When the League ends, we all have the same thought: What do I do now without football? Almost two months without seeing the ball roll feels eternal, but there are summers (like this one) where an international tournament satisfies our craving.

This year, the Eurocup was held in Germany, and in our supporters’ club, we have followers of various national teams. For once, we swapped our red and white jerseys for those of the teams we support and got ready to enjoy the tournament.

Not everyone is as lucky as I am. Because everyone (or almost everyone) has a godfather, but mine is red-and-white. One of the real ones, one of the cool ones.

I know he has many godchildren, and when he first became my godfather, I wasn’t very aware of what was coming my way. When I first offered him my arm to walk down the stairs to the auditorium at the Metropolitano, I was very clear that I could learn many things from him. That day, his supporters’ club was receiving a well-deserved tribute for years and years of loyalty to the Club, and as we descended those steps, he told me about his beginnings in short strides. He was taken to the front rows, as befits a member whose number is below 300, and at that moment, I already felt a little orphaned.

When ‘Creyentes’ told us about their initiative to hang the banners of the supporters’ clubs in the Metropolitano, our club didn’t hesitate for a moment: from the beginning, we were very clear that our banner should be there, adorning and bringing color, spirit, and presence. We joined this initiative because we are convinced that the banners are the veins through which the blood of the supporters’ clubs flows, and these are, in turn, the heart of any team. Without the supporters’ clubs and their representation, the team is nothing.

When the Champions League draw came out and it was announced that Atlético de Madrid would play against Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals, we, as the Peña Atlética de Alemania, jumped for joy. Finally, Atleti was coming to Germany Since we became an official peña, we hadn’t had the luck of hosting our team here, and we took it as a gift and an unparalleled opportunity to show how great our peña is.

As is customary for our away trips, the Peña Atlética de Alemania is always present many hours before the matches, in what is colloquially known as the “Previa” (eng. “pre-match gathering”). In this case, this meeting was organized in a pub in the city of Dortmund where the Champions League match between Dortmund and Atleti was taking place. More than 60 Atlético supporters from our club or friendly clubs attended this gathering. In an unbeatable festive atmosphere, food and drinks were enjoyed in good company until it was time to move to the Westfallenstadion.