Sometimes it happens that, out of an intolerable episode, a movement of solidarity and support arises that goes around the world. This is how it has been seen with the chapter that the Real Madrid goalkeeper had to live, Mass Rodriguez. No one, not even the player herself, could imagine that the degrading messages and sexist insults she received on her Twitter account were going to lead to an unprecedented wave for equality in football.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper wrote a message during the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Liverpool with the motto “same passion”. The comment was accompanied by a photo of him next to that of Marco Asensio, who had just scored the second goal. Both appeared in the photographs holding the shirt angrily to vindicate their commitment and passion for the white club.
However, the immediate response was far from what was expected. A series of despicable comments in the style of “Same sexual orientation”, “as much passion as the desire to embed it” or “That one wants to stop two balls at the same time” led the Canarian player to have to delete the message from her social networks.
The play went wrong for those who thought that this way they managed to silence Mass because, instead, thousands of voices arose in support of the player to demand that she not be silenced by anyone. The first to set an example was himself Marco Asensio: “Same passion. Let nothing and no one prevent you from saying what you think ”, wrote the Real Madrid footballer.
Asensio did nothing more than light the fuse of an unstoppable movement that has flooded social networks with the hashtag (tag) #Samepassion. The current has been supported by clubs such as Barça, Valencia, Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Levante Chelsea and Bayern, by the Spanish team and by hundreds of footballers who have wanted to show solidarity with their teammates, including the Real Madrid players Vinicius, Fede Valverde, Carvajal, Casemiro, Marcelo, Varane and Lucas Vázquez.
Barça posted a photo of Leo Messi and Mariona Caldentey with the phrase “same passion” and two photographs in which both celebrate a goal with their arms raised and the index fingers of their hands in the direction of the sky.
The unprecedented support has made Mass Rodriguez an icon in the fight to eliminate the gender gap in football. “Hopefully the day will come when these things stop being news. Hopefully I don't have to keep showing anything to shut up the mouths that we try so hard to silence… ”, wrote the international player Marta Corredera.
“From a negative episode, a positive movement has emerged. That is what it is all about. Once again, it has been shown that changing the rules depends solely on us ”, the player's agent seconded him. C
Arlota Flat, from Unik Sports Management. “It is gratifying to see how one of the most powerful media campaigns that can be carried out in favor of women's football is born out of ignorance and lack of respect and education,” wrote the player Willy romero, always very active on equality issues.
Messages of support came from all over the planet: from England (Tottenham) to South America (Racing Club, River, Boca Juniors, Independiente, São Paulo, Grêmio, Flamengo and Colo-Colo, etc.), North America (Cruz Azul, Club América, Tigres, Monterrey, Atlas, Chivas), Portugal (Benfica) or Germany (Eintracht de Frankfurt, Wolfsburg).
Misa, which this season has become one of the banners of Real Madrid, is this week concentrated with the Spanish team in the face of the friendly matches against the Netherlands and Mexico in preparation for the 2022 European Championship.
The movement has gone beyond football and has transcended all of sport, which is why media basketball players such as Rudy fernandez and his sister Marta Fernandez, a former international player, have also shown their full support for the player.