Madrid (a) Part 2

Four stadia down and four to go. Having been kept in our end for what seemed like an eternity I slept well happy to be cosy in my warm hotel bed that had a beautiful view of the Royal Palace. The walk back following the Atletico match felt safe and following the course of the river northwards seemed quite poetic.

So where was the first destination for Wednesday? AD Alcorcon. A club that plays in the Spanish second division occupying mid-table in their Santo Domingo Stadium. Again, it was a place where one was made welcome and of all the grounds visited my favourite. The pitch was in pristine condition although the groundsman did have to do a double take as I fell to my knees to sample the beautiful smell of the freshly cut turf while he was mowing it. The stadium is cute and it was a delight to see that it was part of a whole sporting village. I watched the players train and had some stares in my direction as I wore my macho blue and yellow jacket with "CHELSEA FC" emblazoned in large letters on the rear. It struck me how much hard effort they needed put in and how this must compare with Chelsea players who we only ever really see inside Stamford Bridge. We moan at them being overpaid so-and-so's but it is by no means an easy job - and one that requires a hell of a lot of discipline if you wish for your career to last. Oh, and not that I condone graffiti but nice to see we are slowly taking over the world having seen this little tag on a park bench near the stadium...

Back onto the metro and a rather circular route to take. Off at Julian Besteiro station and time to find Estadio Municipal de Butarque - home of Club CD Leganes. Of the clubs visited this was one which unknowingly had the most relevance to me as a Chelsea fan. Flicking through the clubs history on the Wikipedia page I had printed out while back in Blighty, I only noted while at their ground that of their notable former players a certain one called Samuel Eto'o had been on their books. Apparently this was the club where he had started his professional career on loan from Real. A lady showed me to the club shop to prove the pictures that showed him playing. The friendly staff member there also showed me in their current squad photograph a player who we have out on loan there - Jhon Pírez. Later, the club added me to their Twitter feed too. Not something that I regularly use to be frank (as you can tell by my posting two replies with two different usernames)! Even more embarrassing when studying the squad photo was to later realise that the lady who had showed me around but had now disappeared was also the club's President!

Two clubs left to visit and both from La Liga... so four clubs from Spain's capital play in their highest division compared to our six in London. First stop was Getafe who play at the Alfonso Perez Stadium. No joy getting entry with not a single soul on duty in or around the ground. Even a walk around the circumference yielded nothing more than some frightened rabbits next to a motorway and personal genuine fear that I may be attacked by some homeless tramp. Woeful photographs of the stands were made through tiny, vertical gaps between concrete blocks. It was siesta time, but surely a club playing in their highest division would at least have a shop open for the odd (and I admit that I am odd) tourist?

The same said of Rayo Vallecano's Campo de Futbol de Vallecas. A club known for its left-leaning supporters and beautifully placed right next to the Portazgo underground station. You literally walk up the steps to exit the tube and you can touch the stadium with your hand. This was an intriguing place as the ground floor of the stadium was used for restaurants, a gym and even a car repair garage. The sign outside the club shop helpfully informed me that it would be reopening at 5.30pm... er... siestas are something one is not quite used to in the UK! And yes, this is pretty much the best photo I could take of any stands - although I trust you will admire my artistic skills to capture the working man's life contrasted with the nature of community provided by such a stadium. Hmmm....moving on...

So back to the hotel for a quick snooze. Despite being in my mid-30s these powernaps are much needed after a hard day's stadium hunting. Another quick tramp's wash and following a Spanish meal that contained half a bulls arse with some rice it was off to try and blag a seat for the Real Madrid vs Bayern match. Leaving things to the last minute worked. Should I take the ticket from a tout that was 260 Euros face but offered to me for 120 Euros? Or should I take the single ticket from an old grandad for 80 Euros that was 70 Euros face? I chose the latter as the former seemed to good to be true. I have set myself a rule to try to not watch any club matches unless they involved Chelsea but this one was too much of an opportunity to miss. Having seen Chelsea win the Champions' League in person I secretly wanted us to draw Real in the semis as I had not ever been to see a live game at the Bernabeu. Before the match the streets were full of drunk Spaniards and Germans all wearing their colours. No problems that I saw and an excellent view form the cheapseats - even being up in the Gods. "Puta mierda" was the new phrase I learnt every time Di Maria miskicked the ball. No health and safety stewards either with fans smoking weed and sitting in the aisles.

The atmosphere was fantastic although the Real Madrid fan behind me honestly noted it was only like this for the big games and fans were quick to get on the back of the players - sound familiar? It was only a few days earlier that a half-empty Camp Nou saw white hankies being waved as soon as Barca fell a goal behind. This is the danger we face as a football club going forward - instant gratification and perfection required at every step.

The whole stay in Madrid awoke something in me... how important it is to remember that ultimately you are part of a club. We forget this sometimes with the current footballing largesse and we could end up ultimate victims of our own success and drive to be a brand - rather than a football team with us as the twelfth man. It was something I explained to the club shop worker at CD Leganes when he mentioned that Chelsea did not seem popular with neutrals in the UK - if his club was to suddenly become successful and win La Liga several times it would not be long before the media would be pining for traditionally strong clubs to return to the fore. After all, a Champions League semi-final containing Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan would seem far more of a television draw than one containing Everton, Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Roma to "neutrals" (and more likely, sponsors).

Mourinho still has the reputation of "parking the bus" but few seem to remember that his Real Madrid side scored the most goals and earned the most points when he won La Liga with them. This among his many other successes.

The stay was simply fantastic - a city which was good value for money. Excellent transportation. One where you felt safe with friendly locals. It will be one that I shall be returning to as soon as I can. Many thanks to all those who made me feel welcome at their football clubs and may the best team win next Wednesday. And CD Leganes - I shall be looking out for your results in the future!