The Las Trece Rosas pitch witnessed the final match of the season for Atlético Birgueiro and Tukumanes CJB in the municipal 7-a-side football league of Ciudad Lineal. Despite a 6-4 defeat, which relegated Birgueiro to third place, the atmosphere was far from somber. The team, which has been competing on Madrid's fields for forty years, celebrates its long history.
The club's story began in 1985 when a group of friends from Moralzarzal participated in an indoor football tournament organized in El Retiro. Thanks to a family connection with a sports equipment distributor, they obtained kits from Real Madrid's basketball team, featuring the iconic shorts of Fernando Martín. What started on the court evolved into 8-a-side football, and over four decades later, the project continues thanks to an ongoing generational handover.
Julián, 63, still defends the goal alongside his sons Juli and Luis, and his nephew Rubén. Luis recounts the intensity of family matches, where domestic squabbles sometimes spilled onto the field. Mari, Julián's sister and Rubén's mother, serves as the president and is considered the team's linchpin, responsible for keeping the club's spirit alive.
Mari highlights that the team's 'essence' has been preserved, although she acknowledges that the younger players are more competitive. However, the 'third half' remains a fundamental pillar. Julián Jr. points out that the team is defined by four pillars: the weekly casual game, the visit to the bar, the Sunday match, and the subsequent gathering at 'Moraima' bar, their usual meeting point.
José, one of the veterans, celebrates scoring a goal and the presence of former players. He ironically contrasts the generational differences in football, attributing the younger players' vitality to their gym habits. Carlos, a father from the new generation, summarizes the team's uniqueness: the continuation of the 'Birgueiro spirit' forty years on, with the veterans doing much the same as the youngsters today.
Rubén Mendiodo, Mari's son and cousin to Juli and Luis, has documented this story in the documentary 'Atlético Birgueiro: Una vida de 90 minutos' (Atlético Birgueiro: A 90-Minute Life), premiering at Cines Embajadores Río. Rubén aimed to capture a story that would resonate with players and anyone who has shared football with friends, showing respect for those who maintained the project and commitment to continue the tradition.
A sense of responsibility, both familial and friendly, drives the new generations. Carlos, now a father, finds football a moment to feel like a child again and an essential unifying element that prevents the group from drifting apart amidst life changes. Mari describes the feeling as 'almost magical,' while Rubén asserts that 'there's a lot of Birgueiro left.' Carlos concludes that the combination of a lasting team and enduring friendships is what makes Atlético Birgueiro special.
At the end of the fortieth season, the president raised her glass in a toast: 'May you never stop and may it last forever,' wishing for the club's perpetuity.
