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February arrives with it the famous Valentine's Day. But where does this tradition actually come from, and what examples can we find of it in football?
Despite the widespread belief that it's a commercial invention, Valentine's Day actually traces back to the city of Rome — specifically to the third century AD, when a priest named Valentine was sentenced to death for secretly marrying young couples in love.
The world of football occasionally surprises us with love stories that deserve to be remembered and celebrated. Because despite what the media might try to tell us today, there are far more things that bring us together than pull us apart.
One of those stories is that of young Santiago Fretes. It happened in the spring of 2016 and is a vivid example of love in football.
Santiago is a passionate Argentine football fan who at the time was just 10 years old. He is missing a leg due to a congenital condition that has never prevented him from going about his daily life like any other boy — despite needing a pair of crutches.
A Racing Club supporter, Santiago was watching the farewell match of his idol Milito, whose playing career ended with a goal and a standing ovation from the entire ground. Next to him stood another boy who desperately wanted to see what was happening on the pitch, but a large barrier was blocking his view — until, in an act of pure generosity, Santiago lent him one of his crutches so he could climb up and celebrate everything that was happening on the field.
"I was watching Milito and my friend was jumping to see because he couldn't reach. So I lent him one of my crutches so he could climb up" — the little boy explained afterwards.
Another clear example of love in football — and one that tends to have several representatives across different clubs — is that of the people who have accompanied a club throughout their entire lives. Such is the case of Doña Emilia García Fernández, "La Pixarra", with her beloved Real Oviedo.
Emilia watched the club of her heart come into being in 1926 and accompanied it throughout her entire life — in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, in the good times but above all in the bad. Such a love that she earned the respect and admiration of football supporters everywhere, and especially at the Asturian club.
And the love for the colours doesn't only come from the supporters — it's there among the players themselves. The rare "One Club Man", now a near-extinct species, who gave lifelong loyalty to a single set of colours.
Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi (Milan)
Francesco Totti (Roma)
Sepp Maier
And of course, love in its comic form — those moments that football fans will always remember and that will form part of our most personal and amusing memories.
Case in point: this clip from one of the most consistently funny programmes in Spanish television, El Día Después, featuring "what the eye doesn't see" — hosted by the much-loved Michael Robinson.
February is the month of love, and here at Coolligan we'd love to see that spirit breathed into every month of the year. With things feeling a little unsettled right now, we'd encourage you to bring a little love into your lives — with your partners, your mates, your day-to-day — because as the great Andrés Montes used to say, life can be wonderful...
Give Emotions. Give Coolligan!
