I am still under the impact of the news. Neeskens He has died and I find it hard to believe, 73 years old and a force of nature. Although lately we didn’t meet as often as in other times, I can say that he was one of the good friends I had in the world of football.
Affable, friendly, with a lot of charm in face-to-face contact, the first personal anecdote I remember about Neeskens He had just arrived at Barça in 1974. He had just won three European Cups with Ajax and had a great World Cup in Germany, scoring in the final with that penalty that was so typical of his style, an unceremonious kick that beat Maier, nothing less. I had been sharing a room at the concentrations for an entire season with Cruyff y Johan He told me: “Hey CharlyI will tell Neeskens Let him sleep with you on every trip and that way you teach him to speak Spanish.” That’s how it was. He immediately got along with everyone, teammates and coaches, because he was the type of soccer player that coaches like the most, a guy who ran for everyone, that he ‘scratched’, that he scored goals and that he did everything for the team. Physically he was a bull. I remember in training that we had to tell him “Hey, stop it! Afluixaaaaa!”, because the guy never stopped. He got tired and that was golden for the team and for the coach on duty.
He shot with great power and was, as I said, a great penalty taker. Although at Barça I remember that one time he missed one and he always preferred that I shoot them. Other times he threw them Cruyff… I also remember a lot about his qualities as a complete player of those famous ‘tackles’ that, of course, every coach also loved because of the amount of balls a guy recovered with his resume. He wasn’t in shape and you could see it. If his abilities as a footballer were evident, his personal abilities were even superior. We were very good friends, among other things because we became neighbors in Capitán Arenas. Over the years, during his occasional visits to Barcelona we met from time to time. Once I even left him a small car that I had in the garage so that he could move freely around what had been his beloved city.
That charisma was very noticeable when he played in the Cup Winners’ Cup final in Basel in 1979, already knowing that he was not going to continue at Barça. He gave me the pass to make it 3-2 in extra time. When he returned he was happy for the historic victory, but very upset, sad at having to leave, and that is why those chants from the fans at the reception with the trophy in tow brought tears to his eyes. Like those of Barcelona fans today when we learn of their loss. Rest in peace, friend.
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