Fans of BCL: A tattoo to keep the memory of 2020 alive forever
BURGOS (Spain) - Let's get it clear straight away: 2020 wasn't a horrible year for everybody. Just ask Hereda San Pablo Burgos and their fans, who enjoyed both domestic and international success.
You already know the story. The team turned pro just five years ago, but with a powerful fan base that saw 9,500 at the Coliseum week in, week out, nobody was surprised to see the club grow with each passing campaign. The peak - for now, of course - was last year, when they reached the Semi-Finals of the Liga Endesa in Spain, followed by winning the Basketball Champions League Final 8 in Athens in early October.
Juntar la siesta con la hora de merendar. 👌 pic.twitter.com/QBwsrILo5h
— Hereda San Pablo Burgos (@SanPabloBurgos) October 26, 2020
The fans weren't allowed to travel to Athens, but they had a surprise or two waiting for the Burgos squad when they arrived with the trophy in Castille and Leon. Enter, Javier Ruiz.
"I have been following basketball in Burgos for about 14 years, being a fan with the previous club as well as with the current, Hereda San Pablo Burgos," said Javier. "(The fans) tend to be in a bar near the pavilion before the game, to warm up the atmosphere a bit, have a vermouth... And I came to see many games live before the pandemic. The last one I missed was against Unicaja Malaga in Liga Endesa, I couldn't be there in the arena, but I still saw the game on TV."
A fan who remembers a game he missed instead of a game he watched is a fan indeed. But this one went a step further to mark his affection with Joan Penarroya's boys.
"In the summer, I wanted to get a Burgos tattoo. And when the 2020 Basketball Champions League Final 8 started, I told my friends that I would do it if we won it. That's what happened! It was very special."
A troublesome year worldwide got a lovely tribute on his body. But winning only makes you want more and more in the coming seasons. Burgos put together an impressive lineup this time around, they are looking like a dangerous squad both in Spain and in Europe. Fans' demands are simple:
"In the immediate future I hope that we can win this Sunday," he said with a smile, before offering some long term objectives. "I hope that this season we will qualify for the Copa del Rey and the Liga Endesa Play-Offs."
