andreisiniesta:

“The Stadium

Have you ever entered an empty stadium? Try it. Stand in the middle of the field and listen. There is nothing less empty than an empty stadium. There is nothing less mute than stands bereft of spectators.

At Wembley, shouts from the 1966 World Cup, which England won, still resound, and if you listen very closely you can hear groans from 1953 when England fell to the Hungarians. Maracanã is still crying over Brazil’s 1950 World Cup defeat. Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium sighs with nostalgia for the glory days of Uruguayan soccer. From the depths of Azteca Stadium, you can hear the ceremonial chants of the ancient Mexican ball game. At Bombonera in Buenos Aires, drums boom from half a century ago. The concrete terraces of Camp Nou in Barcelona speak Catalan, and the stands of San Mamés in Bilbao talk in Basque. In Milan, the ghosts of Giuseppe Meazza score goals that shake the stadium bearing his name. The final match of the 1974 World Cup, won by Germany, is played day after day and night after night at Munich’s Olympic Stadium.”