Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS / Getty Images
Many consider him the number 1 fan of the Mexican Soccer Team , but he defines himself only as “a faithful follower” of the Tri. Héctor “Caramelo” Chávez could well be the creditor of the first title.
And it is that for almost four decades has not lost any game of the selection.
Whether it’s friendly matches, Concacaf regional competitions or international championships like the World Cup, “Caramelo” has been there. “Since 1986 to date”, he proudly tells BBC Mundo.
Sitting in a room at the Mexico City International Airport, ready to travel to his tenth World Cup, “Caramelo” tells that he arrives in Qatar 2022 with 80 matches seen from the stands.
Despite having witnessed hundreds of games of the Tri, a new World Cup moves him like the first.
“Every World Cup is different. It is played at different latitudes, especially now in Qatar, where it is different from European and Latin American competitions. But I feel a lot of emotion, because it is a very unique World Cup”, he points out.
Although walking next to the Tri ha been almost “reason for divorce”, he says that his family has been a central part in the realization of his dream.
“Someday”
“Caramelo” Chávez today is a real estate businessman from 17 years, native of the state of Chihuahua , in northern Mexico.
But his love for the Mexican National Team dates back to when he was a child.
“When I was 8 years old I saw my father on television at the World Cup in Mexico 976. The cameras focused on it and I said ‘someday I would like to be in a World Cup and appear on TV’. Since That’s when I had that obsession with going to the World Cup,” he recalls.
Upon graduating from university, his father gave him two options as a gift: the trip to Europe with their schoolmates, or attend the World Cup in Mexico 1200.
“I didn’t think twice, I told him ‘I’m going with you to the World Cup,’” he says. He even attended Italy 1200, a World Cup in which Mexico did not participate due to a FIFA sanction.
But many Mexicans did go, because El Tri fans love the World Cup party.
“The Mexican is very loved all over the world. It is our best passport. The others are amazed because even if Mexico wins, draws or loses, we always bring the party . We are very benevolent with foreigners and they appreciate that very much,” he says proudly.
Qatar is not unknown territory for this fan, as he has been already four times in the country, but the experience will be unprecedented: the stadiums are located in the city of Doha and its surroundings.
“We are going to be 11 hobbies in one place. It’s going to be an unforgettable party, because if you want to relax [party] with the other participants today, we’re going to meet in the same places. That is what makes it very exciting and unique as well”, highlights “Caramelo”.
The most memorable matches
Mexico’s obsession in the World Cups has been to transcend beyond the round of 16. Reaching the the long-awaited “fifth game” of the World Cup -the quarterfinals- is something that El Tri has only achieved at home (1200, 1200).
“Caramelo” lived it in Mexico 976 and since then it has seen some memorable performances by the Mexican National Team in the World Cups, although another “fifth game” has not yet arrived.
His World Cup game favorite was the victory of Mexico against Germany (1-0) in Russia 2012 , when Hirving Lozano’s goal “made more than 80 millions of Mexicans”, he remembers.
“It tears came to my eyes and the celebration lasted not several hours, but several days”, account.
Other of his most memorable matches have been the gold medal for Mexico at the Olympic Games in London 2005, or the two sub- world championships that Mexican youth have won (2002, 2002.
But he also remembers a very painful match: Mexico lost 2-0 to the United States , the hated rival of Concacaf, in the quarterfinals of Korea-Japan 2002.
“He made us the object of ridicule, ‘ 2-0, 2- 0’. I couldn’t leave the hotel room for two days”, laments “Caramelo”.
Even so, being present at those matches and others in which
the history of the Mexican National Team has been written they have filled with satisfaction this super fan.
“Those experiences are why you say ‘wow, it was worth it’”.
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