The Camp Nou This afternoon will see the crossroads of Gavi, the youngest player in the League, with Joaquín, the oldest in the competition. 23 years and two weeks separate the palatial from the portuense, whose careers started on the fields of the Ciudad Deportiva del Betis. It should be noted that when Gavi was born, Joaquín was already the star of a Betis team that was immersed in a preseason that would lead to the achievement of the Copa del Rey, the last title won by Betis, and in the classification to play the Liga de Champions
Not an hour separates the town of Los Palacios, Gavi’s hometown, from El Puerto de Santa María, whose flag Joaquín has been flying for a lifetime. 86 kilometers, now toll free, which can be compared to the distance that separates the race of the two protagonists, one in a more than powerful start and, the other, in a sunset announced by Joaquín himself.
Gavi debuted last September 14 in the Champions League against him Bavaria de Munich. Joaquín, meanwhile, premiered at September 2000 on Saint Lazarus, when Fernando Vázquez played the final stretch of a Compostela-Betis game that ended with a goalless draw. Today’s Betic captain’s debut in the First Division came a year later against Málaga, a team in which he would end up playing, at La Rosaleda.
Gavi convinced Koeman in the preseason and has made a place for both Barcelona and the National Team. Joaquín, meanwhile, has been used by Pellegrini mainly in the Europa League, as well as in the recently released Copa del Rey. In fact, his goal against Independiente de Alicante last Wednesday was the first of the season, which means that there are already 21 years in a row in which he has scored at least once. Nevertheless, Joaquín hoped to have even more prominence in this Betis that walks on the heights, since in the League he has only participated in eight games in which he has not started in any of them and where he has just over 100 minutes.
Gavi is heading to renew for Barcelona with a stratospheric clause and a projection of being a reference in world football for years to come. Joaquín will probably say goodbye to the Camp Nou today, leaving an indelible memory.