The Oval
“I’m stuck in the idealism of high school, when playing with a ball was the most beautiful thing in the world.”
- Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Football is my passport to travel through time. It takes me back to my childhood in the streets of Getafe, where I played with friends day and night, where I grazed my knees on the hot tarmac of the summer streets, where football was in the hearts of the community, lived in the community, a joy for the community. Football takes me home, where everything feels safe and familiar.
Football also holds a promise - a promise that at any moment, something exciting is about to happen. I have witnessed that no matter where I go, the beautiful game is a universal language, in poetry and prose, spoken by everyone, everywhere. While seeking out this promise contained in the form of a ball, football has allowed me to connect with many people worldwide, regardless of their race, age, sex or beliefs.
The Oval is an invitation to feel a sense of belonging to a family called humanity.
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