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The remembered Vicente Calderón has a replica on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s not that it’s identical to Atlético’s old home, it’s not even a football stadium, but it also has its own history. One of record. The owner of it is Rodrigo Romero, who has raised it at his home in Puebla (Mexico) and brings together in this charming museum the love for red and white colors with thousands of collector’s items that they have taken to the famous Guinness book and to be part of a series on HBO.
Its historical mark is to possess the largest collection of mini balls in the world. It was certified two years ago, with 1,230, but It’s already close to 1,500. “I started in 2006, at the World Cup in Germany. I bought a ball to play with a friend and took it home as a souvenir. It still reminds me. For four years I collected some more, but it was in 2010, when an Adidas collection came out with the World Cup balls from 1970, when I launched myself”, the owner, who already enjoyed other collections, but none as forceful as is.
Romero confirms that it is getting more and more difficult to get new different specimens: “First they were purchases, in stores and especially on the Internet, then through network exchanges, gifts… I have from the five continents, from Slovakia, from Australia…, and there is even a mini ball from 1961. From Spain I think that only Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano are missing, but why don’t they exist”. And although the collection was important and clearly worthy of a record, it wasn’t easy to get the Guinness nod: “It requires many things from you to give you the OK, photos of each ball, a record… We were able to do it.”
And what does the Calderón have to do with all this? Rodrigo had to find where to put such an accumulation of miniballs and other objects and, as soon as he could, he created his own museum “in the basement of the house”. Y he called him ‘Vicente Calderón’. “It’s my office, my sanctuary, about 30 square meters”, Explain. The red and white colors rule there. “On the ground, under 15-centimeter glass, I created my eleven (very offensive) Atleti shirts: Courtois, who already ask me to remove it; Perea, Godin, Filipe; Simeone, Gabi, Koke; Forlán, Kun, Falcao and Torres”.
Falcao, by the way, gave rise to the nickname of record man, skinny: “It was a joke because I’m skinny, Tigre is in my top 3 favorites and Radamel Falcao went to Rafael (his middle name) skinny”. Also hence the name of the website where you can see the collection: flacaoysufutbol.com. On this page you can see all the miniballs (plus others that are searched) according to their category and the rest of the objects of this other Vicente Calderón.
And so, Rodrigo skinny —who recently became a father for the second time— was accumulating mini-balls and various objects related to his Atleti: “Yes, not just balls and many shirts. I have a piece of lawn from the Calderón of the year of the 13-14 League, also from the network, a Calderón seat, a replica of those of the Metropolitan, dolls, tickets, photos, books, posters, replicas also of the Intercontinental, the Europa League…”. And a screen to watch the games of the Cholo.
Because Rodrigo, despite living in Mexico, is very keen on Atlético: “When Luis García, who is from my country, signed, I was 8 years old (1992). I saw his goals on the Acción program and I was hooked. Y I wanted to go against it, not go with Barça or Madrid, and I think that’s a bit of Atleti also”. His first time in Madrid was in 2006, he remembers: “I went as an exchange student. My first game was a Athletic-Racing, I still have the ticket. I chose Madrid because I wanted to see Atleti and, furthermore, be close to the World Cup in Germany, to see Mexico”. And then, let us remember, the collection began.
But the thing did not end much less in that 2006. “I was also in the 2013 Cup final. I went with Madridista friends and I had a lot of faith despite the fact that Atleti hadn’t won the derby for many years, but it looks like I gave Simeone luck. Also before, Vasco Aguirre brought Atleti to Mexico in a pre-season and I was able to watch the matches, I was with the props, I sat next to Reyes”, he recalls, and continues listing: “In 2019 they came to play against Atlético San Luis and I also attended the match. And in the Metropolitan I have also been, in an Atleti-Barça”.
Romero enjoys in Mexico his spectacular collection, his Atlético and, above all, his little ones. It has achieved a very original Guinness record and has a red-and-white sanctuary that is becoming famous all over the world. thanks to social networks and that will continue to grow with mini balls and other objects related to football. In Puebla there is a good bit of Atleti and its history.