superteam that won the Champions League. I made the mistake of asking him if he was a Bayern Munich fan. His face turned red and angry and he got all worked up and subjected us to 30 minute diatribe about how much he hated Bayern and how evil they are and how he would never support that team etc etc. I decided I wouldn't bring up the topic of soccer with him again.

Soccer rivalries in Europe and South America dwarf any pro sports rivalries in the US IMO, even Yankees-Red Sox. They're more similar to college football rivalries, in that they're tribal, virulent, generational, and loaded with real emotion. I've seen families break up because of soccer rivalries.