How many times have we struggled and suffered in front of a tv set while watching football? How many times have we screamed, jumped and sung while our team faced everything from glory to failure? How many times have we really felt football?

If you look at a game your are watching life condensed in a 90-minute battle. You —as a viewer— are not in control but you feel as if you were there playing, running and sweating. You feel the nerves in your gut. It gets your most deep emotions out and makes you feel like you belong to something bigger, like you are part of a movement. It’s not rational but passional. Every game has a story .

Last saturday was the champions league final and a team of warriors was defeated by the millionaires. It was supposed to happen, the destiny already made it’s bet. But in football there is always hope, hope to overcome the odds and do the impossible, hope to be blessed for a moment and take the highway to the history books. The kind of fairy-tale hope that makes you believe anything is possible. The kind of hope you probably already gave up in life and somehow still concede to football. But sometimes football is just as frustrating as life.

“If you want it and you work for it, you can do it”

— Diego Simeone

The warriors had the victory just minutes away. They were in a position that appeared only in their wildest dreams. They fought, they worked hard, and there they were, just minutes away from an epic and romantic victory. They were told hard work would pay off, they believed passion could overcome a paycheck and they gave everything. They were inspired and connected to their leader and each other. And somehow it was not enough. Somehow they left the stadium empty-handed, like most of the people thought they would. They were defeated and they failed. The skeptics won. Or so they thought.

Because victory is not just beating your opponent but also winning the battle agains yourself. There is also glory in accepting defeat. There is honor in being able to recognize your mistakes while feeling proud of what you have accomplished. Loosing is part of life and loosing is hard, much harder than winning, and when you see the behavior of the ones who loose, then you know what they are really made of.

The man in black, the captain and spiritual leader of the defeated warriors, actually won a battle, a battle against himself, a battle agains frustration. He took the defeat on himself, blamed no one but him, tamed the rage and promised to keep on fighting. He didn’t deny the bitterness, it’s human, nobody can’t avoid it. You are not in control, football is life and life is football.