Madrid is most famous for their soccer club Real Madrid, I would love to be able to cite the a source but I read in a newspaper here that somewhere in the ballpark of about 4 in 10 people relate Madrid with its soccer club Real Madrid. Take that and combine it with more bars per block than any other place in the world and you can see where this blog is going.

Starting from the beginning, I obviously am a soccer fan and fortunately am studying in the city of my favorite team. My girlfriend, who by circumstance, is studying in Madrid as well had developed an immense crush on the always popular Sergio Ramos. We both became deeply involved in this past season, attending 3 games, watching the rest at Bars, and celebrating the 31st La Liga Championship in Cibeles at 3 a.m.

Our love for the team and hers for Sergio Ramos turned into more than just keeping up with their season. We soon found out their favorite nightclub, how to get there and devised a plan to meet them. Our plan was to go out the Wednesday after the Barcelona game (if they won they would surely be celebrating), go to this club to try to met the players and in her case Sergio. In fact, Madrid had not only recently won La Liga but won 4-1 against their biggest rival Barca. So indeed there would be a celebration.

Upon arrival we pull up, in our taxi, next to an Audi sports car, who gets out?, None other than Sergio Ramos. Our night started out right on schedule. You won’t find me often at expensive places let alone a place that is not just a club but a “nightclub”. For this it took some time, once inside, to get our bearings and figure things out. After about an hour or so, I noticed the there are two entrances to the VIP section and the one in the back near the washrooms was congested. I talked to everyone who I was with and convinced them that we should confidently walk up and try to get past the security. On our way to the VIP rope, I chickened out and ducked into the bathroom. There I mustered up the courage to finally give it a shot. So, I exited the wash room and made a beeline for the VIP. As I walked up the stairs, I did exactly what I thought someone who was VIP would do and began cutting actual VIPs that were in line. I then walked past the bouncer and patted him on the shoulder (really I couldn’t make this up if I tried). I was inside! I not only found a slew of Real Madrid players (not to name drop but Van Nisterrooy, Snieder, Higuain, Pepe, Marcelo, and Casillas) but the girls never ended up getting in. So I enjoyed myself, naturally. As I was enjoying myself, and my new found friends, I spotted the girls in another section of the club.

So, I took my final glances at my soccer heroes and headed out thinking I would not be able to return. The story does not end there. For some reason, maybe it was my cologne; the bouncer let me in a second time and using my broken Spanish I convinced him that the girls were “with me”. Needless to say I spent the rest of the night like a kid in a candy shop, creeping on La Liga’s finest.

It seems like a lot of the blogs are filled with meaning or feelings or at least a moral (aside from Thomas’). So keeping with that trend, I would have to say the moral is… show confidence even if it is just a bluff. Or maybe it was that Coach isn't lying when he tells that we're overweight because I was by far bigger then every player there aside from Van Nisterooy.

Jon Funston, '09