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Spanish Club Villarreal and the Scottish champions Celtic had the 10th anniversary of their charitable partnership, which helps fund a research project that could improve the lives of young cancer sufferers in Spain.
The partnership started in 2004 when Celtic traveled to Spain to play in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup. Former Villarreal player Ernesto Boixader lost his son to cancer not long before, and was so impressed with the behavior of the Celtic supporters that he wanted to use them as an example to show Vilarreal supporters how to behave. He formed the Villarreal Celtic Submari Penya (Supporters Club) to imitate the Celtic behavior. The Celtic Submari is not a Celtic Supporters club. Rather it is a Villarreal CF Supporters club named in honor of Celtic and, “dedicated to implementing the best Celtic virtues of friendship, respect, and practical help for those in need.”
It is a relationship built upon affection and respect as opposed to hatred and bitterness. The motto is, “Rivals for 90 minutes, Friends for always.”
Below is the 10th anniversary match between the two, who have turned the affair into a charity match. This time the match was extra special for 13-year-old Gohan who is living with cancer. Below is a video showing his entire experience from walking into the stadium, to meeting his teammates in the dressing room , to scoring the opening goal. He does it all and it’s a great video showing once again the power of sports.
And, while the video may be in Spanish, the power of the story is universal. Enjoy.
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