Spain fans celebrated in the streets after their team beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday. The victory was especially sweet for the neighborhood of Rocafonda in Mataro, a coastal city about 30 km north of Barcelona, where Spain’s teenage forward Lamine Yamal grew up.
Local Hero
Lamine, who plays for Spain and Barcelona, is a symbol of hope for the working-class, multi-ethnic area of Rocafonda. He has never forgotten his roots and often honors his neighborhood with his trademark ‘304’ hand gesture after scoring goals, a reference to the neighborhood’s postal code.
Throughout the World Cup, Lamine has sported a headband with ‘Rocafonda’ on it and worn the flags of his parents’ countries of origin on his boots. He has also spoken about the importance of racial and social integration in football.
In Madrid, thousands of fans partied in the streets, waving Spanish flags and chanting ‘Champions, champions.’ The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, congratulated the team on social media, saying ‘We are World Champions!! Our national team was great! Thanks team!’
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
