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The Hinchas y Jugadores project - A look back (20th May, 2017)

"Thanks for having this interest for lower teams in Spain. That is something that even in my country we lack as everyone cares about Real Madrid and Barcelona but don't see the local and amateur football dying year after year."
-Juan Manuel Serrano

"Thanks for contacting me...[projects like these] make the world of football grow!"

-Xavi Pérez Ureña


For the last 19 days, I published 45 interviews by fans, writers, players and coaches. I wasn't expecting to have so many wonderful people respond to me, and I thank them for their time and cooperation, as well as for answering so many questions!

I'm going to be honest here - I certainly wasn't expecting to interview an ex-Barcelona player - let alone two of them. I wasn't expecting to interview a footballer with three consecutive league titles. Or the assistant technical director of Rayo Vallecano. Or an Ipswich legend. Or the nephew of Juan Sabas. Or Mikel Alonso - again.

I also wasn't expecting to interview fans of Segunda B clubs, but I did - Burgos and Real Jaén were particularly surprising. Or someone to write over 2,500 words about the Barcelona Femení team. Or that there would be a fan of UCAM Murcia, a team that were in the sixth tier a decade ago. Or that a Norwegian would support, of all teams, Gimnàstic de Tarragona. Or that Real Madrid's reach is so great that they have fans in Kurdistan. Or that my Alavés fan interview would be with the cousin of ex-Alavés defender Santiago Martínez.

I'd like to thank, once again, all those who agreed to be interviewed. This project pretty much crumbles without you.

Scroll down to check out some exclusive interviews with footballers and coaches, as well as fans and writers talking about the clubs they love. If you support a club in Spain chances are your club has been "represented" here - sometimes more than once!

 If you'd rather see the project unfold in reverse chronological order, click here.
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