Today’s exhibit from the football club badge collection features that object displaying the crest of Atlético Madrid, the original attraction to whom probably had a great deal to do with their kit of red & white striped shirts with blue shorts constituting one of THE great footy colour combinations: if it hadn’t registered before, perhaps pictured in Shoot!, the sight of this strip being sported by the team on a Panini Euro Football 1976-77 sticker must surely have clinched the deal & inspired a devotion to the cause of underdogs to the traditional Big Two of Spanish soccer that has endured to this day.
Following the club’s fortunes since has been the very epitome of a roller-coaster ride, the occasional peak of success being balanced by plenty of troughs & chaos, but recent years have seen a something of a golden period, with Atléti winning the Europa League in both 2010 & 2012, beating Internazionale in the European Super Cup play-off in 2010 (a classic win-win situation in terms of favourite continental teams) & triumphing in the Spanish Cup last season, gloriously overcoming their Madrid rivals in the final.
This season to date has continued in similar vein, with an unbeaten run in the Champions’ League & a storming start to the La Liga campaign (including another win the Madrid derby), with Saturday’s 2 – 0 victory at Elche allowing the team to draw level with Barcelona at the top of the table courtesy of the latter’s subsequent defeat to Bilbao, which is all rather exciting.
No comments:
Post a Comment