For us Maccabists the color yellow gets us psyched up. Not just in a Derby match but also against Raanana, not just in Teddy, Turner and Sammy Ofer but also Petach Tikva. It just has to be yellow and we feel that excitement. “All for Maccabi, you’ll never walk alone.”

This year when Maccabi advanced to the Champions League group stages the dream is coming through right before our very eyes. (Even though we still haven’t seen them score yet) Nevertheless this is a huge celebration. It’s not just that were hoping to get something out of the Porto match and it’s not that were just waiting to host Chelsea in Israel but the fact that we have made it to this stage of the Champions League is a massive achievement.

From my many years of supporting Maccabi back to the days of Sheya Glazer and Giora Spiegel along with Avi Nimni and other great players. But afterwards there was a natural regression of the club where once in awhile we would win a Cup or Championship, but these were rare occasions and opportunities where we were more lucky than actually playing top level football.

Over the past few years Maccabi began taking club professionalism more seriously. Goldhar and Cruyff are not just looking for a quick fix here or there but they are planning for the long term, always looking upwards.

This week we’re in Portugal but this is also the fourth year in a row that we are at the top of the table and this is the bread and butter of the Israeli league and especially Maccabi. So there’s always a chance that we will be at the top of the Israeli league but also at the heights of European football.

This is what we want. This is what we love. Just like we sing every week to the starting XI: “This is a love affair that will never end.”