The Glory Hunter syndrome - From the perspective of a Barcelona fan

Supporting a team which has earned a truckload of success over a period of time seems so easy. It is a vehicle to make new friends, search out more enemies, and engage in all that mindless mud-slingling that comes with being a fan. However, is it all a bed of roses?

Disclaimer: This work is to be taken truly as a work of fiction. Any views expressed by the author regarding certain decisions by certain clubs are not to be taken as the hard view of the writer, but merely as a means to communicate the intentions of the piece.

One fine morning, as I prepared myself to start yet another day of a mundane life with my morning coffee and the morning newspaper, my eyes fell on one piece of news.

Barcelona sign Neymar from Santos for 57 million euros!

The transfer we all awaited had happened. In our quest to find a strike partner for Lionel Messi, we had proverbially hit the jackpot, as many had reckoned all through. Surely, it would be a dream come true to see these two terrorize defences the world over, even as we finally solved the jarring question: ‘What without Messi?’

However, for some reason, the euphoria I had expected on this news never hit me. Rather, it left me in a somewhat more pensive mood, as my mind wondered on how exactly would the marquee signing fit into the squad. Obviously, it wasn’t my job, but this is how we fans all are. Putting the lack of euphoria down to mere withdrawal, I got on with my work as the day progressed.

Our mess hall was one room buzzing with activity each afternoon as all of us used to plan for the evening, how to tackle various assignments at hand, or simply decide on which matches to watch in the common room that night. Frazzled young boys that we all were, we often found in football a way to forget the worries of our classrooms, trying to immerse ourselves in solving various problems our favourite sides were facing.

Given the magnitude of the transfer, the Neymar deal was admittedly the hot topic that day. While rival fans seemed secretly tense about the implications of that move, my fellow Barcelona fans were ecstatic, believing it to be the foundation of the best strike partnership football would ever see. My disturbed expression stood out in that corner, and a few buddies made note of it.

‘Not feeling well, eh?’

‘I’m fine. Just a little pensive about the Neymar transfer.’

‘Great partnership up ahead, bhai! Just watch as we sweep all accolades next year.’

‘Not really! We need a couple of defenders! Also, the midfield options are choc-a-bloc now.’

‘The midfielders are only going to feed the ball to Messi and Neymar anyway. Who cares?’