How do you explain an illness that erases memories? Sometimes, it is not explained. It is felt.
‍

Atlético de Madrid wanted to put their fans in the shoes of the people living with Alzheimer’s. To do so, together with Marino Uriel, the club created a fictional legend: a rojiblanco player from the 70’s, key to one of the club's golden eras, and at the same time, impossible to fully remember.

The story of Uriel did not look to deceive, rather to provoke a very concrete sensation: the doubt, emptiness, and loss of memory that comes with this neurodegenerative disease.

A project driven by the club and its Foundation to give visibility to Alzheimer’s, a reality which affects more than 800,000 people in Spain and, in many cases, continues to go undiagnosed in its early stages. Communicating this required respect, context, and an idea capable of emotional impact, rather than relying on easy impact. In addition to the campaign, Atlético de Madrid reinforced its commitment to AFEAM with a donation and a ‘vintage’ rojiblanca kit with the name Uriel and the number 21, paying homage to World Alzheimer’s Day.

A project where sports marketing serves something more important: remembering what we can’t afford to forget.