Interviews
MAR 04.04.2023
Eight years ago, Natalia Baranovska met Miguel González during her first week in the United States working at a frozen yogurt shop.
Both Real Madrid fans, González, the shop manager, invited Baranovska, who emigrated from Ukraine, to a watch party Peña Madridista NYC was hosting as Real Madrid played Shakhtar Donetsk—coincidentally from Ukraine—in the 2015 UEFA Champions League.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“We now have two kids,” Natalia says. “They come with us to watch games. Everyone knows them. Our oldest is 3 years old and she came to watch her first game when she was like 2 months old. Now she’s singing all the songs and chants and is excited to go to the bar and be around all the people. She’s all in on it.”
Before falling in love with Miguel, Natalia was in love with Real Madrid, a club she had followed since 2003 when David Beckham joined from Manchester United.
Miguel, who grew up around traditional American sports like baseball and football, discovered Los Blancos by accident one day watching TV. His interest grew and became a full-blown love affair as he watched his new favorite player Zinedine Zidane close out his career in the Spanish capital, and famously by headbutting Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final.
A member of the New York-based peña, Real Madrid’s oldest and largest outside of Spain, for a year, Miguel quickly introduced his new colleague to his fellow supporters. Members since 2015, Natalia is now on the peña’s board and handles social media and photography.
“I brought her there for her first time and then she became a member,” Miguel says.
The couple has traveled to New Jersey, Houston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. to watch Real Madrid during preseason U.S. tours, including all three stops of the 2019 summer tour while Natalia was pregnant with their first daughter.
While Miguel has been to Spain twice to watch Real Madrid play—most recently in December 2019—they have plans to make their first family trip to Spain in the fall to watch the club at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“We’re planning the trip based on a Champions League game in October,” says Miguel, who proudly admits he has a Sergio Ramos tattoo. “We’ll see a LaLiga game and a Champions League game.”
Real Madrid isn’t just a club for Natalia and Miguel, it’s part of their love story.
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
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