ART OF Reflections

For Andrés, the education in football, formed on the populares of his native Buenos Aires has defined his life up to this point, as it does for so many who call that city home. From the way he explains it, in Argentina to be a fan is no fair weather endeavour. With it comes a responsibility and a weight to bear. You do your part and there’s no negotiating of terms. He says he has his grandfather to thank for his devotion, and the happy memories that came with it. Days and years spent learning the love required to earn the title ‘hincha’, the love for Boca Juniors, for the national team and above all for Diego.

Fans in Argentina, we learnt, put a special importance on the rituals that become habit on a matchday. Superstition the driving force. The same corner had to be met on. The same album listened to each and every time on the drive to La Boca. As for the prematch food? You guessed it. It was pizza on sunday, every sunday. We daren’t ask if the toppings stayed the same, but we could probably make a reasonable guess as to the answer. The conversation went some way to opening up our eyes as to why Argentinian’s feel football more than almost any other. 

When you enter  Andrés’ home, the eyes are fully open as to just how centre stage the game plays in his life. In particular that curly haired genius from Villa Fiorito. If they make something with Diego’s face on it, you best believe Andres has it. His partner Charlotte says that she tries to keep a lid on things, set some boundaries and keep Diego to a more considered level. The wry smile as she finishes her sentence let us know that she’s on the losing end of a very Argentinian love affair. 

It’s safe to say that whilst the rituals he once shared with his grandfather aren’t exactly the same now he’s 7000 miles away in London. The lessons he learnt will never leave. As he sips his Mate, educating us, football can rest easy knowing that while time and geography may displace, la pasión doesn’t pay any mind to those metrics.