It was against Arouca, in the 2016/2017 season, that Coates played his 50th game with a lion to the chest; it will be against the same club, today, which will reach an important and symbolic number, 250 games for Sporting in all competitions, which reflects the longevity and quality of Sebastián Coates Nión at the service of the Sporting club.
He arrived at Sporting in January 2016, at the express request of Jorge Jesus, and from an early age he imposed himself on the team. It was on February 8 that Coates played his first game, in Alvalade, in a Sporting-Rio Ave, starting and seeing his first yellow card.
From that day to today a lot has lived Coates with a lion on his chest. Joys and sorrows on the outside, trophy conquests and a remarkable invasion of the Academy. There were dream seasons, others not really, with moments of loss of confidence with own goals and penalties, but he always responded to them all with the serenity he mirrors on the field.
The 250 games he will play against Arouca is indeed an important number, but it is not enough for the Uruguayan international to enter the top ten of the leonine players with more lion games.
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