you know, somebody was telling me that he went to the bernabeu, but most of the people there were apparently tourists. which was quite surprising. because he was saying there seemed to be very few real fans (pardon the pun). so the atmosphere wasnt good; people were more interested in snapping pictures than in the game itself. i am still tryin to come to terms with this observation. i ought to see it one day for myself.

picture this: we are not selling jerseys. nor scarves. we are not just selling a tradition or our success. we are selling a philosophy, a concept, a way of life. In the past, you use your past, your history to draw the people in the area: hey, i am the team of your town, it's natural that you support me. and you are contented. but now, this is not enough. you need to reach out. do you expect people in another country to come to you because of where you are based? Do you think you can reach out to people because of your trophies? what if one day you stop winning? will they still come to you? there are fickle fans in this world, my friend. people who always back the winning team. that's the sad reality. No, i am not interested in these people. i am interested in those who are genuinely passionate about the game, not just about the silverware. that's why we are selling a brand, a concept. our belief, our style. they must identify with our style. they must be excited by our style. they will come back for more. people must know what we stand for. and be thrilled by it. then we know we have reached out to them.