|An Aragüeño Obsession|

Eighteen years ago to the day, @AraguaFC were founded. Since then, a passionately devoted fanbase has developed around the club, a barra ready to go to war. Their name? Los Vikingos - The Vikings.

’I would give my life for the club.’ - José Romero

1/9

“Since I was young, I’ve had that sense of belonging to my land,” José says of Aragua. He would watch all of the sports teams from his city during his childhood, but it was his first football match that left an impression. (2/9)

“Since then, I’ve done the impossible in order to get to games. I would literally give my life for the club; I have it tattooed on my skin; I‘ve missed my mother's birthday; the day my grandfather died, and still full of sadness, I went to the stadium to forget everything. (3/9)

José admits his club are not known outside of Venezuela, but within @LigaFUTVE, he says Aragua have made every opposition side suffer and are not easy to beat. “We have the respect of all the other teams. That gives us an identity.” (4/9)

For him, the standout moment came in 2018. “It was the Copa Venezuela semi final second leg against the late Deportivo Anzoátegui. Our first goal, scored by Wilber Bravo, moved me in such a way that I wanted to cry. (5/9)

“I also clearly remember watching the Caracas-Lara game (2019). If Caracas won, we were in the Sudamericana. Caracas won 3-0. I was at work. There were about 20 minutes to go to. I got home and I cried - a lot. I had not experienced an international competition before. (6/9)

Like any fan, José dreams of winning the league & the cup and of nights on the continent.

Like any Venezuelan fan, he hopes Aragua can export players to Europe. “To to be honest, I just want to watch them play. For me, the simple fact that they exist is everything.” (7/9)

As a member of the Aragua FC barra, @VikingosPte, José sees it as a permanent responsibility to represent the club and his fellow members positively and with pride. “We are all Vikings, wherever we go, we represent the barra. Be it bad or good, it’s what makes us Vikings.” (8/9)

“We offer @AraguaFC our loyalty and they understand that no one but us affects for better or for worse what happens to the club. We are the ones who will always be there for them.”

End. (9/9)

From @FUTVEEnglish, Happy Birthday to @AraguaFC!