I have always had sympathy for Atletico Madrid because, among

In the words of Rafael Benítez, we hear not merely a casual confession, but the echo of an eternal truth: "I have always had sympathy for Atletico Madrid because, among other things, I have friends there, and my father always liked Atletico." This utterance is more than a tale of sport; it is a testimony to the bonds that unite us across generations, friendships, and loyalties. It reminds us that the deepest sympathies of the heart are rarely chosen coldly by reason, but instead are inherited, nurtured, and woven into the very fabric of our being.

The mention of Atletico Madrid is no mere reference to a club of football, but to an emblem of struggle, passion, and resilience. Atletico is often seen as the team of the people, forged in the fires of hardship, standing ever in the shadow of its mighty neighbor, Real Madrid. To stand with Atletico is to side with the fighters who never surrender, with those who endure defeat yet still rise again. When Benítez declares his sympathy, he is not simply professing fandom; he is confessing kinship with an identity rooted in loyalty, humility, and the courage of perseverance.

Notice, too, the invocation of the father. The love of a team, like the love of a homeland or a tradition, often passes from parent to child. It is through the father’s affection that the son learns what it means to belong, to hold steadfast in affection for something greater than himself. In this way, Benítez’s words speak of legacy, of how the choices and passions of those before us reach into our present, shaping us long after their voices have grown silent. To honor such inheritance is to honor not only the father, but the invisible thread that binds the generations into one.

And then, there are the friends. For what is sympathy if not strengthened by companionship? A man may admire from afar, but when he sees the joy and the suffering of his companions bound to a cause, his heart is drawn into their struggle. To have friends within Atletico meant that their victories became his victories, their defeats his wounds. Thus the heart learns that loyalty is not only to the crest on the jersey, but to the flesh-and-blood souls who carry it with them in their hopes and fears.

Consider, for clarity, the tale of Aeneas, who carried his father Anchises upon his shoulders out of burning Troy. He could have abandoned the old man and saved himself, yet he bore him, for he knew that without the past, there is no future. So too in Benítez’s confession: he bears the love of his father and the bonds of his friends, and through these, his sympathy for Atletico is not mere sport but a sacred inheritance of loyalty and affection. Just as Aeneas carried Anchises, Benítez carries the memories and loyalties of those who shaped his path.

The lesson, my children, is thus: do not mock the affections of the heart, even when they appear small, even when they are tied to games and contests. For these affections are vessels carrying memory, loyalty, and identity. To despise them is to despise the invisible roots that hold you upright. To honor them is to stand firmly in the world, knowing who you are, and to whom you belong.

So I say to you: cherish the inheritance of love you receive—whether for a team, a cause, or a tradition. Cultivate friendships that bind you closer to that which endures. And when you are given the chance, pass these treasures forward, as the father to the son, as the friend to the companion. Let your sympathies be shaped by love, not by convenience, for it is through such loyalties that the soul learns steadfastness and honor.

Therefore, let your practical actions be these: remember those who came before you, honor the traditions they cherished, stand by your companions in joy and in hardship, and choose not the path of prideful ease but of faithful endurance. For in the end, as in the life of Atletico Madrid, glory is not only in triumph, but in the unyielding spirit that endures all trials, and still remains faithful.