The Unwritten Love Story of the White Shirt: How Bangladeshi Women Became Madridistas

Football brings a madness all of its own, a strange kind of thrill. And when the name ‘Real Madrid’ becomes part of it, love for the white shirt turns into a feeling that lasts a lifetime. In our society football is usually seen as a boys’ game, but a group of young Bangladeshi women have stepped outside that familiar circle and shown that Madridismo has nothing to do with gender. The stories of the female supporters of Peña Madridista Bangladesh read like a series of love stories.

The Early Magic: How It All Began

For some it started sitting with an elder brother in front of a television with no cable connection; for others it began with reading about the Galácticos in the newspaper. Nazmun Nahar Moumita’s love of football goes back to the 2002 World Cup. Back then there was no cable TV or internet at home. It all began when Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazário joined Real Madrid after the World Cup. Reading the papers a day or two late, following the 2002-03 La Liga title, La Novena, and stars like Raúl, Beckham, Zidane and Casillas, Moumita never even noticed when her love for the club became an obsession.

In the same way, plenty of fans became Madridistas under the spell of the Brazilian legend Ricardo Kaká. Anika Bushra Imam cried her eyes out when Kaká was shown that red card at the 2010 World Cup. Later her elder brother told her that Kaká played for Real Madrid, and that was that: she has been a fan of the All-Whites ever since. Shehreen Abed was so taken with Kaká, who won the Golden Ball at the 2009 Confederations Cup, that she went looking for his current club. When she found out he had arrived in Madrid in a world-record move, her lifelong journey with the club began.

Ashrafunnesa Tamanna, meanwhile, fell in love with the club almost without realising it, surrounded by Beckham and Nazário posters in her elder brothers’ room and collecting Kaká cards from Pepsi bottles. Ananya Rahman fell for Marcelo, while Sumaiya Tasnim became a Cristiano Ronaldo fan during the 2008 Champions League final and followed him into Real’s golden history. Nusrat Munir became a committed fan watching Ronaldo Lima, Zidane and Carlos. Jannatun Naim’s story is a little different, and rather funny: her pure love for the All-Whites was born from sheer stubbornness, because she simply could not stand the Catalan club Barcelona!

92:48 and That Unforgettable Night of La Décima

For every Madridista, the biggest and most emotional night of all has a name: La Décima. Even today, thinking back to that 2014 Champions League final still gives these women goosebumps.

Anika Bushra Imam shares a thrilling story from that night:

“I had an exam the next day. With great difficulty I got Mum to agree that I could watch the match at night, on the condition that I wouldn’t make any noise. In the final moments, when Modrić went to take the corner, it felt like my heart had stopped. After Ramos’s miraculous goal at 92:48, I couldn’t hold back any more. I screamed with everything I had! Mum came at me in a rage to give me a smack, but I was so happy I didn’t feel a single blow. A few people in the building even complained, but I have no regrets!”

For Ashrafunnesa Tamanna, too, the 92:48 minute is the sweetest memory of her life. But it was on the night of the 2017 UCL final, when Real thrashed Juventus 4-1 to win back-to-back titles, that she was overcome with joy and burst into tears. For Aparna Karmakar and Nusrat Munir as well, the night La Décima was won remains the happiest and most historic moment of their lives.

Watching Under the Blanket, and ‘Real Madrid’ on Campus

Staying up late to watch football has never been easy for girls in this country. Getting through a Real match while dodging scolding parents and dealing with morning classes or exams was a thrilling battle of its own.

Ashrafunnesa Tamanna says:

“I used to sleep in the same room as Mum, so at first I had no chance of watching matches on the TV or PC. All my life I’ve watched Real’s games on my phone, hidden under a blanket. I’ve lost count of how many times I got caught and told off. When the team played badly, I’d cry. Then Dad would come in and wind me up even more, saying, ‘All right, that’s enough crying now!’ Through all these laughs, tears and teasing, I’ve kept on loving Madrid.”

When Sumaiya Tasnim was an intermediate student, she would stay up watching matches behind her parents’ backs, even with an 8am class the next morning. And Nazmun Nahar Moumita paints a lovely picture of life as a Madridista on campus:

“In my department everyone, from the teachers to the seniors and juniors, knew me by one name. Lots of people would call out, ‘Hey, Real Madrid, wait up!’ If the club had played well the night before, I’d walk down the corridor the next morning with a real swagger. And the day after a bad game, everyone would be ready and waiting to tease me. These memories are truly priceless.”

There is no shortage of football banter with friends either. Aparna Karmakar says her best friend is a Barça fan. She can’t take her friend’s trolling about Madrid, and her friend can’t stand her trolling about Barça. Thanks to this footballing feud, that friend is still off her friend list!

Final Word: A Belief That Lasts Forever

Real Madrid may be going through a transition period right now, but the faith of these female supporters remains unshaken. Legends such as Kroos, Modrić, Ramos and Benzema may have left, but the club’s ‘Madridismo’ and its ‘Win or Win’ mentality always inspire them. Praising the friendly and well-organised atmosphere of Peña Madridista Bangladesh, they expressed their hope that the community will grow even bigger in future and give fresh momentum to women’s passion for football in Bangladesh.

These stories of the white shirt show that football belongs to more than just the boys. Football means praying for your club under a blanket in the silence of midnight, screaming your head off and breaking every rule when Ramos heads one in. Football means Hala Madrid Y Nada Más!