Two Icons Are Better Than One
While the focus of my family’s trip to Rio was certainly Taylor Swift, the moons aligned in a way that saw this Swiftie Dad cross an entirely different kind of experience off his bucket list.
You see … I’m a ‘soccer guy.’ I’ve played the beautiful game my entire life, coached for a couple of decades and spent countless mornings waking up excruciatingly early to watch matches in Europe and the UK.
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to go to games in foreign cities. I like absorbing the atmosphere and observing how different groups of supporters ‘bring the noise’ for their chosen club. While I’ve been to many famous soccer stadiums around the world, there are a few that remain on my bucket list. The top spot on that bucket list has long been occupied by Rio’s famous Estadio Maracana. Watching any game at the Maracana featuring any team has long been one of my dreams.
My lifelong passion for all things soccer is what makes me ashamed to admit that when I initially planned my family’s trip to Rio, I was so focused on tickets and logistics to see Taylor Swift that I failed to take a glance at the schedule of soccer games that would be taking place during our trip. When I finally did take a peek at the soccer calendar, I came to a harrowing realization: The Brazilian national team was set to host Lionel Messi and Argentina in a World Cup qualifier at the Maracana on Tuesday, November 21. What made this revelation so heartbreaking is that the game would kick off about 30 minutes before our flight to depart Rio was scheduled to take off. ARGH!!!
Even if I couldn’t go to the actual game, I would have been thrilled to just be in Rio during the game so I could watch it at one of those big watch parties on Copacabana Beach. I lamented my terrible itinerary planning for a couple weeks before Kate finally suggested I see what it would cost to change the date of our return flight (Read: she’d grown tired of my whining). Since the trip was fast-approaching, I was not hopeful when I contacted United Airlines to inquire about the cost of changing our tickets.
To my amazement, changing our flights wouldn’t cost us anything. In fact, United would actually give us a credit of a few hundred dollars because the new itinerary was cheaper. The credit was more than enough to cover the cost of two additional nights at our Airbnb, so Kate and I went full YOLO and made the change.
I immediately set about looking for tickets to the game on various websites, but there were none to be found. I don’t mean there were tickets for sale and they were just too expensive; I mean the game wasn’t even listed on any websites. Weird.
Eventually, I would find out why.
Wheels Down, Hopes High
On our first full day in Rio (Friday), we enjoyed an excellent half-day tour of the city. Our guide Vicente could have given us the tour in a big 15-passenger van, but since the four of us were his only booking that day, he offered to reduce the rate of the tour and drive us around in his personal car. I am glad we accepted his offer. Immediately after climbing into his car, I could tell Vicente was a great guy. He was super friendly with a great sense of humor and being in his personal car made it easier for all of us to bond.
A few minutes into the drive, Vicente asked how we’d spent the previous night, our first night in Rio. Kate and the kids confessed how the overnight flight had left them so exhausted that they’d fallen asleep early. I shared that I’d managed to fight the flight fatigue long enough to slide into a taphouse across the street from our Airbnb to watch Brazil play Colombia in a World Cup qualifier. When I asked how Vicente felt about the fact that Brazil had choked away a 1–0 lead at halftime to lose 2–1, he laughed and said, “I loved it. I’m from Argentina!”
I asked Vicente if he was pumped up about the upcoming Brazil v Argentina game on Tuesday. He replied that he was excited about the game and was confident Argentina would get the win.
Seeing an opening, I asked Vicente what it would take to get a ticket to the game. I explained how I’d looked online and there were no tickets listed anywhere. Vicente then explained that even though fans can purchase the tickets well in advance, the Brazilian federation wouldn’t be distributing the tickets until the Sunday before the match. Vicente said that if I looked online on Monday, I’d probably find some tickets. That’s when Vicente also mentioned that he was planning to attend the game and that his friend might have extra tickets.
“How much would a ticket cost,” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Vicente replied. “If you’re really interested, I can ask my friend. How many tickets would you want?”
Kate mentioned I could go by myself or maybe take her or one of the kids. But when both kids heard Messi was playing, it was clear I would have trouble leaving one of them behind. So I told Vicente we’d be interested in one ticket (for me), two tickets (for me and Kate) or four tickets (for all of us).
We continued the tour and Vicente took us to some amazing places. We visited the Santa Teresa neighborhood, the Escadaria Selarón, took in the majestic views from Mirante Dona Marta, sampled some incredible Pao de Queijo and devoured bowls of amazing açaí. As we were about to climb onto the train to ride up to the Christ the Redeemer statue, Vicente informed me that his friend did indeed have one extra ticket. While that was great news, Vicente said he’d keep asking around to see if he could find more. When the tour concluded at the end of the night, Vicente dropped us off at our Airbnb and said he’d keep me updated on whether he found more tickets.
For the next few days we shifted our focus to all things Taylor. But on the morning before our second Era Tour concert, Vicente messaged me to say he’d found three more tickets. My mind was blown. When I told Kate and the kids, they freaked out.
Charlie exclaimed, “Wait … we’re gonna see Taylor, Taylor and Messi on back-to-back-to-back nights?!?!”
Yep.
The Full South American Soccer Experience
Now, I’m sure you’ll be shocked (shocked!) to hear that the crowd that attends a Brazil v Argentina World Cup qualifier is just a wee bit different than the crowd that attends a Taylor Swift concert. When we boarded the subway train to head to the game, it was clear we’d swapped a sea of glitter and Friendship Bracelets for an ocean of yellow and green jerseys. It was beautiful.
Vicente had assured me that the atmosphere at Brazilian national team games was very different from club matches. He cautioned us to NOT attend a club match so as to avoid any violence, but promised Brazil v Argentina would be a family-friendly environment. He was right.
Walking into the Maracana was everything I’d imagined it would be and more. Totally awesome!
Funny thing … one thing Vicente failed to tell us was that the tickets he’d gotten for us were in the high roller section of the stadium. Multiple times throughout the night there were sparks of energy in the seats around us as people would swarm Brazilian celebrities (who we sheepishly didn’t recognize) in search of selfies. The only thing that marred the night, aside from the result of the game, was some nasty unrest that took place at the far end of the stadium between police and Argentina fans that delayed the match.
(Note: I reckon some of you are wondering how much our night at the Maracana cost us. Vicente (and his friends) did not give us the tickets for free. However, I know how much those tickets could have fetched on the open market. Let’s just say we got a very, very steep discount. Thanks Vicente!)
The Magic of Messi
Over the course of two nights, my family had been among 120,000 people whose eyes were all locked on Taylor Swift. Tonight, we were among 80,000 people with their eyes locked on Lionel Messi. It is truly amazing. When Messi was practicing free kicks during warm-ups, the crowd would groan when he missed and erupt when he found the back of the net. Mind you … he was shooting on an empty goal with no goalie!
When the game finally got underway, we were treated to the beautiful game at its highest level. The energy was electric. I’d seen Messi play once before in Barcelona when he was a teenager, but I was seated up in the nosebleed seats. It was a completely different experience seeing him up close. The entire stadium would hold its collective breath every time he had the ball at his feet.
Argentina eventually won 1–0, courtesy of a towering header from Nicolas Otamendi that the retired center-back in me truly appreciated. It wasn’t the most iconic game ever played at the Maracana, but it was historic. In nearly 100 years of soccer, Brazil had never lost a World Cup qualifier on home soil … until the McMahons showed up. Doh!
Note: If you’ve just stumbled on this post and want to learn more about my family’s trip to Rio to see Taylor Swift, you can read about our special motivation to go on the trip, a recap of our magical week and an update about how our lives changed shortly after we returned.
Sean McMahon is the Director of Content at SmartBrief. He is also the editor of the While You Were Working newsletter.
