AC Milan Soccer Game

This past weekend was very different from the previous ones. A lot of us stayed in Paderno for the majority of the weekend instead of traveling around to other places. It was nice to relax and spend Saturday out in the sunshine and with other CIMBA people. On Sunday, though, a few of us took a bus to the AC Milan soccer game. It was my first soccer game of any kind that I have ever been to. Soccer isn't very popular where I'm from and our school didn't have a team, so this was definitely a new experience for me.

Right as our bus pulled up to the stadium in Milan, the men trying to sell scarves and jerseys were waiting for us. I gave in and bought a jersey to wear even though I knew nothing about AC Milan or any of their players. After shopping around a little bit, we bought amazing sandwiches from the vendors around the stadium. The food at a Milan soccer match was definitely different from a KU football game!

Before the game even started, the Italian fans were chanting and acting crazy. We walked into the stadium and it was a great atmosphere. Even though I know absolutely nothing about soccer, the game was still really exciting to watch. AC Milan ended up winning 3-1 against Atalanta. In some sense, the game was really similar to an NFL or a college basketball game in America, but it was also very different. For one thing, everyone was shouting in a different language, which I've never experienced before. But I also think the Italians seem to be more passionate about the game. Even though it wasn't a big match for them, they were still so excited to cheer on their team.

On a sidenote, it was fun to watch David Beckham play. Since he's on loan right now, it was interesting to hear how the Italians reacted to him. It's kind of apparent that some don't like him playing for their team. I heard one of them say in Italian that he should go back home. Personally, I didn't mind watching him play at all!