Campeones

Spain won the Football EuroCup 2008 last night and Madrid welcomed their heroes home this evening, lining the streets all the way from Barajas airport to Plaza Colon, where a crowd of well over 100,000 people went completely loco as skipper Castillas presented the trophy.

Substitute goalie Pepe Reina proved to be the joker of the squad, leading the assembled throng in a series of songs and chants and winding the spectators up into even more delirium.

Last night the streets of central Madrid were a sea of red and yellow, cars honking their horns, people banging drums and dancing in all available fountains. Joy unconfined. Your correspondent finally went to bed at 2.30am when he suddenly realised he wasn’t actually Spanish and had work in the morning. But it was an empty office he turned up to at 9.00am – and people only drifted in at around 10 to 11 o’clock. Very happy people, of course, but all looking a bit green about the gills. I shudder to think how much beer must have been consumed in the city last night.

Congratulations Spain. A well deserved championship since they were clearly the class act of the whole tourney. Viva Espana!

Dancing In The Streets – Spain 3 Russia 0

It’s midnight here in Madrid, and as I write the TV is showing hundreds of Spanish football supporters (most under 20 years of age) still dancing in Plaza Colon, the central square where television station Cuatro has set-up it’s base for the duration of the football EuroCup 2008.

For every match featuring ‘la seleccion’ thousands of young fans gather under the massive Spanish flag that flies from the centre of the square, and in full view of three massive screens on which the game is relayed. Tonight’s semi-final versus Russia brought out the biggest crowd yet, while the 3-0 scoreline, and the way the team played, has got everyone really confident. They believe they can win the whole thing.

Following the final whistle we had people out on their balconies, banging drums and chanting / singing songs. My quadrant of town is quite familified so it’s the kids who did most of the shouting, with the odd adult encouraging them on with a bellow here and there.

It’s exciting. The team are exciting. It’s all shaping up perfectly – except now, for the final, it’s the Germans, and how many sporting dreams have they shattered in the past? Pues, venga. !Vamos! !A por ellos!

Let’s see if this exciting style the Spanish national team play is worth a Championship.

Rad Old Dude

Abuelo patinando en Plaza Colon.

Verlo pa creerlo

Skate Colon

¡Hola! ¿Qué Tal? Plaza Colon is marked by a massive great Spanish national flag and is used for exhibitions and public events. It has also been adopted as home by the skateboard fraternity in Madrid. On most evenings and all day at weekends, loads of skaters and a few BMX tricksters congregate here to practise their moves. The reason? Because the area is all smooth concrete, low benches and lips and inviting ramps and rails, making up a natural playground for the urban gymnast. They play chicken with pedestrians too, Skate boarding fast towards you and only veering off when they see you hesitate. The little bastards!

Here’s a cool video of a local ‘crew’ skating at Plaza Colon and elsewhere in Madrid.