KOCHI: In Kerala live families where different members cheer for different teams during a football World Cup. But not the Lopez family. For over four decades, these residents of Pachalam in Ernakulam have had only one favourite – the Portugal team.
“Everyone in my family, including cousins, are die-hard Portugal fans,” said Haison Lopez, who runs a juice parlour at Pachalam. He said the family has been following the team since 1978.
“It started with my father Charly Lopez,” he said. When Charly, 59, began watching football, he became spellbound with Portugal players’ deft footwork and manoeuvres as well as their speed.
“Since then, my father never missed a single World Cup and ensured that he saw every match that Portugal played. Us children and women in our family would watch the matches with him. Slowly, we too became Portugal fans,” said Haison. Their favourite player is — no points for guessing — Cristiano Ronaldo.
Family predicts 6 Ronaldo goals, Portugal-France final
That they love him dearly becomes evident as soon as one steps into their home or Haison’s juice shop. At the shop, posters of the Portugal team captain adorn the walls, while in the living room of their home, there are murals of Ronaldo. “My father had been running the juice shop for the past 40 years. However, it got destroyed in a fire sometime back. We then rebuilt it. The renovated shop has different posters of Ronaldo,” said Haison.
“He is an inspiration. He emerged from nowhere to reach his present status. We admire his determination, dedication and passion for the game,” he said.
Haison predicted that Ronaldo will score six goals in the Qatar World Cup. His father Charly said the final match will be between Portugal and France.
“Portugal has a big chance of lifting the cup. The squad depth is good and the team has potential,” said Charly. He admitted that the team’s match against Ghana was average. “The defence needs to be more consistent. Bringing in Pepe would have been nice. However, the Portugal squad for this World Cup is one of the best. For every position, there is a replacement. Still, Ronaldo is one of the best clutch players in the world. And his presence in the playing 11 is always an advantage,” said Charly.