European finals and the pursuit of unhappiness Opinion - Real Madrid Jesus Sanchez's opinion

The wait, whether or not your team is playing. Supporters know what I'm talking about. In Spain, Real Madrid fans were waiting for a Barcelona defeat in LaLiga, which came against Levante at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia. It was a sad way of quenching their thirst in the league. Barcelona fans, meanwhile, can be very happy after their double, but they won't be fully content until they find out what happens in Real Madrid's Champions League final. This is their misery, being in the shadow of their eternal rival in the most important tournament.

The joy of Atletico Madrid fans have never been quite as dependent on what happens to other clubs, but Rojiblanco supporters will also be keeping watch on what happens in Kiev, even after the excitement of their own European final in Lyon. The most stubborn Atletico fan would even sacrifice their title if it meant Liverpool beating Real Madrid to the Champions League.

Football lives on this terrible silliness called rivalry, which is sometimes so irrational that some even questioned Rafael Nadal for wearing a scarf that wasn't Real Madrid's. There is another phenomenon which is produced and which would also be worthy of study. It's the idea that football fans are more confident about the chances of the team they hate than the one they love and that they torment themselves by believing that the destiny is for them to be unhappy and their rivals to be happy. Their hearts cannot avoid this. It could be termed the pursuit of unhappiness.

For this reason, Atleti fans are convinced that Real Madrid will win a 13th European Cup, while Real Madrid's followers are sure that Diego Simeone's side will win the Europa League. Yet those same Rojiblanco fans aren't sure about their chances against Marseille, while supporters of Los Blancos believe the match in Kiev is in the balance. Barcelona fans, meanwhile, hope for Liverpool's front three to do something special at the same time as they get themselves into a frenzy by worrying a 13th European Cup for Real Madrid, which would eclipse their league and cup double.

From this point of view, the enthusiasm of supporters for their team can actually be measured by how much they resist their rivals' victories. Atletico know all about this and it could even be said that they've found a way to live in the suffering, while Real Madrid have found out that even the richest clubs can be made to cry. They've suffered at the hands of Atletico and they've suffered because of the rise of Lionel Messi's Barcelona. Los Cules, meanwhile, are continually asking themselves if Real Madrid's success in the Champions League is really happening.

All of this that produces anxiety, worry, angst and unease is what defines football fans, who don't only concern themselves with their own team's matches and players. Good fans don't only feel and suffer. They also wait for big events, with the European finals being a good demonstration of this. The most honest fan simply thinks about the best team winning. That's not important, only football is.