The #LigaBBVAExperience. Beyond belief!

As they say in the movies, reality can top fiction. And in this case, it was true. I could spend hours talking about everything I experienced this weekend thanks to LaLiga, with lots of stories shared with people from around the world. We started out as perfect strangers and ended up being part of one big family: the LaLiga family.

Right from the start we could feel the good atmosphere within the group. Despite the typical nerves of finding yourself in a foreign country with a group of strangers, one nice dinner accompanied by good local wine was all we needed to break the ice, and start to get to know each other. One of the best adventures of our life was about to begin.

#LigaBBVAExperience one night as a Valencia's fan pic.twitter.com/8sT8JTQqF1

— Maciek Kondela (@macieyou) March 6, 2016

 

As the experience got off to its start, we were able to confirm that LaLiga is truly special. We were in front of Mestalla stadium and what we saw there already exceeded our expectations. An impressive stadium, recently refurbished, left us all awestruck, and when we headed out to the pitch through the tunnel, we had the opportunity to experience what a real footballer feels when he hits the field. And there wasn’t even anybody in the stands!

The opportunity to have lunch just a few feet from the beach with the sun warming our afternoon was wonderful. Didn’t I say before that reality could top fiction? As if this weren’t enough, suddenly a "tuna", a group of strolling musicians, burst into the room. And now I finally understand the lyrics of "Cielito Lindo" and how singing does brighten hearts. 

Personally, I felt the "tuna" was good, but what came next topped it... We actually met Manolo 'el del Bombo' (Manolo 'the Bass Drummer')! He was waiting for us in his bar, smiling from ear to ear, ready to teach us the classic chants he’s made famous around the world while accompanying the Spanish national team. At first he kept it very quiet, but we soon discovered he actually had the World Cup won by Spain in South Africa in 2010 and we asked him to show it to us. We knew he was important, but was he really entrusted with the trophy? I imagine it’s a replica, but lifting the trophy made me feel like Casillas raising the cup towards the sky while the entire planet was bowing down to this legendary team.

It's matchday! I love that feeling of matchday mornings. Time was flying and we were practically unable to assimilate what we were experiencing. After a free morning – where a few of us took the opportunity to go to the hotel where Atletico were staying to meet Saul Ñiguez and Jose Gimenez – Paco Lloret, one of the top authorities on Valencia, was waiting for us to share all the secrets of the history of the club. At the end of the day, I didn’t know if he was a man or an encyclopaedia...

A few hours before the match, the Association of Valencia CF Supporters' Clubs treated us to paella to enjoy the pre-game build-up. Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I think the whole world deserves to know. The president of the Association told us we should never ask for paella anywhere else in the world, that true paellas were only made in Valencia, and was he right. What a paella!

You could all watch the match, but just to make you a little jealous I have to tell you that Barragan, Mustafi, Piatti and Javi Fuego stopped to give us their autograph and we saw how they warmed up on the sidelines. A ball rolled towards me and I tossed it back to Cheryshev. The fact that he scored later wasn’t a coincidence…I’ve always been better at setting up goals than scoring them, why lie ...

My friends from LaLiga had asked me for a brief write-up about my trip. I hope you’ll forgive me for not being so brief, and I could still fill pages and pages, because what we saw at the “mascletá”, a typical fireworks display, was worth a book alone. So before closing, let me give you a piece of advice about this experience… Sign up for the competition in your country so that you can experience this up close and in person!