FanPost

A Conundrum of Footballing Morality

I was of three days only when Greece shocked Portugal and marched to an improbable, 150-1 chanced European championship, unfamiliar to the highs, lows, euphorias and heartbreaks of football. Starting with the 2008 Euros, I became acquainted to the game, and my passion for it grew only exponentially over time. I can't exactly recall why I started liking Real Madrid a lot too over time, maybe because my elder brother supported Barcelona, and I had the tendency to do his polar opposite, or maybe because I had a thing or two for Casillas. Around the next couple of years or three, I got to know the team, followed their matches on the ESPN broadcasts. But the time I fell absolutely head over heels for Real was, of course, the 13-14 UCL campaign. La Decima. I remember watching the final live, almost 3 am on the clock when *that* moment happened. I remember jumping like a madman off the hook, phone ringing with a call from my brother. It felt something different. And I have never looked at another team that way since.

Every kid born in a not football-heavy country has the tendency to develop feelings for another country dominant in that sphere. My love for Madrid, and for players such as Ramos, Xabi Alonso, and specially for Casillas meant I had to support Spain as my 'second team' as well, after staying pretty neutral in the 2010 World Cup and '12 Euros. Spain disastrously crashed the 2014 World Cup, but I still rooted for them in the '16 Euros as well as the last World Cup, abiding by footballing morals.

This Euros around, there are no players representing Real Madrid in the Spain squad, with the exception of Nacho specially, and of Ramos and Asensio coming as a shocker. So do I still support Spain, given there won't be any fragments of the root from where my liking started? Or do I revert back to a neutral, after supporting Spain throughout the last 6-7 years?