Fans greet Spanish national team at downtown Chattanooga hotel
Carlos Duran walked around the crowded entrance to the downtown Chattanooga hotel with a Spanish flag tied around his shoulders. Originally from Barcelona, he said he was excited to see the Spanish national soccer team arrive Friday and watch them train Saturday.
“I played soccer my whole life, I watched soccer my whole life,” said Duran, who moved from Spain to Chattanooga three years ago when he was 16 for his mother’s job. “I just love soccer.”
The Spanish national team landed at the Chattanooga Airport and made its way to the Embassy Suites downtown Friday evening, when team members filed into the hotel without stopping to interact with adoring fans who had gathered.
They did wave from the windows and roof of the hotel, to the delight of those gathered.
Lamine Yamal was the name on many people’s lips as hundreds of folks gathered in front of the hotel.
(READ MORE: Food Scene: Chattanooga prepares to host the Spanish national team)
Yamal is the player at the top of Duran’s list. Many people gathered to see the team arrive mentioned the 18-year-old superstar as the player they were most excited to see.
The Spanish national team players have millions of followers on social media. Yamal has over 43 million followers on Instagram alone. Ferran Torres has over 7 million. Sergio Ramos has over 66 million. And two club teams from Spain, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, are the two most followed soccer team accounts in the world.
The Scenic City is hosting the Spanish national team through June as it seeks a second World Cup title. The team is ranked No. 2 by FIFA and is favored to win the tournament, which will take place June 11 to July 19.
The team’s stay in Chattanooga means some of the world’s highest paid and most followed athletes and their devoted fans have their eyes on the city during the World Cup. The team is staying at the Embassy Suites downtown and will practice at Baylor School before making trips to Atlanta and Guadalajara, Mexico, for the squad’s initial matches.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press previously reported that Ramos holds the record for most appearances for the Spanish men’s national team in international matches, with 180. Yamal is ranked third in the Ballon d’Or power rankings, which honor the best soccer player over the previous European season.
One group of friends drove up from Atlanta just to witness the Spanish team’s arrival.
Nehemiah Beneyame is an Arsenal club team fan. The goalkeeper who just helped the team secure the Premiere League title is also the Spanish team goalkeeper. Beneyame expressed excitement over seeing David Raya in person. He made sure to add that he was excited to see Yamal.
“Yamal. I love Yamal. He’s my favorite,” Beneyame said.
Ethan Solomon said he got into soccer around 2018 during the World Cup in Russia and watching the games at family gatherings at his cousin’s house. Now he’s a loyal Barcelona fan.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga Football Club will move players into new headquarters in January)
Joshua Addis cited watching Kylian Mbappé play at the 2022 World Cup as the catalyst for his fandom.
As fans lined up behind the chain link fence barrier, and the arrival time of 4:15 p.m. came and went, kids sat on the curb and sweat beaded on furrowed brows under the sweltering heat.
The staff brought out balloons, and a person on stilts worked the crowd by handing out yellow and red pom-poms.
Two women wearing red costumes and hollowed-out soccer balls on their heads came out of the hotel dancing like some kind of amorphous World Cup mascots.
Andrea Salinas and her daughter made a sign to welcome the players. Pictures from the popular Panini sticker books decorated the poster board. Salinas hoped she would be able to get some of the players to sign her poster.
Originally from Colombia, she said she’d been a supporter of Barcelona for a long time.
“My husband is a different team, but that’s good,” she said.
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Chattanooga is one of 45 cities in North America serving as a training base camp for the 48 national teams competing in the world’s biggest sporting event.
While the city invited fans to line up outside the Embassy Suites downtown to welcome the team Friday, the hotel is on lockdown for the month of June. The Spanish team and its staff will be the only guests at the hotel through the initial phase of the World Cup. That phase will run through June 27.
Born and raised in Chattanooga, Juan Gallegos said he’d never seen anything like this in Chattanooga. When asked how long he’d been a soccer fan, he responded simply, “Since I could walk.”
Real Madrid is his club team, and when asked who he would be supporting in the World Cup, he said, “I’m from Mexico so, Mexico. But other than that, probably Spain.”
Contact reporter Lyric Lewin at llewin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6216
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