This is a scene that happened after the Spanish Women's Super Cup final on Sunday local time.
The Barca women's team defeated Atletico Women's 7-0 in the competition and eventually lifted the championship trophy. This result is not surprising, Barça women's football in recent years in la liga women's football league, and even the whole of Europe is invincible, in the past few years, Atletico women's football team is still able to pressure Barca women's football team to win la liga championship, but now Barça in La Liga women's football level has been difficult to find opponents.
After the match, the players of the Barcelona women's football team, the winner, threw virginia, the no. 14 player of the rival Atletico women's football team, and this warm scene was recorded by the photographers on the spot and appeared on the front page of all the mainstream media in Spain, "Sports are so beautiful." This is the caption of the map in the Marca newspaper.
The picture is so beautiful that the front page headlines of the Spanish sports media on Monday give her the most important position, and the La Liga focus battle between Real Madrid and Elche and Alaves against Barca at the same time has to "stand on the sidelines".
Here's a story about the protagonist of this picture.
Before the accident, Virginia Torresia was the main international of the Spanish women's football team and the backbone of the Atletico women's football team, and in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup Spain women's team's 0-0 draw with the Chinese women's football team, she played a full 90 minutes as the starting back and also competed with our women's football girls.
In March 2020, a few days before the COVID-19 pandemic began to rage in Spain, Virginia had just played for the Spanish women's national team, and then Spain entered a national emergency, football matches were all suspended, and Virginia, like other players, returned home to wait for the day when the game resumed.
By May 2020, when Spain had gradually unblocked and the game was about to resume, one day Virginia suddenly felt unwell and had a terrible headache, so she went to the hospital for an examination, and the results showed that she had a malignant brain tumor. For her, it was like a thunderbolt, because there was no warning before that, and it also meant that she might be far away from her beloved football.
Virginia underwent surgery on the tumor and began a long chemotherapy cycle, and after the successful surgery, she posted on social media: "I won the most important game of my life. But she probably wouldn't have known at the time that she would win more later.
She was greatly supported by the entire Spanish football community.
After the resumption of La Liga that season, Diego Costa scored a goal in the opening match of Atletico Madrid against Athletic Bilbao, after which Costa held Virginia's number 14 shirt aloft as a sign of encouragement. Later, in atletico's match against Mallorca, the captains of both sides jointly showed off the Number 14 Mallorca shirt with Virginia's name on it, as she was born in Mallorca.
After a chemotherapy cycle, Virginia began to prepare for her return to the field, during which time her mother suffered a car accident, although not life-threatening, but still not recovered from the injury, and could only be accompanied by a wheelchair.
Bad luck followed, but the optimistic Virginia was still struggling to get back on the pitch, sharing her step-by-step recovery on social media, with the "cheers" voice in the comments section in unison.
Last summer, she returned to the familiar training ground for the first time and began training with the ball. Virginia's Atletico club renewed her contract until the summer of 2022 during her convalescence.
It wasn't until the recent Spanish Women's Super Cup event, after nearly 700 days, that Virginia returned to atletico's women's squad and did not play in the semi-final against Levante women's team.
In Atletico's final against Barca, Virginia came off the bench with the results settled early, which was her first official match after defeating the disease, when the audience applauded thunderously, players and staff inside and outside the stadium applauded her unanimously, and the crowd on the sidelines collectively stood up to give her applause.
After the game, no one cared about the final win or loss and the winner, this game was dedicated to Virginia, who had returned to the stadium after defeating the disease. In addition to their atletico teammates, the Barça women's footballers, who are rivals, also collectively threw Virginia into the air to congratulate her.
This scene replaced the La Liga focus of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the newspaper the next day and became the sports headline of the major Spanish media. "This moment transcends everything." Local media commented.
"They told me I couldn't do professional football anymore, but I came back two years later and that was the most important thing, thanks to Atletico Club, to all the people who helped me." Virginia said movingly at the press conference.
Not only Virginia, but also Jerry Bilbao athletics in the past few years, when her career was about to take off, was also plagued by testicular cancer and had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy, and then the first team of Athletic Bilbao shaved their heads collectively to show support for their teammates. Later, Jerry also defeated the disease and returned to the stadium, and is still the backbone of Athletic Bilbao's defense.
Not long ago, Real Sociedad youngster Barenechea suffered a major injury in the game, and in the following game, his teammates wore T-shirts with his name on the entrance to support him.
There are too many scenes like this in Spanish football.
I have also discussed with friends around me why in the case of Spain and other European countries such as the new crown epidemic is so serious, many social activities have been forced to stop, sports events, especially top football matches, even if there is no live audience, they must be resumed. Indeed, football is a very important part of the Spanish economy, creating countless employment opportunities, and the development of basic sports is inseparable from the high income brought by top competitions.
But there is more important than that, that is, sports to guide and inspire people in the face of difficulties.
When the covid-19 pandemic first began to rage in Spain, many La Liga clubs called on social media to pay attention to epidemic prevention and strict home quarantine, and many club fan organizations hung banners in local hospitals to send encouragement to hard-working medical staff.
In addition to sending spiritual inspiration to people, the football community has made a more practical contribution to epidemic prevention, such as Real Madrid's home Home Bernabeu to the health authorities, as a transit point for epidemic prevention materials, such as Atletico's home of Wanda Metropolis as a vaccination site. Derby vs. opposition is of course part of football, but in football, illness and the pandemic are common enemies for all.
When the epidemic has not yet occurred, in terms of public welfare and giving back to the society, the Spanish football community has always been very serious, outside the game, clubs will be enthusiastic about promoting the prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases, will call for the care of vulnerable groups such as the disabled, and will also regularly visit local social welfare homes to contribute to all people who have suffered from diseases.
The meaning of sports is not only to win or lose, but also to lead everyone to transcend difficulties, to fight for fate, and the headlines of the media in Spain on this day are reserved for Virginia, who has overcome the disease and returned to the stadium, because she deserves such a moment.
All the tough moments will pass, but the inspiration of sportsmanship is never endless.