The passion for the red team - Learn Spanish

The Spanish love for soccer is mythical, but their passion for the national team is legendary. If the so-called "Red One" plays (although, let's be honest, that nickname originally belongs to the Chilean team), the country comes to a standstill, remaining silent until one of its players approaches the opposing goal... and heaven help the channel that broadcasts any program other than the match, because its ratings will plummet! It doesn't matter if it's an official game or a friendly: the fans will give their absolute all.

It is a rare month when the national team doesn't have a match, so if you are in Spain taking your course, you'll be able to see one of their games. And where can you do it? There are many options.

Watching the match in a bar

Lately, aseptic and modern sports bars with multiple screens have become fashionable, but watching them surrounded by office workers eager to win a betting pool and armchair experts mimicking Valdano or Beckenbauer can feel strange. True passion is experienced in those lifelong neighborhood bars where they serve you a glass of beer with a tapa—in those places frequented by the shopkeeper who just closed up, the retiree spending the afternoon there, the young couple with their children, the teenage students who pooled their money to buy a team scarf, and the taxi driver who knows he won't have any work for 90 minutes... You'll see that it doesn't matter if they are strangers. Everyone will celebrate a goal as if they were family!

Watching the match with friends

Another great option is to join or organize an evening among friends at someone's house. It’s a comfortable, more intimate, and above all, cheaper atmosphere because it is customary for each participant to be in charge of bringing something to snack on while watching the game: some bring the food, others the drinks... a perfect environment that might surprise you. A triumphant goal can make even your most serious and cold Spanish friend start jumping and screaming!

Watching the match in the street

For some years now, city councils in many towns have also set up giant screens in squares or near stadiums so that pedestrians and passersby can watch the matches. Without a doubt, it is the cheapest option, but also the most crowded, so if you aren't a big fan of throngs of people, we advise other alternatives. But if you love meeting new people, if you vibrate with the feeling of being one of the crowd and want to know what our society is really like... this is the choice for you!

Eating, drinking, playing...

As Amélie Poulain might say, sometimes the best thing is to look away from the screen and look behind you. We continue to undergo catharsis just as our Greek ancestors did, but we have traded the theater for the playing field. The worst—and the best—part is that this enthusiasm is contagious.

Watching a national team match is a complete experience: dressing in the team colors, painting the flag on your face, wearing the jersey of your favorite player... granted... fans of any sport (except perhaps chess) do the same, but for Spaniards, it takes on a special meaning. Some malicious tongues have said that in a country as politically complex as Spain, the only way one is allowed to be patriotic is to bring out the flag when the national team wins.

A national team match, as you can see, is a party. And what can't be missing at a party? Food and drink will parade before your eyes. In some cases, you will see typical Spanish delicacies like potato omelet accompanied by chorizo, ham, morcón, cheese... washed down with beer, wine, sangria, or "claras" (beer mixed with soda or lemon sparkling water); in others, everything will be settled with various potato chips, the famous "gusanitos" (orange-colored tubular snacks), plenty of delivery pizzas... accompanied by sodas of every kind and condition.

One could say, then, that if you had only one day to study what Spanish society is truly like, it would be enough to choose a day when there is a national team match... and you would still have 22 and a half hours left to go to the beach or visit monuments!