...Murcia are S***.....

I wrote this a few weeks ago, in Spanish, and posted on the unofficial fans forum (link on right). I thought it was worth translating and putting on the blog.

A boy of seven years old, well, almost 8, of English father and a Murciana mother, arrived home from school yesterday with a very sad face. Although his eyes were filled with tears, none fell as he tried his hardest not to cry.

Every morning he is the happiest boy you could meet, happiness in person. His mum sends him to school well dressed, hair combed, washed and scrubbed, as bright as a button. He always returns a mess….hair all over, one knee bloody and the other with a plaster, lots of bruises, and arms, legs and face covered in dust, but always just as happy as when he departed in the morning. He doesn’t waste a moment to be kicking one of his always punctured footballs around. And if none are at hand, a can or an empty water bottle will do. He even has a soft ball for use in the house, so nothing gets broken, and he is always getting his dad to play keepy uppy and see if we can better our record. When he tires, he switches his PSP on…..he has signed Cesc Fabregas for Real Murcia, he is always Real Murcia, every week he plays a game against our next rival, and real Murcia always win big (yesterday, Cadiz 2 Real Murcia 10). He has a Real Murcia season ticket and is a shareholder in the club, he was present at the first game at the New Condomina, and doesn’t miss a home game. This season he saw his first away game (at Castellon). It’s is very rare to see him at a weekend without a Real Murcia shirt on – his favorite, strangely, is the yellow away kit we used 4 seasons ago. It still fits, and he considers it to be a keeper’s jersey. When five (much to his mothers annoyance) he put the number 1 and the name Notario (our goalie at the time) on the back with a bic biro (which won’t wash out). If you find him in his bedroom doing his homework, you can hear him humming Real Murcia songs. Every day he asks me a question, like….¿Daaaaad, when Real Murcia played Valencia in the first division, who won? Or ¿Daaaad, have we ever played against Sporting Gijon?

He arrived home sad because the playground is a cruel place, and I feel guilty about it. You know….all the kids support Real Madrid or Barcelona. In his class only 3 boys support Real Murcia….and the other 2 have split allegiances, one for Barsa, one for Madrid. The same as some kids had, seeing my Real Murcia polo shirt at lunch in the Molinero restaurant the other day, some of the boys at school had ridiculed him with a song….”Murcia are shit, Murcia are shit….” Etc. etc.

My first thought was to tell him to let fly……fisticuffs, defend himself, and see who was the next bastard to say that Real Murcia are shit. But no, I’m an adult, and advising violence was never going to be the right thing. “Don’t worry son” I told him….”they may be shit, but they should know that they are our shit, and not somebody else’s shit that is 4 or 500 kilometers away”. Then I added….”ask them if they are going to have the front to support Spain in the world cup……they should be faithful to their style and support Brazil or Italy….Spain have been shit at all world cups, they should apply the same logic as they use to support Madrid or Barcelona”. Sorry if that upsets anyone…..but that’s how it came out.



Sometimes I regret having pushed him into being a Real Murcia fan, difficult as it is in Murcia. But look…..I think it’s a learning thing, to be tough, a good preparation for life, because as we know, it’s isn’t always a bowl of cherries and things don’t always work out…….and most of all, supporting Real Murcia is great, different, and honest.

This morning, having breakfast, he was flicking through his collection of Panini world cup stickers (which I have to say is excellent – except, as he told me, that the England crest wasn’t correct, as he knows that it is 3 Lions, and not the cross of Saint George – probably a copyright dispute). He told me he wanted to complete the whole album….except for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. And off he went to school, just as happy as always…..only maybe a bit taller than the day before.

Photos : 1, Guiriboy and Guirigirl September 2008, and 2, more recently (before the Castellon game at home) with their cousin Daniel.

Saludos.