Fútbol in Spain – my experience
In Spain, fútbol is a lifestyle. It is by far the most played, watched, and followed sport. Unlike our sole National Football League in the U.S., Spanish football operates on multiple professional and semi-professional levels–similar to other European countries. The first division, La Liga, is comparable to our NFL. However, unlike the NFL, the worst teams in La Liga are relegated to the Segunda División. No matter where you are, there certainly is a football team somewhere nearby. Real Madrid and Barcelona have historically dominated La Liga, and they boast the largest fan bases. With this said, the fans of local teams are still very passionate. Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, Madrid’s second and third best teams, are excellent examples of this. When I went to an Atlético game, the energy of the stadium and fans was fantastic. I did not get to go to a Rayo game, but the word on the street–this stadium gets the loudest of any. If Átletico or Real is playing a game in the evening, you’ll know it when you walk on the streets. Bars and restaurants are full.
No other sport in Spain moves the country like this. For example, on September 18th, 2022, the national basketball team was competing in the final match of the main European Basketball Championship (FIBA EuroBasket 2022). A bar nearby my place was not even showing it. Instead, they were showing the Real Madrid vs. Átletico regular season match. I also love tennis, and after watching Rafa Nadal for many years, and recently Carlos Alcaraz, I assumed the sport was huge in Spain. This is simply not the case. After living for a few weeks in Spain, I still had not met anyone that played tennis. When I asked, I was just told it’s not particularly popular (at least in the middle of Madrid). With all this said, not everyone is in love with fútbol. My Madrid host mother was one. "People take it too seriously," she would say. She and her husband's favorite sport: Formula 1.
Growing up, I greatly admired how soccer was played in Spain. The national team, as well as the best La Liga teams, passed the ball with spectacular creativity, accuracy, and intention. When I moved to Madrid, I wanted to try to get involved with the sport in some capacity. As described in my “Reflections on a first day in Madrid,” I found a game on that first day. Unfortunately, this game did not end up happening because not enough players were able to join. My next approach to find a game was to go to the nearby soccer field by my place in Peñagrande and ask around. Every evening, the complex of our local neighborhood club, Zona Norte, is filled with its teams practicing. One evening I walked through the gates, found some Zona Norte staff members, and explained my situation–that I just moved and was looking for some games to join. I did this on two different occasions and got connected with two different groups. One group played small 5v5 games on the short artificial turf indoor surface; the other group played larger 8v8 games on the regular turf. The individuals in the first group are mostly from Spain; the second, mostly from Britain.
I had incredible fun playing with both of them. From a standpoint of passing and movement, I think the quality was probably superior with the Spanish group. However, my British friends more than made up for any of that with their hospitality and celebrations of Sunday evening. Every week, when we finished, we would head to the bar across the street to enjoy a beer. What fun camaraderie this was! Looking back, these were some of my best memories abroad. Running around the pitch, toasting with the lads, sharing some tapas, and having good laughs. ¡Salud!
