Gooooooaaaaaaal!

Hola,

In my adventures so far in Spain, I have come to realize that Spaniards only really talk to me about 3 things: soccer, the time they (or one of their relatives) went to the US, and if the girls are more beautiful on the other side.

Soccer in general is a hug sport in Spain, but right now it is bigger than usual because of the Euro Cup. In fact as I write this blog I am surrounded by Spaniards yelling at the TV in a Tapas Bar. As far as I can tell, whether you like soccer or not, its always a great conversation starter here as everyone knows the scores of the latest game. It’s all over the news, social media, and everybody is talking about it! Really the only time that soccer isn’t spoken about is when Spain is eliminated from a tournament. Meanwhile, the elections are kind-of, sort-of a topic it’s best not to talk about in person (imagine frog & cup of tea emojis here).

What I do enjoy most about soccer in Spain is the passion that the audience has. The only audience I have seen have more passion from than the Spaniards, is Mexicans. If you’re wondering, yes this is completely bias since I am Mexican. Although, Italians are the easiest and quickest to get upset at a soccer match, well as far as I have seen at least.

Hold the phone!!! Spain has just been eliminated!!! Work is going to be VERY quite tomorrow to say the least…

Wow. In the middle of me writing this blog. I am currently sitting amongst the grumpiest Spaniards I have ever seen. There is a mixture of sadness, upset-ness, and just disbelief that Spain couldn’t pull a victory in today’s match.

For all those who aren’t really into soccer, or that simply don’t understand what “the big deal is”: here in Europe, soccer is much more than just a game. It’s having the ability to say that “my country is better than yours”. It’s the ability to say “I am better than them because we beat them in the Euro Cup”. This is true for both international matches and even local matches such as the all time classic: FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid. It is true for any country really.

See, it’s more than just a sport, its a passion. It’s the way you feel and how it tears you up inside (whether it be good or bad). While I admit if you’re not a fan of soccer then you don’t have to be, but if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.