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 holds a promise - a promise that at any moment, something exciting is about to happen. I have witnessed that no matter where I go, this sport 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.
Football is also 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.
The Oval is an invitation to feel a sense of belonging to a family called humanity.
︎
