The football fan has lost count of how many youths there are. Before, in their mid-thirties, it was said that a footballer at an optimal competitive level was in his second youth. Now, the tendency to prolong the career due to factors such as training, diet, science or professionalism, causes even a third to be talked about. Joaquín knows this, who last summer blew forty candles for his birthday in the middle of the Betis preseason –the thirteenth in their ranks– and Diego López knows it (Lugo, 11/03/1981).
Next week he will become part of the select historic club of the 40-year-olds in La Liga and will do so while still being decisive at Espanyol. On the last day he showed to keep his reflections in a cool and dry place. The providential stop to Pere Milla in the 95th minute resulted in a consistent distribution of points. Espanyol could win in Elx, but also lose.
His first minutes in the elite of Spanish football were against Athletic, a rival in Cornellà (9:00 p.m. / Goal)
To revalue the tie and give continuity to the work done so far, it is time to tame the lion today in Cornellà (9:00 p.m.). Marcelino’s Athletic arrives loaded with morale. Only once in 25 years (2013/14) did Bilbaoans have such a promising start, with 16 points from nine games. They have been able to make the most of their few goals (9, one less than Espanyol) to get closer to Europe, but above all they have become strong behind as they are the team with the least thrashed in the League (5).
Also those of Vicente Moreno can show their chest for having little fit. Before his fans, Diego López has only picked up the ball from the net against Madrid and Atlético. His safety and that of the rear are worth him to be the Zamora of the League, with 10 goals conceded in ten days. No other goalkeeper has more saves than the Galician (34).
Diego López applauds the fans at the end of a match in Cornellà
“Diego gives us a lot: experience, knowing how to be … and experiences, because he has lived them in all colors. If we add their performance to that, it is to be happy. His trajectory speaks for itself. We are lucky to have him on the field and also outside, always ready to help our teammates ”, Moreno highlighted yesterday about the oldest player in the club’s history after breaking a record held by Alfredo Di Stéfano for more than half a century.
“It is very easy from the outside to think that one no longer serves at a certain age,” Diego López criticized before the press days ago. “I don’t set dates, goals, or long-term objectives. I try to enjoy the moment, which is what makes us be in the best possible condition ”.
Diego gives us a lot: experience, knowing how to be … and experiences, because he has lived them in all colors “
Enjoy now the few opportunities you had in the beginning. He made his debut in the elite at the age of 24 in an inconsequential Madrid Champions match (2005/06). His first minutes in Spanish football were precisely against Athletic in the Cup of that course. Ex from Madrid, Villarreal, Sevilla or Milan, since he signed for Espanyol in 2016 he has been practically untouchable. And he still has rope left.
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