Vero’s Decision

Our lives can be explained by the decisions we make or fail to make. Let’s see two examples:

At the age of 24, Frédéric Chopin composed one of his most famous works, the “Impromptu Fantasia”, which nevertheless, he decided not to publish. Because of that decision, the work wasn’t published until after his death. Chopin, a wanderer from Poland, passed by Mallorca and London, but his heart was always in France.

A French football player, Marinette Pichon, opted to cross the Atlantic when the US called on her. She chose Philadelphia, a city of European heritage and artistic traditions. A good place for immigrants. She was named WUSA’s (the now extinct women’s professional football league) MVP (most valuable player) in 2002, but her team, Philadelphia Charge, was left without a title.

Football is a relentless judge: it forces you into making decisions during the entire 90 minutes without a possibility for a pause. Every option leads to consequences, which are not always justified by the final result.

In 2011, Verónica had to decide whether to stay in Spain or return to the United States, where some months before, the bureaucracy prevented her from demonstrating if she were just a temporary visitor or a permanent resident in its football -  soccer. She had no doubts. Just like Marinette, Philadelphia was the place she chose, and like Chopin, she was going to compose her most famous “Impromptu” (a piece based on improvisation) at the age of 24. Fortunately, her score was not written on paper, but on the football pitch, and she was able to share it with everyone from day one. The imagination, the different touch, had as a consequence the award of the best player of the year, but she was bypassed on the title with Philadelphia Independence, following, without wanting it, in the footsteps of the Gallic striker before her.

In her case, going away, was again a definite decision. Just like it was the first morning on a weekend when she turned off the TV and missed the children’s program “Xabarín Club” because she wanted to see her brother play a game outside. Or the day when she told her teammates from Funeraria Apóstol futsal team that she was going to Aguiño (La Coruña) to start playing outdoor (eleven-a-side) football. The fax that was received in the office of Xuventú Aguiño announcing her call-up to the U-19 Spanish National Team, which prompted her to pack her bags again and soon after lift the European Champions’ trophy in Finland. This triumph then led a lot farther to Thailand, where a U-20 World Cup placed her among the 18 best players of her age in the world.

The following transition was shorter as a distance but decisive in its maturity. The distance of more than 800 kilometers that separated Santiago from Zaragoza were finally conquered after a meeting with Nicasio and Mercedes, her parents. Three years later, her path led to Barcelona where she found a floodgate of scored goals and a lot of affection, and from there she moved to the USA. Buffalo Flash first, and Chicago Red Stars later, were the arrival points. In this unending collection of miles traveled, her next stop was in Voronezh (Russia), and now her football boots reached Tyresö (Sweden).

I have talked about decisions and travels, but the life of a person can also be summarized as a word or an idea. She will yell “¡vamos!” (Come on!) in six different languages, but her idea will still be the same as when she turned that TV off: to have fun with the ball. Now she wants to share her journey with anyone who is in for a ride, hence the launch of the Website. The decision to settle and live in it is yours.

¡Benvido! ¡Bienvenido! ¡Benvingut! Welcome! Добро пожаловать! Välkommet!

Text written by: Manuel Galán