For "Vreme" from Madrid
"What a day to be in Madrid," says a tall young man to a girl as they pass me. I looked up - the sentence was spoken on one of the Yugoslav languages.
On his back it says "Modric". The same jersey is worn by the girl who walks side by side with him.
I think: "Yes, what a moment to be in Madrid".
A few hours later, confirmation of this statement arrives from all sides. The city explodes with celebration. Spain is the world champion in football!
Photo: Katarina StevanovićIn Madrid, everything is ready for the grand final of the World Cup in football
Preparing for the finals
From the early afternoon it was clear that this was a day that would not be remembered only for the game. Shops were closed on Sunday, July 19, some bars charged admission to watch the final, and the streets were flooded with red Spanish national team jerseys and Spanish flags. Everything was subordinated to one game, the ball and the question of who would celebrate and who would mourn that night. The blue Argentine colors could also be seen on the streets, but, of course, significantly less than the red and yellow.
Central city roads were closed during the afternoon. The prices of jerseys and flags sold by street vendors rose as kick-off approached, and rivers of people poured into the Plaza de Colon.
People of all ages and many foreigners - tourists, immigrants, fans - merged into the same crowd. Faces painted in the colors of the flags of Spain and Argentina, many wore the flags as a cloak, and those who could not get close enough to the big screen climbed trees to see every detail of the game.
Photo: AP Photo/Manu FernandezDelirium in the center of Madrid during the World Cup match between Spain and Argentina
People sat on the lawns, ate and sang, discussed team composition and tactics, while strangers commented on each other's moves on the field.
From time to time, the emergency team would break through the crowd, a few gathered asked for medical help due to the heat and hours of waiting in the sun, maybe also the amount of alcohol consumed, and there was a lot of it on the streets of Madrid.
Madrid exploded.
The match itself did not offer much excitement for a long time, so silence would occasionally reign among the crowd.
And then the first goal was scored. However, it was disallowed for offside, much to the disappointment of the crowd. Tension sparkled in the space, and in the first minute of the second overtime, it turned into complete euphoria.
At that moment, Madrid boiled over. Car horns, singing and hugs from strangers filled the streets.
The celebration did not subside throughout the night and spilled over into the next day, when the climax is expected: the stage and numerous video screens in the city center are ready to welcome the world champions, who are also Olympic and European champions.
A soccer nation has never felt so exalted.
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