The MARCA awards… with Valencia in the heart

And in the mud, a ball. And among the rubble, a reason for hope. And despite so much despair, an endearing image. At this point, two weeks after the catastrophe, one after they starred in it, almost all of Spain has already seen the video of Álvaro, Alejandro, Roberto and Iker (plus Alexis and Valentina, who are also from the gang). That of some children who defied the consequences of the floods as soon as they had a ball within their reach. That of some boys who collaborated in the cleaning work with their families until the devastation revealed a lost ball which, taking advantage of a short break, they immediately took in for “a party”. That of some boys who got lost in the mud giving some touches that, without them knowing it, made them eternal. Maradona said that the ball does not get stained. And Diego knew a little about that.

Álvaro, Alejandro, Roberto, Iker, Alexis and Valentina became the great protagonists of what was already a gala full of great protagonists. His presence at the MARCA awards ceremony corresponding to the 23-24 season was the surprise of a event sponsored by Hyundai and Moeve, which took place in the Luis Aragonés auditorium of Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas and in which they received personalized Spanish national team shirts… delivered by Luis de la Fuente himself and by Santi Deniathe coaches who won the Euro Cup and gold in the Games this summer.

Watching those children enjoy themselves, I realized the enormous emotional value that a ball has: the best invention in history

Juan Ignacio Gallardo (MARCA director)

It was also delightful that the first award given, the Second Division Zarra, went to Peque, now a Sevilla footballer, for the goals he scored with Racing. Because ‘little ones’ are Álvaro, Alejandro, Roberto, Iker, Alexis and Valentina, authors and collaborators necessary for an image of life that adds to the wave of collective solidarity that has shown the best version of this country. The speech to open the event by Juan Ignacio Gallardo, director of MARCA, also covered the video in question and the consequences of a disaster that, affecting all areas, could not fail to also affect football.

“In the midst of mud and chaos, suffering and sorrow, four kids managed to put a stop to hell with the simple help of a ball. That muddy ball became a simple but powerful tool of joy and luminosity, of happiness and hope. The tragedy and damage are still there, very present (it will take a long time to heal from the deep and painful wound that the damage has caused us)but for a few seconds, watching those children tenderly enjoy the ball, I realized the enormous emotional value that a ball has: the best invention in history,” Gallardo explained before making a sad and a happy confession.

“We have encountered various unmanageable circumstances that have prevented some of our protagonists from being here today,” he explained regarding the first, alluding to the Dovbyk cases (“The Ukraine coach believes, quite rightly, that the situation in the country forces the Girona Pichichi, now in Roma, to be with the rest from the first minute, working together”), Diego Conde (“a resident of Valencia, in no mood for galas in the face of the situation we are experiencing”), Morata (“a blow to the head has him today from medical tests in Milan; the injuries are the unexpected and bitter side of this sport but you have to accept them”) and Bellingham (“affected by that sudden allergy that Real Madrid has taken on awards”).

The happy reflection, meanwhile, was that “our winners today from last season are representatives of teams that usually do not monopolize all the awards.” In that sense, after reviewing the list, the director of MARCA sent a message to them. “There is something that I love about the winners of this edition: the simple, affable, humble and respectful character of all of them. Not only are you winners, you are also custodians of the values ​​of this sport, whose container is a simple ball. And with your outstanding way of understanding football, that ball becomes bigger and acquires a fascinating shine,” he noted.

Presented by our colleagues Almudena Rivera and José Luis Allegue, the gala left shocking moments such as Martin Braithwaite moved to receive the award for top scorer in the Second Division… from his parents (who had arrived expressly from Denmark). It is worth especially thanking the effort made by the scorer, who scored his goals with the Espanyol shirt but who is currently playing in the Brazilian championship, specifically in the ranks of Gremio. Crossing the pond as he did undoubtedly deserved a surprise like the one he received.

I am glad that our winners today are representatives of teams that usually do not monopolize all the awards

Beyond the Pichichi, the Zamora (Unai Simón in the top category, accompanied on stage by the great Iribar), the Zarra (Borja Mayoral), the Miguel Muñoz (Míchel and Borja Jiménez) or the Guruceta (Alberola Rojas and Dámaso Arcediano), it is also appropriate to consign the awards to the fans’ favorite, which in this case went to the Betic Isco (“giving up was not an option”), to the MVP of the selection for De la Fuente (which brought up his coaching staff), a special trophy for the Olympic team (Santi also collected it with all his team), the Fantasy MARCA that Manuel Hidalgo won… and of course the Jarque- Door to Fair Play and Values, delivered by Silvia González and Dolores Pérez, mothers of the lost soccer players, who for this edition wanted to recognize the figures of Álex, Bryan and Sergio “the great work of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in terms of inclusion, real integration and social responsibility”.

Also enlivened by Laura García’s pageantry numbers, the gala took place for just over an hour with Valencia always in the heart and the final challenge, expressed by Gallardo, that Those children, “dreaming of being you one day, escape for a moment from so much grief.”.