Part 3 of 3: Real Madrid vs Celtic- Philadelphia!

[suzanne410.livejournal.com]

Herein lies my final post... documenting my Real Madrid escapade from New York City to Philadelphia. If you haven't checked out part one or part two yet, feel free to go back and read. And it's never too late to share your thoughts! I enjoy reading what people have to say. I hope you enjoy the pretty pictures that are to follow.



As soon as the gates were opened I may have made a beeline for the optimum picture taking position directly behind the Real Madrid bench. First the goalkeepers came out to warm up, and then the starters. As I snapped pictures I soon realized that Mesut was not among them. I was incredibly disappointed. Mainly because I was in the perfect picture taking position- and yet he was nowhere to be seen! I took as many pics as I could of the other players with one eye on the tunnel waiting for the subs to head to the bench. At long last, they came... Mesut among them, walking alongside his friend Karim Benzema. I had a group of at least 10 Özil fans surrounding me who were all very excited to see him. I got the distinct impression that they were Turkish based on the language they were speaking, so needless to say I was hopeful they'd call out to him (with the correct pronunciation!) and that he'd come our way. Unfortunately, he proceeded to the bench without stopping but I did manage to get a few decent shots. The funniest detail I recall from this moment: he and Karim were chewing huge wads of bubble gum as you'll notice from the flapping gums and clenched jaws in the pictures below!

   

   

This might possibly qualify as looking at me!

I love how this pic looks like he's wearing wings!!
...all the better to float around the pitch with my dear...

   

The hair flip in the back... ;) I've got issues!

We had front row seats directly across from the bench. So while I snapped lots of pics of Mesut's teammates on the pitch, I was also able to grab a few of him on the bench and eventually warming up. His body language speaks volumes to me... and that could be interpreted any way you wish!

  

   

   

                                                 Benz and Granero get the call...                                     When do I get to play?

Hmmm... Is he thinking? Envious? Lonely? Still recovering? We'll never know!
Sorry for the grainy pics but he was completely on the other side of the field.
HA! Just noticed he cuffed his shirt sleeves. LOL

The team left for the locker room at half time, and as Mesut walked across the pitch he waved several times to the crowd. It was really very sweet and intentional. He didn't look nearly as embarrassed as he had during the Milan game. He looked up at people, smiled, and waved some more.

  

  

After half time, he made his way to the bench again. AGAIN, he made a real effort to acknowledge his fans with waves and glances.

  

About 10 minutes into the second half he got the call to enter the game. He tended to his hair...

  

and began his stretches. He did seem to take his stretching a bit more seriously before he entered the game than his post-stretching at training! I paid attention...

  

  

Finally, with a smile on his face, he entered the game! The rest can be told almost entirely through pictures. I even have some video I shot, but will need to erase our voices. We were being a bit silly- and no one likes to hear their own voice on a recording! So if I figure that out, I'll include it. :) Basically, for those that haven't seen him play in person, he truly floats on air like you'd imagine. He's incredibly fast, quick-footed, and so powerful when he accelerates. His touches on the ball are slight and precise, and cannot really be appreciated until seen live. He floats around silently, like a feather, and is constantly moving into position. It was quite difficult to keep track of him through the eyepiece of a camera! 

   

  

  

  

Taking a corner- He waved up to the crowd every time, 2-3 times, when he walked over.

  

Goal Benzema! A little Benzil action for us Benzil enthusiasts... I love
how Di Maria is left hanging during the celebration. :)




Just give us a minute to finish up here...

   

His lashes are detectable even from 30 yards away by an
amateur photographer! That's saying something!

   

Such balance! He's at a perfect 45 degree angle.

   

  

Another corner... with more waves to the crowd in the opposite corner of the stadium!

Shortly after this corner was taken Nuri Sahin and one of the Celtic team players collided, Mesut and his teammates were terribly concerned. It happened almost directly in front of us and it was quite scary to witness. You could almost feel Nuri's emotions as he paced around and watched the medics tend to him. Our hearts truly ached for everyone involved. Thankfully, the player only suffered a broken jaw, and nothing more serious. Nuri immediately tweeted to him following the game:

  

    

    

     

  

There was a very sweet moment where Benz reached over and tickled, yes, I said
TICKLED Mesut's belly... twice... and then pretended
to punch him in the chin.

Gratuitous Benzema belly pic...

Play resumed and Mesut took directions from a very smitten ref... How many refs have we seen smiling like this when in his presence?! It's becoming so common! But who can blame them. It took two days for my cheeks to stop hurting after smiling for four days straight. These were some of my best shots from the trip. He was so close and standing relatively still.

So minutes before the final whistle, the most awful thing happened. My camera ran out of battery. I ALMOST cried real tears. I mean, we all know what happens at the end of every friendly. I had missed his shirt removal at the NY game. I COULD NOT believe it. I turned the power completely off, sent up a wish, and waited for what I knew was coming. On cue, he removed his jersey at the whistle, and began walking to the locker room. I turned on my camera and managed to snap a few more just before it died again... BUT I got a couple! There are better ones out there, for sure, but still. It was special to be able to claim some of my own! LOL

Damn my inability to focus when I'm shaking!

That's it! Nothing else transpired after this point. That was my final "real life" glance at our little magician. I apologize for not going into detail about the games... But honestly, now a week later, I can barely recall the scores much less the details. Also, I find when watching events through a camera, I lack the ability to process the big picture of what's going on in front of me. I hope I was able to at least provide you with a few interesting details. It was truly an experience of a lifetime and one I will NEVER forget. My wish is that every one of his fans out there gets an opportunity to see him play in person. It's worth every second and every dollar! And if you've got no one to go with, I'll go with you! I've got minor stalking and game-attending all down pat now. :) Thanks for reading (viewing!).


*Incidentally, I have a few tidbits and pictures to share about some of the other Real Madrid players. I got some great ones of Sergio... as well as some others. If I get around to it, I may post them in my personal journal. I'll leave a comment here when and if it's up!

Comments

[helium-hydrogen.livejournal.com]

Wow, your pictures are amazing compared to mine. What camera did you use?

(Also, obligatory OMG HE'S SO ADORABLE AND HIS HAIR IS SO FLAWLESS AND UNFF, DAT ADONIS BELT AND D'AWW THAT BENZIL TICKLE AND SDKFLHSFJHDFLS)

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

All the stuff in capital letters represents my perpetual inner-dialogue on the subject of our crinkly-eared hero.

[suzanne410.livejournal.com]

I used a Canon Rebel T3i which means nothing to me. :) But it's fancy and has a very good zoom lens. And I totally understand your exclamations!

Thanks for reading!