Enamorados del Atleti ...

Football has those things: one falls in love with a team without even having visited the city of its origin. This happens to some members of our Peña. They are members of Atlético de Madrid without having visited their stadium, distant fans, at heart, who would like to see more live matches but cannot for various reasons.

When, on the occasion of the First Meeting of European Atlético Peñas, a delegation from Atleti visited us in Cologne, this situation became evident during the talk with the peñas, and the Club’s representative showed great generosity by inviting all members of our Peña who had not yet visited our stadium to the match against Lazio.

The reception of this gesture was immediate, and seven members signed up for a spontaneous and, above all, long-dreamed trip. They took vacations, booked flights, hotels, and some began to arrive on Tuesday the 12th, but most arrived on the day of the match, Wednesday the 13th, straight from the airport to the stadium. Once gathered there, with a bit of cold but splendid sunshine, the first thing was to see the facilities from the outside. Our home, the home of all Atlético fans, invited us to enjoy that special day. Photos, stories, amazed faces… everything indicated that this was going to be an unforgettable day.

We visited the offices, the guts of that machine called Atlético de Madrid, and took the opportunity to deliver a small typical German gift. We couldn’t miss our visit to the official store either, where we indulged ourselves a bit. And the pre-match is not complete without a visit to our favorite place, El Zarzal, where they treated us as well as usual. Back at the stadium, we continued to enjoy the concert that the Metropolitano Rock Band offers every match day until the match time approached, and we headed to the entrance.

And finally, we entered! The majesty of the venue, the Champions atmosphere, the certainty of being at home surrounded by the red and white family, made that moment unique and special. Finally, hearing the chants live, talking to other fans, showing off our scarves and flags, being in short an active part of that red and white world… pure Atleti!

And to crown that glorious day, we were able to leave celebrating a victory that keeps us dreaming as group leaders. We want to thank Atlético de Madrid because it made it possible for seven of us to set foot in the Metropolitano stadium for the first time. This is how fandom is fostered, especially for those of us who experience the colchonero passion from abroad.

¡Aúpa Atleti!

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