Buses, passers-by and even the telephone network: Madrid was adorned in red and yellow a few hours before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, with many onlookers having donned the jersey of La Roja, the national team.
The excitement is palpable on Sunday in the streets of the center of the capital: “We are the best, we know that we will win”, assure María Antón and Miguel García, convinced that Spain will win its second star on Sunday evening, 16 years after the victory of La Roja in South Africa.
Met by AFP in the famous Puerta del Sol square, the two 18-year-olds will unfortunately be on the bus back to Murcia, in the south-east of Spain during the match, but they intend to celebrate a victory when they arrive.
“We’ll go where people go, no matter the place,” says María, and “we’ll jump into a fountain,” Miguel hopes.
In the streets of the Spanish capital, street vendors sell off their stock of jerseys and flags, and bars have decorated their facades and interiors with yellow and red.
Even the telephone operators got into the game and for the occasion, changed the name of the network displayed on the telephone screens: Vodafone having renamed it “Let’s get the second” (star) and Telefónica “With the selection”.
Many brands such as El Corte Inglés, Carrefour, Leroy Merlin and Ikea have announced that they will close their stores early to allow their staff to follow the match.
Trust
“I believe that we had an excellent World Cup and that we are going to demonstrate it against Argentina,” says Javier Fernández, 23, Spanish flag tied around his waist.
The young man has “confidence” in La Roja, “a young selection, full of promise for the future”, he judges.
He will go to watch the match with friends on the terrace of a bar, and if Spain wins the trophy, they will see “where people will go to celebrate”.
“The Argentines are very good rivals,” said Mercedes Rojas, a 50-year-old teacher who came from Toledo with her husband to watch the match in the Puerta del Sol square in the heart of Madrid.
“I think that at this stage, having reached the final, both deserve to win, both the Spaniards and the Argentines,” underlines this supporter of La Roja, hat in the colors of Spain on her head.
And if her team wins, she plans to celebrate “happily”, with “a little beer and a tortilla”.
Several giant screens were installed in the capital to allow the public to follow the match.
