford. After the Second World War, 90% of the city was decimated. Ford came into the city and built a manufacturing plant, employed the city and helped build up the city. The manufacturing plant is still there to this day.
The name of this series is “What’s It To Ya?” So, what is FC Köln to you?
Köln is a really special club. When I was younger, FC Bayern was kind of the team because of my favourite player, but FC Köln was kind of my family’s club. My uncles loved them. They were the city close to the village my mom grew up in in Germany. Over the years, they’ve become my hometown club. I’ve lived there. I’ve been part of the city. I’ve been part of the marches. I’ve been part of the promotion parades. I’ve been in the fan block where the flags have waved in front of me the whole game, where I don’t see anything, and I’ve loved it. Outside of Vancouver, it’s probably the second place in the world that I genuinely consider home. Not just because I played football there for a living, but because of the people I met and this club.
Your Instagram page, Kits in the Wild, explores football culture beyond the pitch. Where did the idea come from?
It’s just finding shirts in the wild or anything football-related. Whether it’s my shirts, people I see on the streets, whether it’s a super cool soccer stadium or soccer mural, it’s just tied into football culture. Shout out to my buddy One Kit a Day, my brother for a long time. He’s a guy that’s also opened me up to a lot of football culture outside of on-field stuff. That’s just a place for me to share my football journey and what I love about the game.
You’ve been part of Canadian football culture since long before the World Cup arrived here. How does it feel seeing the game move into the mainstream?
It’s cool to see football, or soccer, come to the forefront, kind of seeing it come into the mainstream. It’s exciting, but I do have a bit of reservation, just in terms of what’s being pumped out. You see a lot of fashion houses now, a lot of people jumping on these trends and making all these kits and templates. But I think they’re kind of losing the essence of why we love this. It’s not just about producing things en masse because they’re cool. It’s finding something that’s unique to you. In terms of what’s happening in Canada, I think it’s cool that the culture has been growing. My biggest concern is the business side of things. Are MLS teams really looking out for Canadian interests? Is the CPL truly viable long-term? We know it’s giving opportunities to players, but is there going to be a league for players to be part of?
If you could play a back-to-back set with any footballer, who would you choose and why?
Obviously, Djibril Cissé jumps to mind. I just think he’s such a baller. I’ve seen him crush it for Liverpool and for Marseille, and he seems like he really enjoys it. I honestly think our sounds would match. He seems like he’s got a bit of a housey, organic sound, and I think we would really get on. He just seems like a really down-to-earth dude as well.
It’s cool to see football, or soccer, come to the forefront, kind of seeing it come into the mainstream. It’s exciting, but I do have a bit of reservation, just in terms of what’s being pumped out. You see a lot of fashion houses now, a lot of people jumping on these trends and making all these kits and templates. But I think they’re kind of losing the essence of why we love this. It’s not just about producing things en masse because they’re cool. It’s finding something that’s unique to you. In terms of what’s happening in Canada, I think it’s cool that the culture has been growing. My biggest concern is the business side of things. Are MLS teams really looking out for Canadian interests? Is the CPL truly viable long-term? We know it’s giving opportunities to players, but is there going to be a league for players to be part of?
If you could play a back-to-back set with any footballer, who would you choose and why?
Obviously, Djibril Cissé jumps to mind. I just think he’s such a baller. I’ve seen him crush it for Liverpool and for Marseille, and he seems like he really enjoys it. I honestly think our sounds would match. He seems like he’s got a bit of a housey, organic sound, and I think we would really get on. He just seems like a really down-to-earth dude as well.
Photos & Interview: Tagwa Moyo
