Football makes the world vibrate and it would not be the same without its “fans”. This word is wrapped in a story of passion that transcends the sport.
There is no sport in the world more popular than football. Millions of spectators cheer, cheer and give their all in every game. The fans as the followers of this are known sportlike its clubs, have a history on the peculiar meaning of his nickname.
It is normal to feel affinity and passion for something or someone, whether it is an artist, a series, a reality show personality, a sport or a club. This feeling can be called “fandom” and has a very particular origin that went beyond sports to become a label to distinguish passions.
Fans: the origin of the word in the world of football
The word “hincha” has its origin thanks to a Uruguayan character closely linked to sport. Prudencio Reyes He was a saddler who I repaired the balls with “vejiga” and “tiento” that were used in the football matches of the Club Nacional de Football of Montevideo.
Reyes’ job was to pump up the balls with his lungs before each game and during the match he used to cheer on the team at a time when spectators came to the stadium just to see their team.
The fans who came to the club to watch the matches were amazed by that character who He encouraged the team with great passion shouting: “Nacional, Nacional!”, “Long live Nacional!” and ““Let’s go National!”
Who is that man who blows up the balls and cheers the team on non-stop?, the fans asked themselves and received the following answer: the one who swells the balls, the “fan””.
From then on, Reyes became “el hincha” (the fan), which comes from the verb hinchar (inflate), used in Uruguayan lunfardo to refer to the word inflate. This is how the word hincha first appeared and began to spread rapidly throughout South America and then reached Europe where Spanish fans also used it.
The monument to Prudencio Miguel Reyes at the National Stadium in Montevideo
With the great international popularity that the term acquired, Prudencio Reyes became the first “world fan” and the Club Nacional celebrates every 28th of April in honor with a monument that is visited by fans from all over the planet.
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Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
