It was during the the moment of greatest pain, the narrow 1-0 defeat of his UANL Tigres, the eight-time Mexican champions, against FC Bayern Munich in the final of the Club World Cup in Qatar in 2021 that a great love grew in Emilio. "Since then," says the 18-year-old, "my heart has also belonged to FC Bayern." FCB has a special sporting connection in the Vidal Garcia family: father Juancarlos is normally a big fan of Club América, Mexico's record champions. "But when it comes to Bayern,’ he says, "we agree, we both favour them," and he immediately starts to roll off players' names: “Müller, Kimmich, Goretzka, Neuer - I love the players,” says Juancarlos. German football is completely different to Mexican football, he adds: "The technique, the physicality, the pace, the fans, the players - everything. It's wonderful, especially Bayern's."
Tales from the World Cup
Emilio's favourite player is Thomas Müller - and he can hardly believe he'll be able to watch the club legend live for the first time ever in the round of 16 against Flamengo: "My father always told me about him when I was a little boy, about the World Cups, about the goals. That's why Thomas Müller is not only my favourite player, but it'll be really emotional for me to actually see him on the pitch," says Emilio. "Müller is strong, he's great and he has a unique scoring instinct," says a beaming Juancarlos.
Proud of their jerseys
For the very first Bayern game of their lives in the stadium, dad and son don their red and white jerseys - both birthday presents. They enjoy it and it makes them proud to be recognised as true Bayern fans in the Miami Dolphins' stadium on this day: "In the city, in the stadium, you see mostly Flamengo fans everywhere. We loudly oppose them and cheer for Bayern," assures Emilio. FC Bayern is close to the couple's hearts, as mum Miriam also reveals: "At home, my husband likes to get on the Playstation in the evenings after work - and he always, every time, plays as FC Bayern. He never chooses another team."
The five-day trip from Mexico City to Miami for the Club World Cup is something very special for the family, says Miriam: “We love the USA and love travelling to Florida on holiday." But it's never been as exciting as this time for them all: "We gave Emilio the tickets for his 18th birthday," says mum. "It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience we'll never forget."
We met up with Marion and Jürgen at FCB's final Club World Cup group match against Benfica:
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