Words by Alan Gormley | Published 18.02.2026This story seeks to illuminate the vibrant relationship between Sevilla FC and the city of Seville, revealing how football, music, and history come together to unite its people and shape the city’s enduring spirit.
I received the following quote from Sevilla FC supporter Máximo de la Cruz. He conveys the feelings I hope will be delivered by the story.
“Ser seguidor del Sevilla FC”, para mí, es mucho más que alentar a un equipo: es llevar en el corazón una forma de vivir y sentir que nace del alma de la ciudad. Es pasión, orgullo y pertenencia; una mezcla de historia, arte y coraje que refleja el espíritu de Sevilla misma. Desde pequeño, mi madre me inculcó este sentimiento Sevillista , enseñándome que cada partido es una celebración de nuestra identidad, un lazo que une generaciones y barrios bajo los mismos colores. Ser Sevillista es creer siempre, incluso cuando el camino es difícil, porque sabemos que este club —como nuestra ciudad— nunca se rinde.”
Translation: “Being a Sevilla FC supporter, for me, is much more than cheering for a team: it’s carrying in your heart a way of life and feeling that springs from the very soul of the city. It’s passion, pride, and belonging; a blend of history, art, and courage that reflects the spirit of Seville itself. From a young age, my mother instilled this Sevillista feeling in me, teaching me that every match is a celebration of our identity, a bond that unites generations and neighbourhoods under the same colours.
To be a Sevillista is to always believe, even when the road is tough, because we know that this club—like our city—never gives up.”
One of Sevilla's many fervent socios before a match.
Photo Credit: SocioThe idea of writing about Sevilla FC lingered at the edge of my thoughts for a while, like a melody waiting for its moment. I wandered through days, not ready to begin, believing the story would come in its own time. Then, as if the city itself whispered a cue, Sevilla’s triumph over Barcelona arrived just days after I’d left its sunlit streets.
I understood. The story had chosen its hour.
The heat in Seville during October is rarely a suggestion; it is a physical weight. On the afternoon of 5 October 2025, the mercury touched thirty-two °C—a warmth that settled over the 41,040 souls packed into the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium, home to Sevilla FC. There was no hint of rain in the Andalusian sky, only the shimmering expectation of a city that had spent a decade waiting for a result like this.
Before the 15:15 kick-off, the narrative seemed pre-written. Barcelona arrived in the south as an undefeated juggernaut, perched atop La Liga with nineteen points from seven matches. Sevilla, though respectably in fourth, were viewed as the underdog against Hansi Flick’s clinical machine. But football in the Sánchez-Pizjuán is rarely about logic; it is about the “Symphony” of the crowd and the “Never Surrender” spirit that defines the club's history.
Sevilla began with a confidence that rattled the visitors. In the 13th minute, the stadium erupted when Isaac Romero won the ball and went to ground under a challenge from Ronald Araujo. Following a tense VAR review, Alexis Sánchez— facing his former teammate Wojciech Szczesny—coolly dispatched the penalty into the bottom left corner.
The dominance of the league leaders had been broken. The dominance continued through the first half. A lightning-fast transition in the 37th minute saw Rubén Vargas slice through the Barcelona defence, delivering a precise ball to Romero, who doubled the lead from close range. It was a deserved 3 advantage for a Sevilla side that played with an intensity Flick later admitted his team could not match.
Just as the half seemed to belong entirely to the hosts, Barcelona struck back with the quality of a champion. In the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, Marcus Rashford connected with a Pedri cross, sending a beautiful volley into the top corner.
The second half hung on a knife-edge, especially when Robert Lewandowski stepped up for a Barcelona penalty—a moment that could have levelled the score and changed the season’s trajectory. His miss was the silent signal that this was to be Sevilla's night.
As the match entered its final moments, the “People” of Sevilla witnessed a masterclass in the counterattack. In the 90th minute, Lucien Agoumé threaded a pass through a desperate Barcelona line for José Ángel Carmona to restore the two-goal margin.
The final blow came deep into stoppage time, at 90+6’, when Akor Adams clinically finished a move initiated by Chidera Ejuke. The 4–1 scoreline was not just a victory; it was an exorcism of a decade-long ghost, marking Sevilla’s first league win over Barcelona since 2015.
Sevilla players celebrate with supporters after their 4-1 win over Barcelona.
Photo Credit: The Strait TimesIn the aftermath, the contrast in the dugouts was stark. Hansi Flick was candid, noting, “The first half wasn’t good… we had no solutions to get the ball out.” Meanwhile, the joy from the Sevilla side was personified by goalscorer José Ángel Carmona, who told Reuters: ”It’s one of the happiest days of my life. We deserved to win from start to finish.”
As the final whistle blew, the emotional and historic celebrations reflected a turning point for the club. In the heart of Nervión, the symphony had reached its perfect, thunderous conclusion.
Nights like this do not happen every day, yet in Seville they feel as natural as the evening breeze drifting through Nervión. A few voices become many. A simple conversation becomes a chorus. Stories from different eras weave themselves into a single thread, binding generations together in a way that only football — and only this club — can manage.
Laughter mixes with memory. Tapas passes from hand to hand. The melody of a beloved hymn rises from the lips of children and settles into the hearts of their elders. And for a moment, past, present, and future gathers under the same lantern light.
As the last glasses were raised and the final goodbyes whispered into the night, something remained in the air. A sense of belonging. A quiet pride. A reminder that Sevilla FC is not just a club but a living inheritance, carried forward not by trophies alone, but by the people who love it.
The echo of that night lingers — in the footsteps heading home, in the soft hum of the chants still on people’s lips, and in the wide eyes of the supporters who knew, without needing to be told, that they had witnessed something they would carry for the rest of their lives.
Because in Seville, memories like these do not fade. They become part of the story.
Sevilla fans in full voice.
Photo Credit: The New York Times