Fútbol en la
ciudad
By Kelly Rico
T
Students take a shot at soccer to enjoy Spanish culture and to learn “the beautiful game”
he final outcome topped the headlines and made many jaws drop. The score even made history. Valencia Club de Fútbol beat Barcelona FC 2-1 on May 25, 2019, to clinch its eighth King’s Cup. Valencia CF faced off against the 30-time winners of the cup, and they beat them. What makes this victory all the better is that it happened in the team’s centenary year. The club was founded March 1919, which makes 2019 its 100th year of competition. The King’s Cup, also known as Copa del Rey, is a Spanish football tournament consisting of several rounds. Founded in 1903, this year’s tourney began in September 2018 with 83 teams, before the final two teams were decided in late February 2019. With victories like this one and 100-year anniversaries come celebrations. Humiliating one of the best European teams to date is certainly a reason for Valencians to pop a couple of champagne bottles. Some of the celebrations that have occurred since Valencia CF’s incredible victory against Barcelona include everything from honoring Spanish King Felipe VI with a jersey with the number “100” on it in a ceremony that took place in Valencia to street parades filled with fans painted head to toe in Valencia CF’s colors. “Soccer brings the city together more than politics and social issues combined,” Florida State University Valencia Dean and Program Director Ignacio Messana says. “It brings us together as a society like nothing else.” Messana was born and raised in Valencia, so he has watched the progression of soccer and he sees the powerful impact the sport has on the community. He says he has always been a fan, and he has a heartfelt appreciation for the sport and the team. Scoring its two goals in the 21st and 33rd minutes, Valencia CF took advantage of opportunities early on in the game, while Barcelona waited until the 73rd minute to put its lone goal in the back of the net. Statistics even show that Barcelona took more than double the shots on goal than Valencia CF. The four-time defending champions, Barcelona, had possession of the ball for 80 percent of the game, and they even had 600 more passes. At the end of the day, however, what matters
34 Nomadic Noles // Summer 2019
