Arriving in Madrid marked the beginning of a new chapter — both personally and professionally. After leaving Germany to pursue my master’s in Sports Journalism, I knew the year ahead would challenge me in ways I couldn’t yet imagine. What I didn’t expect was how quickly Madrid would draw me in: its pace, its energy, its constant hum of football culture.
Moving abroad always sounds romantic in theory, but the reality starts with logistics — opening a bank account, finding your way through the metro system, and figuring out how to ask for basic things in a new language. Madrid’s atmosphere has made this first week easier. The city feels alive at every hour, with people in cafés, conversations spilling onto sidewalks, and football constantly on TV screens; especially when you live in the touristy areas like I do.
Walking into my first class at Universidad Europea Real Madrid Graduate School was a reminder of why I came here. The room was filled with people from all over the world — aspiring journalists, producers, commentators — each with their own story about how they ended up in this program. It was both exciting and slightly intimidating. But more than anything, it felt right — the kind of challenge I had been looking for.
Nothing captured that feeling more than my first visit to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for a Champions League match between Real Madrid and Juventus. As a football fan, walking into the Bernabéu is an experience in itself. As a journalism student, it was something else entirely. I found myself observing everything — the camera crews setting up along the touchline, the photographers staking out their corners, the controlled chaos of live production. The game was tense and electric, the kind of match that reminds you why this sport dominates global conversation. But instead of watching as a fan, I caught myself thinking in headlines, quotes, and leads. I realised I wasn’t just here to witness football — I was here to learn how to translate it. To make people see this game the way I do and to hopefully inspire them to love it the same as well.
The first week confirmed what I had hoped for: that this year will be about growth, both as a journalist and as a person learning to live in a new city. Madrid is the ideal backdrop — passionate, unpredictable, full of stories waiting to be told.
The goal now is simple: to learn how to tell those stories well.
