Just the day the Spanish presented the book of 121 years (History of the Spanish RCD 1900-2021), Josep Maria Durán ceased to be the CEO of Chen Yansheng’s club. An institutional mess that summarizes the history of a club usually marked by its presidential chapters, where the passion of its fans has survived the demolition of a stadium, the debts, the five relegations, the multiple seasons with nothing to put in their mouths, but with an unprecedented drive to get up every day and move on. Coincidences do not exist in the parakeet club.
And it was precisely Mao Ye, the new CEO, who opened the presentation held in the Ángel Rodríguez box at the RCDE Stadium led by the communicator Francesc Via. “It is a day that I will remember as the one we presented the book. Many people have participated, there are many parties involved. This is the most important project of the 120th anniversary. We have had a pandemic, a decline… There are hours for this to come out in the best way”, he commented with the conviction that “we want to fill it with more glorious new chapters. Chen’s best chapters are yet to come and on the 125th anniversary we could update it“.
All that history, year by year, with the best data, characters and surprising inquiries that he summarized David Tolothe coordinator of the book and the club’s historian: “The idea was to release the book on October 28, 2020, but the loss of Jordi Puyaltó was a hard blow (a heartfelt applause was dedicated to him), like the pandemic and relegation , but that strengthened us to make a better and more complete book”, he commented, paraphrasing Juan Segura Palomares, whose daughter Monica (“this has been a gift“) is one of the authors of the book, who complete Jordi Puyaltó, Gabriel Martínez, Oriol Pagès, Josep and Xavier Ruiz Hierro, José Alberto Salas, Carlos Ferrer and Arnau Planas. Illustrations have also been provided. Perico Dominguez and Carlos Belmar and has had the illustrious collaborations of Dolors Ribalta, Ivan Molero and Carlos Maranon. “There are still mysteries to be solved,” Tolo said.
Former Espanyol players.
RCDESPANYOL / Carlos Mira.
“We ask Chen to be one of the great clubs in Spain”
The event featured other personalities such as Dani Sánchez Llibre, Ferran Martorell, Josep Creuheras, Joan Collet, Sergio Oliveró, Vicente Moreno, Diego López, Jordi Lardín, Paco Palencia, Joan Capdevila and Rafa Marañón. And, of course, Antoni Fernández Teixidó, president of the Foundation, who points out the passionate accents in the parakeet’s history. “We wanted to show the world that we are a great team, we have a legacy to be proud of,” he said. “You come from afar and we want to go further. We aspire to more being happy with our history, we are not satisfied with what we are. We don’t have enough. We ask Chen to do everything possible to make it one of the great clubs in Spain,” Teixidó proclaimed to the applause of hundreds of guests. “This is a turning point for the club we dream of, we want a club of bells.”
The protagonists of this story also told theirs, like Diego López (“I would be proud if my daughters continue to be from Espanyol”) or an applauded Vicente Moreno: “The promotion is a pride”. Even the controversial sports director Francisco Rufete, who stayed with “the Tamudazo and the reception of the fans after the Glasgow final“. Small stories in more than 800 pages that can be obtained from this Wednesday for 49.95 euros through the club’s channels. An essential relic in any library.