Bruno Palmieri | So. | Biology Major | Santos, Brazil
It was a crisp, cool, sunny morning waking up in Madrid, Spain today. We gathered together for breakfast at the hostel, and then had a Bible study with John Kelso, Director of Sports Projects with ISF. He spoke about how we can strive to perform as Christians on the field, while also competing at 100% to glorify God, with the gifts He gave us.
Everyone then got dressed and packed, ready for our first soccer game here in Europe. Through walks/metro rides and kicking the balls around the streets, it took us roughly 40 minutes to get to the field, which was a narrow, turf field located deep beside a slanted road, in the middle of the city with many building surrounding it. After a quick 30 minute warmup, the game between ETBU Men’s Soccer against a group of semi-pro players from around the area, plus Assistant Coach Jordan Burke, began. We took off with a confident 2-0 lead, 10 minutes into the game and never stopped there. Two great offensive halves lead in a final win by the score of 8-4 for the Tigers. Our makeshift of a goalie, Edwin Avalos, had a stellar performance for his first time in net.
After the game we sat down with the opposing players, while we ate lunch and discussed their lives as young, aspiring semi professional players in Spain. We then headed towards Civitas Metropolitan, the historically renowned stadium of Atlético de Madrid. Going through the stadium tour, we were able to access their trophy room, locker room, field bench, press room and suites. It was an amazing experience to see where Diego Simeone works his craft.
Next we took the metro ride/walk back to the hostel and ate dinner there. For the last thing of the night, we went walking around town to see some of the historical sights in the central part of Madrid, Sol, which is also the very center of Spain.
