Super Cup latest stop on Real Madrid journey for 86-year-old superfan

Sports

Published On: Wed, 14 Aug 2024 23:37:24 PKT

WARSAW (Reuters) - Real Madrid will count on extra dedicated support when they face Atalanta for the Super Cup on Wednesday as 86-year-old Juan Antonio Cobos will cheer on them from the stands, just the way he has for the past seven decades.

In February Cobos, a retired pharmacist, received a gold and diamond insignia of Real Madrid at a ceremony to honour their longest-serving members (socios), where he was recognised for his sixty years with the club.

"It runs in my family, my mother and father were Madrid fans," Cobos told Reuters.

"Since I was six years old my parents used to take me to the stadium to watch Madrid. Since I was a little boy, I have learned it at home."

Born in 1937, Cobos moved to Madrid to study pharmacy at 17 and started to attend the games regularly.

He then met Federico Cano, a dedicated Real supporter who became a friend for life. Together with Cano, they began to follow Real abroad, starting a lifetime adventure.

In 1956 the duo went to Paris to witness the first final of the European Cup, later converted into the Champions League, which Real lifted after beating Reims 4-3 led by club great Alfredo Di Stefano.

"It was an epic match," he said. "That Real was tremendous, the way they won.