Atletico Madrid

A famous advert in Spain shows a young boy asking his father: "Dad, why are we Atleti fans?" His father looks blank. There's no decent answer, no logical explanation; it's nothing to do with gleaming trophies and still less glamour. It's just part of you. Being an Atletico is, another advert suggests, a special, unfathomable feeling, something you can't shake off.

This time, Atletico's 90-year-old member No.1 explains how he gave up smoking, red wine, spirits and a host of other vices because they were "killing me", but he just couldn't give up his Atleti. "Atletico kill me, but give me life," runs the slogan.

Well, they could hardly claim to be the best. And nor would they want to (well, they would, but that wouldn't be the point), because Atletico Madrid are the self-professed people's team, the truly Madrileño club, proud of being irrational, convinced that their fans live the ups and downs with far more intensity than their rivals from the plush end of town.

Atletico can seriously damage your health. They were born under a bad sign, battlers whose hymn lauds "what a way to lose!" Their glory comes not from their players but their fans; when they were relegated in 1999, they still regularly drew gates of over 50,000 – unthinkable at Real. And yet Atletico are, in fact, Spain's third most successful club.

They won the double as recently as 1996 and, although they were relegated to Second Division 'hell' within three years, the gallant losers bit has been exaggerated. Atletico have boasted some superb players, too, from Diego Simeone to Fernando Torres.

There is certainly something different about their fans, though. You can feel it as soon as you step out of the Metro, south of the city centre, to make your way to the Vicente Calderon, alongside countless cheap, cheerful bars where fans decked in their famous red-and-white stripes drink beer from plastic litre glasses.The atmosphere inside is unquestionably among the best in Spain and Atletico feels like a real football club, a community.

There is suffering and a sense of perpetual robbery – indeed, that's almost the defining feature of being an Atletico – but there is also much humour and passion and song, particularly song. It's certainly worth the trip to hear the Calderon chant "Atleeeeeeeeeeeeti", if not always for the football itself.

THE STADIUM
Part of the M30, Madrid's mentalist inner-city version of the M25, runs right underneath the main stand of the 55,000-capacity Calderon, but driving isn't a great idea – even if you make it alive, there's nowhere to park. Far better to walk (20 minutes south from the Plaza Mayor) or, better still, go by Metro to Vicente Calderon (which used to be called Piramides). The journey takes little more than 10 minutes from the city centre.

Club address Paseo Virgen del Puerto n67, 280050
Telephone (0034) 913 664 7070
Website www.clubatleticodemadrid.com

For regular updates on the crazy world of Spanish football, see our blog La Liga Loca
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