I’m about to swear, in the absence of a second opinion, that Madriditis has returned. I notice it in the nose, which has more memory for these things than the brain itself, as it combines bad omens and old scars with nasal congestion, sneezing, difficulty breathing and a slight tearing that navigates between allergic reaction, anger and outrage. “You are once again worried about what the real Madrid“, tells us a merengue friend whom we let speak as if he were a doctor because he learned to suture in the military and always carries some ibuprofen in his jacket. Well, on this occasion, and without it serving as a precedent, he is not without reason.
Guardiola greets Benzema at the Bernabéu.
We are again, that is the key: we were, we healed and once again we have tripped over the same stone, in that unhealthy concern -although fun- that promotes rivalry properly understood as the true engine of football. Madriditis could be defined as a mild affective disorder but also as a clean, cheap and infinite fuel, especially valuable in these times when energy is priced at gold. It is not contagious, although cases of transmission between parents and children have been documented. Nor painful, although sometimes we confuse the physical reactions to an impossible comeback with the symptoms of renal colic. And of course, and most important of all: it’s not lethal either.
There is nothing wrong with wanting Real Madrid to lose always or almost always, it would just be missing. It is morally acceptable and, most importantly, it is also legal. I have consulted him and there is no hate crime in wishing them the worst (in sporting terms, of course) for this semifinal of the Champions League. Nor does it offend religious feelings, even though they have their own catechism and have felt persecuted since the famous encyclical of the villarate. In short, we can, and must, place all our hopes in Pep Guardiola as the only proven and effective vaccine against that genetic peculiarity that is Madrid a few steps from glory. Not Madrid, you say? Madriditis yes, thank you.