We’ve known Natxo for over a decade, having bumped into him on the streets of Barcelona before they took on Celtic in the Champions League he became our Catalan Bourdain showing us the routes to take, dives, bars and countless hidden gems. It’s no surprise that he went on to work with everyone from COPA90 to Panenka, the Premier League and MUNDIAL Magazine exploring fan culture all over the globe. He’s on the terraces in the most chaotic stadiums every week.
Natxo, always a pleasure to catch up, mate. Your work always seems to orbit fan culture, what first drew you to this?
I think this idea of 'football culture' is the key concept for me when I think about the game. To me, that's what keeps my heart beating when I'm thinking of football. It’s the reason I love it, not with what's happening on the pitch necessarily but around it. The people are the most fascinating element with all of their tribal passions. That's where the stories are!
What makes fan culture something you keep coming back to? Are you trying to preserve something when you document it?
Pre-match is the most genuine expression of any fanbase because it is where you can see the rituals and where fans meet to pilgrimage again, showing their faith. The surroundings of a stadium are always interesting to see and experience, the bars are fully decorated with the club's memorabilia, scarves, jerseys, stickers, tattoos, food, drinks and songs. This is the core of any true fanbase.
What are the differences you notice in fan cultures across the globe?
If you ask to ask any football fan worldwide why the club they support is special, the answer will be "it's difficult to explain, it's passion, we are just different from the rest, we are crazy," so to try to differentiate and get deeper to the core of these emotions and feelings of unconditional love is really interesting. And what makes it special is they are all right. Each set of fans, each story is completely different from all of the others when I listen to them. It is unique. I just try to capture it in some small way but always respecting both their joy and privacy.
Some of our readers might be more familiar with your work than they realise. Tell us about your work on COPA90's acclaimed documentary on Argentina winning the World Cup.
Well, that's one of the highlights of my life. Even now I don't quite realize how crazy it was to be in Buenos Aires when Leo Messi won the World Cup. That was the world's biggest ever party with people celebrating for four days in a row. To be there with Eli Mengem and Diogo Lopes and to capture all that craziness was a big challenge because the job is so demanding if you follow COPA90’s work. They are simply the best and do things differently. That's why we travelled to Argentina and not to Qatar, where all the media attention was. My job there as a producer was simple: to facilitate, to try to make it happen.
Let’s talk about your bread and butter: derbies. Which ones get your pulse going?
I would say the one I enjoy most as a neutral is the Uruguayan Clásico between Peñarol and Nacional at the Estadio Centenario which is my favourite stadium and, of course, the stadium that hosted the 1930 World Cup final. You can feel the history. In many South American derbies, the away fans aren’t allowed in but at this game everyone is there and it’s a game that means a lot for Uruguay. Honestly, it’s like a huge fucking party. The Basque country derby between Bilbao and Sociedad has an atmosphere that doesn’t exist anywhere in football. Two fanbases that are friendly, enjoying themselves…of course there is rivalry but you have the rest of the world for big rivalries and hate. They are unique occasions. Olympique Marseille vs PSG is fucking huge. I have only experienced this one from the Marseille side but you can imagine how it is, how Goliath became David in their case, the hate they have for the rich club and the capital itself. This one I really, really love. And Red Star vs Partizan is out of this world. The Balkan way of doing things, the way they live life, the passion they have for the game. It is uncontrolled. It’s savage. It’s like a fucking war.
Moving to the big one, English fan culture, what do you like about it and how has it changed since you first started covering the game?
To me, English football was aspirational, the place I really wanted to be because I've been so influenced by your football culture. Afterwards, I've learnt how to respect and understand how things work when you're really in. Again, if you respect people, people respect you. Wearing shorts in December just to show off your club's tattoo is still shocking me. And man, trust me when it comes to your football gastronomy; no one makes it better than English! I learnt how to love pies and beans despite being a Mediterranean lifestyle ultra hahaha.
Do you have a favourite English team? Which grounds do you look forward to visiting?
As they say…up the fucking Boro! You know more than anyone else, Middlesbrough has a special place in my heart because of my friends. All my English friends are from the North (Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough) so I love the football culture there. I adored West Ham United before their move to the Olympic stadium but now I feel like the Eastender soul is lost. After Bielsa's love story with Leeds, I understood how crazy that club is. And man, trust me, when it comes to watching football at St. Andrew's in Birmingham, St. James' Park in Newcastle, Preston and Stoke City…very special places to me.
And Goodison Park? We are about to lose The Old Lady to a shiny new stadium. Will you make the pilgrimage to Goodison before last orders are called?
That's shite, to be fair. It makes me feel old being that kind of person who wants to keep things the same for the rest of my life despite knowing a move could be great for Evertonians. I went to Goodison Park in 2012 against Newcastle and it was superb, I loved it. But I need to see it for the very last time. These football cathedrals are the essence of that terrace-standing football I used to imagine and love, a nostalgia for something I hadn't yet lived.
Finally, we are partial to a football shirt here at Showboat HQ. Give us your five Desert Island Shirts.
Ooof. Tough one. Let’s go with Newell's Old Boys from 1993 with the Yamaha sponsor that Diego wore. Newcastle United’s away shirt with the claret and navy hoops and the Brown Ale sponsor. The famous Lazio's 'Maglia Bandiera'. FC Barcelona's Centenary Nike kit 1999 with the collar and Athletic Club's Away 2012 green kit by Umbro. Five classics. Let’s see them on Showboat soon, eh?
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