Caroline Weir: Scotland midfielder on life at Real Madrid
- Published
Caroline Weir, centre, has 19 goals already this season for Real Madrid as well as 11 assists
Adapting to Spanish football has been the easy part for Caroline Weir, whose feet do the talking as she revels in new-found freedom at Real Madrid.
Tackling the language is proving a trickier obstacle, one that initially left the Scotland star feeling isolated and befuddled as she embarked on a first move abroad last summer after four years with Manchester City.
"That's definitely the biggest challenge" Weir tells BBC Scotland. "It's something I was excited by, to learn a new language and immerse myself in a new culture.
"You don't realise until you're living it every day how difficult it can be when you don't really know what's going on.
"Some days are better than others. Some days I'm understanding things and get the drills in training. Then on other days a lot of it will go over my head and I'll get things wrong and mess up.
"That was one thing I didn't expect - that feeling of being isolated. That was more when I first moved over. It's got a lot better since then but it can be difficult. That feeling of, 'I don't understand them and they don't understand me.'
Childhood dream & El Clasico vibe
On the pitch, Weir has been an impactful and fluent presence after a dream move which seemed written in the stars.
As a football-mad youngster, she was "kind of obsessed" with Zinedine Zidane. When the Real idol scored one of the great Champions League goals in the 2002 final win over Bayer Leverkusen at Glasgow's Hampden Park, Weir - watching on as an awestruck six-year-old - was hooked.
The first strip she owned was a Real home kit with 'Zidane 5' on the back, a memory she revisited on joining the Madrid giants by posting a video of herself doing keepy-uppies in her garden as a kid.
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Now she's showcasing those skills on a grander stage. Weir's first Real Madrid goal had an "extra layer of satisfaction" as it came against the Manchester City side she had just left and helped her new club plot a path to the Champions League group stage.
Plenty more goals have followed. The attacking midfielder has 19 in her 29 appearances, including an equaliser in El Clasico, a 3-1 Supercopa defeat to rivals Barcelona after extra time.
"Beating Atletico in my first derby was really cool," says Weir. "And El Clasico, I've played in two now, scored in one. The atmosphere, the whole thing around those games, is something I've never really experienced before.
"Fans over here are really passionate and noisy - it's a different vibe when you're playing in those games. They're so exciting to be part of."
Real's women's team was only launched in 2020 and are making up for lost time in trying to topple established powerhouse Barcelona, who are pursuing a fourth straight domestic title.
This season Real have won 17 of their 19 league games, with the only defeat coming against Barca, who sit five points clear. Weir, freed from the shackles of City's more rigid set-up, is lapping up her licence to thrill as Real give chase.
"Here I feel like I play with a lot of freedom in our system," said the 27-year-old. "I have a fairly free role, which is quite different to City where there was a set structure and you fitted into that and we played a very specific way.
"Here it's suited me well, being able to impact games, scoring goals, assisting, making things happen.
"There's definitely been a bit of adjusting. The league is pretty intense. There's more teams so we play six more games in total, and you can be playing every three days. I've found that a challenge, more mentally than physically.
"Barcelona are the top team but I think we're getting closer. We saw that last time we played them, in the Super Cup. That's why I'm here, to compete for the league."
Caroline Weir is fuelled by determination to help Real Madrid disrupt Barcelona's Spanish dominance
Whenever her hectic schedule allows, Weir makes the most of her time in one of Europe's great cities. She isn't the only one.
"I've had more visitors in the last six months than in the previous eight years playing away from home," she says.
"Everyone was desperate to come to Madrid. A lot of my friends have come out. They come to matches and to see the city. It's a good excuse for a weekend away, bit of football, bit of tapas.
"I live here with my boyfriend and we go out in the afternoons, just kicking around Madrid. That novelty definitely hasn't worn off. We live beside this amazing park.
"We're really enjoying ourselves here, getting to know the city and living that Spanish lifestyle. It's suiting us both really well and our wee dog has never been happier."
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