Interviews
MAR 27.09.2022
As a Spanish major at Florida State University, Richard Panachida was surrounded by soccer fans.
“Everybody had their favorite international team and favorite club team,” he recalls.
At that time, Panachida wasn’t only studying Spanish, but also learning more and more about Real Madrid CF. In an effort to improve his knowledge on both subjects, Panachida would read the team’s daily reports from AS or Marca online.
“It really snowballed,” he says. “It was a team I liked and I liked that it was in the capital; it was a city that always fascinated me. I was attracted to everything about Real Madrid.”
Today, the 36-year-old attorney continues to be obsessed with Real Madrid as a member of Peña Madridista Atlanta, where he serves as the group’s attorney and legal advisor. Panachida pointed out that the peña, which was founded in 2013, was the first LaLiga peña in Georgia’s capital, and, to his knowledge, the only one still.
The group, along with members of the club’s peña in Los Angeles, arranged a trip to watch their beloved Real Madrid in March 2019. The trip, which also included members from the Charlotte peña, was unforgettable for Panachida, despite Real Madrid’s performances in El Clásico against rivals FC Barcelona and in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Ajax.
“It was the year after Cristiano Ronaldo left and you could tell the team was trying to figure out who would step up, so the results weren’t there,” Panachida says. “But in terms of the live experience, oh man, it was amazing. Seeing LaLiga in person at the Bernabéu felt like theater. You’re hanging by a thread on the way the game moves.”
Panachida remembers hanging on by a thread seemingly week in and week out during the 2006/07 campaign under Fabio Capello where Real Madrid had its fair share of remontadas en route to the club’s 30th title in which they topped rivals Barcelona solely because of a superior head-to-head record.
“It seemed each week I was on a rollercoaster where they were trying to destroy me before halftime,” Panachida says with a laugh. “Every week there was some kind of drama. That’s when it grew to a level I haven't dropped off from.”
The drama, excitement and Panachida’s passion haven’t stopped since. Growing up with a fondness for players like Kaka, Ronaldo, Marcelo and Roberto Carlos because his father is Brazilian, Panachida is equally as excited about the club’s new generation of Brazilian stars including Vini Jr., Rodrygo and Éder Militão.
“They are so young and they’re already doing things that just blow your mind,” he says in particular about Vini Jr. and Rodrygo. “They show you each week they have more in the toolkit.”
© LALIGA - 2022