Interviews
VIE 12.05.2023
Sometimes all it takes is one player to make a person fall in love with a club.
For Israel Perez, that player was Juan Román Riquelme, an Argentinian midfielder who joined FC Barcelona in July 2002 after winning six major titles with Boca Juniors in his home country.
While Riquelme’s tenure was short lived with Barça, Rafa Márquez’s arrival the following summer had Perez hooked on the Catalonian club.
“During that time they won a lot of trophies,” Perez says. “I saw the best team in history. They played really, really well with Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto’o, Piqué, Puyol, Abidal, Valdes and Alves.”
Perez, originally from Nayarit, Mexico, then proudly watched his fellow countrymen Márquez (2003-10), Giovani dos Santos (2007-08) and Jonathan dos Santos (2009-14) ply their trade for Barça.
Like many FC Barcelona fans, Perez has done his best to try to watch Lionel Messi suit up for the Blaugrana in person. Perez, who has called Hayward, California, home for the past decade, went to Spain for the first time in 2017 to try to watch Barça and the fleet-footed footballer.
Unfortunately due to violent clashes in the city as Catalonia fought for independence from Spain, FC Barcelona’s match against Las Palmas on October 1, 2017 at Camp Nou was played behind closed doors with no fans.
Even though the home team won 3-0 thanks to a Messi brace, Perez was left disappointed.
“I was really frustrated,” he says. “I was so sad. I almost cried.”
That was the second time Perez traveled to try to see Messi. The prior year—albeit at a much shorter distance—Perez drove 30 miles south to Santa Clara, California, to see Argentina play Chile in the 2016 Copa América, but Messi was sidelined with a back injury.
While his status with his current club PSG seems to be in doubt for next season, a potential homecoming at the Camp Nou would give Perez—and millions of others—another reason to journey to Barcelona.
“If Messi comes back, for sure I’d go,” Perez says. “I’ve tried a few times to see Messi, but I’ve never seen him play. It’s still one of my dreams.”
FULL SERIES:
A Breakaway from Household Support
Real’s remontadas roped in this fan
Unexpected Encounter Leads to Unforgettable Experience
Sevilla Fandom Comes Full Circle
UD Almería unites community in New Jersey
Basque Roots Grow in Meaning for Boise Student
Local peña helps Celta Vigo fans overcome morriña
San Diego, the Birthplace of the first Cádiz Peña in the U.S.
Fate, luck and curiosity brought this fan to Atleti
Real Sociedad fandom blossoming in Boise
Growing up in awe of Sánchez, Real Madrid
Ortegas proudly promote Real Betis around the globe
¡Vamos mi Sevilla! ¡Vamos Nueva York!
Mexico’s Márquez Converted This Culé
Covid can’t stop this Valencia CF socio
Living near the Bernabéu led to this fan loving Real Madrid
How a U.S. Elementary School Principal Helped Save Real Oviedo
Growing the Beautiful Game in Montreal and Beyond
Uruguay’s Forlán Helped This Fan Fall in Love With Atleti
Ready to stick with RCD Mallorca through thick and thin
Behind this Barça Fan’s Pregame Ritual
A Fan’s Growing Barça Obsession in Toronto
Villarreal Academy Creates New Fans in Nebraska
Zamorano, Casillas Led this Fan to Real Madrid
All in on El Submarino Amarillo
Love, Marriage and Real Madrid
Watching Madrid at Bernabéu would be a “dream”
An Eibar fan’s journey from FIFA to fandom
Gamer Guillen closer to seeing Barça in Spain
© LALIGA - 2023