Chapter 709: Barca vs Atletico
Chapter 709: Barca vs Atletico
The venue was a cauldron of emotions, with anticipation and excitement palpable in the air. The cheers of the excited fans traveled far and wide, echoing throughout the stadium.
Most of the stadium was occupied by a sea of supporters clad in red and blue. Their eyes were glistening with excitement and enthusiasm. Their voices, tinged with passion, echoed throughout the stadium, mixing to create a powerful symphony of support.
“Woah! Look at all these people.”
Akashi felt mesmerized by the crowd before him. The atmosphere was electrifying, and the entire stadium was buzzing.
Walking among the sea of supporters clad in red and blue, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated. It felt like he would get engulfed by the crowd.
He could see the flags and banners of Barcelona billowing freely around him. It being their home ground, the supporters of Barcelona were present in great numbers.
On the other hand, the supporters of Atletico Madrid could hardly be spotted. Their numbers were few as compared to the home supporters. Their cheers could hardly be heard.
“It feels like entering a different dimension,” Ishikawa exclaimed.
“I’m finally here,” Akashi exclaimed, his eyes gleaming as he moved forward. He was excited to be here. He had always wished to visit here once.
“Be careful on your way. We still have a long way to go.”
Pablo was guiding them to their seat. If it weren’t for Hiro’s request, he wouldn’t guide these kids here. However, he knew how dangerous it would be to wander alone at this place.
It would have been perfectly fine if they were home supporters. However, they supported the opposing team.
They made their way through the stand. The crowd was as lively as ever. While on their way, the home crowd would glare at them. They could tell from their glares that they weren’t welcome here.
Well, they were their opponents today.
“I could feel their piercing gaze all along. Are football games here always like this?” Ishikawa couldn’t help but question. She could feel the piercing gaze. It was as if they were their
enemies.
Though she had attended a few matches, it was her first time witnessing such passion. The atmosphere here felt entirely different than the atmosphere back home. It was like she had stepped inside a whole new world.
“Well…. We are supporting the opposing team today. So, it’s no wonder they seem hostile toward us. I mean they take the game very seriously after all.”
Endo clarified the situation. He had been the most silent and solemn in their group until now. Even the intimidating atmosphere around him didn’t faze him.
Pablo, who had been guiding these kids, couldn’t understand them. However, he could tell from their expression that most of them were anxious.
He communicated with them in English, which Ishikawa was fluent in.
Finally, the sight of the Atletico supporters became clear after a while. They had been walking for quite a while. However, until now, they hadn’t spotted much of Atletico supporters.
But now, before them, a sea of supporters clad in red and white were seated. Though their cheers were getting muffled by the united cheer of the home fans, their cheers were audible nonetheless.
Compared to the huge number of the home supporters, the away supporters lacked behind. While the home supporters were spread all over the venue, the away supporters were crammed in a rather distant section of the stand, secluded and separated.
There were also security personnel lined up to prevent any disturbances from taking place.
Nonetheless, the section of the stand was buzzing with excitement. They could also spot many posters with Hiro’s face on it.
“El Fantasma del Campo…” Ishikawa muttered. “What does it mean?”
Some of the words were written in English. Hence, she could read it. However, most of the banners were written in Spanish.
Hearing her, Pablo turned to look at her. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
“The Phantom of the field,” he muttered excitedly. “That’s what we call Hiro here.”
“Woah! It sounds so cool…” Akashi mumbled excitedly. “It suits him a lot.” He added under his breath, revealing a slight chuckle.
Soon they got seated. It didn’t take them long to blend with the crowd. However, the absence of the players frustrated them.
“When will Hiro come out?” Ishikawa had been looking forward to seeing him. It had been quite long since she last saw him in person. Due to the match, she couldn’t even meet him beforehand.
With a sullen face, she kept staring at the entrance.
Meanwhile, Akashi was cheering excitedly, blending seamlessly with the crowd. Even though he supported Real Madrid before, he was cheering for Atletico Madrid now.
Despite supporting Real Madrid, he wished to visit Barcelona’s stadium instead.
In that regard, he was a little strange. However, the player he liked the most was Ronaldinho. He had fallen in love with the football he played. It was like watching a magician on the field. Though he couldn’t witness the marvel of Ronaldinho, he got to witness his performance digitally.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted in cheers.
The sudden increment in cheers startled them. Especially, Ishikawa who was lost in her
thoughts.
“What’s happening?” She questioned, her gaze turning toward the entrance.
“The players are entering for warmup.” Endo responded.
The three of them had been eagerly looking forward to this moment. Hence, upon hearing
about the arrival of the players, Ishikawa’s gaze darted toward the entrance.
The players were slowly emerging on the field. Even though her eyes spotted many renowned players, her eyes were searching for Hiro.
She couldn’t be bothered about others. She only wanted to see him.
However, the same couldn’t be said for the others who arrived with her. Both Endo and Akashi were mesmerized by the sight of world renowned players.
The sight of the players whom they have only seen in screen before enchanted them. They
couldn’t stop looking at them. Their eyes glistened with excitement as their lips curled into smile while they followed the players emerging on the field.
Finally, after a while, Hiro emerged on the field.