‘Everyone is so welcoming’: Football fans revel in Spanish Super Cup final | OneFootball

King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah welcomed 60,000 fans to the stadium on Sunday night to witness another memorable match between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Several hours before kick-off, the atmosphere was already building as excited fans from all over the world chanted songs, took selfies, and embraced the anticipation ahead of kick-off.

Among the supporters in the stadium were Kindergartener Charlie and his mother Lisa, who come from England and moved to Jeddah six months ago. Wearing Real Madrid shirts and hailing from the same Birmingham town as Jude Bellingham, it was no surprise who they were supporting. Charlie was even born in the same hospital as Real Madrid’s superstar midfielder.

“We're very lucky,” Lisa said. “Charlie's been teaching me all about the players, and he's been telling me who he wants to come and watch, so now he gets to see them all play locally. It's unbelievable.”

Charlie, Lisa, and Charlie’s father also attended Real Madrid’s 3-0 semi-final victory over Mallorca on Thursday, and Lisa said she was impressed by how accommodating everyone has been.

“It doesn't matter who you're supporting, everybody's welcomed us,” she said. “Even when we’re in the car park, people are welcoming us to Saudi. When we scan our tickets, they're welcoming us to Saudi, Barcelona fans are welcoming us even though we are in Real Madrid shirts.

“The atmosphere in the stadium itself, honestly, the pre-match show was one of our highlights. It completely took us by surprise and set the scene for the rest of the match. Then even at the end, everyone was mixing on our way out, just chanting together. It's a very safe stadium to bring kids to. We are not from here, but we are very welcome here.”

Sudanese brother and sister Akram and Yassala made the trip to Jeddah from Dubai with their family to join the tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans at the Super Cup final.

“We arrived yesterday and spent some time at the [Jeddah] Boulevard,” Akram, 16, said before the game. “I’m enjoying it here a lot. The Barcelona fans are looking stronger than Real Madrid fans right now but that will all change because Real Madrid are going to win.”

Yassala, 19, said: “It's such a nice vibe. Everyone's so hyped up for this [match] and it's so nice to see everyone supporting the teams. It's been such a fun experience so far.”

Real Madrid and Barcelona are by far the best supported teams in Saudi Arabia and judging by the sea of white inside King Abdullah Sports City stadium, Los Blancos had a slight majority of the fans on Sunday.

Leading the chants behind the goal was Blancos KSA, Real Madrid’s official supporters club in Saudi Arabia. Established in 2018 and totalling more than one thousand members, Blancos KSA turned out in force in Jeddah. Their drummer banged out rhythmic chants, giant flags were waved throughout and three separate tifos were displayed before and during the match.

“As a fan club, we are welcoming to everyone, not only people in Saudi,” said Ali Al Baladai, the Blancos KSA vice-president. “We want to show people the passion we have for this club. We are always open to suggestions and want to become bigger and bigger.”

Ultimately, it was to be Barcelona’s night in Jeddah as the Catalan club ran out emphatic 5-2 winners on a night everyone inside the stadium will never forget.

📸 FADEL SENNA - AFP or licensors