SPECIAL A 'Glorious' Centennial for a Top Alavés

The second memorable phase was in the 50s, when he returned to the First Division after beating Barakaldo by 2 goals to 1. The Barcina, Primi, Berasaluce, Erezuma or Remacha were the ones who, for two seasons, maintained the illusion in Alava society. After several years of crisis, and some threats even of disappearance, Alavés de Mané resumed the first level on May 3, 1998. That team broke the record for points in the Spanish Second Division (82) and achieved promotion against the Vallecano Ray. In addition, it was a team that marked an era in the Copa del Rey dispute by eliminating several Primeras, Real Madrid included.

May 16 came the most remembered day in the club's history. It was the final of the UEFA Cup against Liverpool, with a final defeat by 5 goals to 4. The following year he returned to play this European competition but ended up descending to Second. The current coach of the club, Abelardo, was the center of that team. Then came the Piterman era (with a new promotion), the transition with the Ortiz de Zárate family and, since 2011, the property belongs to the Baskonia Basketball Group, with Josean Querejeta at the helm. Since 2016 he has been back in the First Division. On May 27, 2017 he played the final of the Copa del Rey against FC. Barcelona at the Vicente Calderón stadium and ended up falling by 3 goals to 1. The albiazul goal was scored by Theo Hernández from a direct free kick. That team was trained by Mauricio Pellegrino.

The pandemic has totally marked the dynamics of events that had been planned to commemorate the hundred years. The central event was intended to be a friendly against Liverpool located on Saturday, January 23, the founding date. But the calendar is tightening and the situation in Spain and the United Kingdom is not the most advisable to travel and mount an event of these characteristics.

The first thing that was done was to raise a giant flag in Mendizorroza, which in recent weeks has had to be lowered due to the snow storm and the effects of Filomena. The official shield was also changed to make it more compatible with digital formats. Subsequently, a deck of Centennial cards was presented with players of all times. The ONCE also dedicated the raffle on January 17 to the club from Vitoria. A book and a hymn -composed by Mikel Izal- have been other initiatives already presented.

Soon you will be able to see a documentary made by the Vitorian journalist Héctor Hernández. Players such as Desio, Roth, Téllez or Ibón Begoña have collaborated with the initiative. The club, in fact, took over Hermes Aldo Desio's trip from Argentina to take part in the filming. It was in the middle of the coronavirus process, confinement and limitation of movements. But in the end, he was able to come and participate.

Throughout the year other official initiatives will be launched to commemorate the hundred years of existence. Some of them will be face-to-face and others online. Alavés will play in a special shirt against Real Madrid, which, after all, has even more prestige than Liverpool. What happens is that the English were the rivals in the historic final of the UEFA Cup on 16 May 2001, which ended with an incredible 5-4 final, including a golden goal.

There are also other initiatives that have come from other popular fronts. The group Critos Menores has composed the punk-rock song “While I have strength” and they describe experiences from their past in Mendizorroza. “Since I was little in the general stands, rain or snow, we don't care …” reads the song. Izal's has a more indie tone, but it's quite liked. It is titled “High the forehead …”

Veterans of the UEFA Cup final such as Óscar Téllez or Raúl Gañán have actively participated in the organization of a friendly match against Liverpool in 2001. Los Herrera, Kike, Contra, Karmona, Eggen, Geli, Astudillo, Pablo, Jordi or Javi Moreno could be seen again with Westerveld, Hyypia, McAllister, Gerrard, Owen, Smicer or Fowler. Again, the situation caused by COVID-19 leaves everything up in the air. The former Liverpool players had already given the go-ahead to the initiative but now they can't even move from home.

Nothing will be the same, in any case, without the presence of the fans in the stands and at the events. A Centennial has to be lived on the streets and in the countryside. But there is uncertainty with the evolution of the epidemic, the effectiveness of the vaccine and other questions that cannot be answered at this point. For now, the game against Madrid has reached the key date and there will be a commemorative shirt. The capital of Alava is illuminated in blue on the occasion of the centenary commemoration events. Different emblematic buildings of the city such as the City Hall, Los Arquillos, the La Florida park kiosk and the pergola of Sancho el Sabio adopt the color blue throughout this week and a canvas with the colors and the new image hangs from the Town Hall corporate club of Vitoria. In this way, the City Council has joined the centenary celebration and congratulates the club and its fans for their sporting career and their dedication to the city team during these 100 years of history. Through a statement, the Vitoria Town Hall has highlighted the club as part of the sporting history of Vitoria and Álava as “a great ambassador” of the territory where it has played. “The city has added to his successes and has remained with his team also in defeats,” he added.

Javier Berasaluce, historic goalkeeper of the two clubs, will be in charge of carrying out the kick-off minutes before the clash. He helped Alavés to return to the First Division in the 50s of last century and added five European Cups and two leagues in the five seasons in which he played for the Whites. Now he is 90 years old and, although he is very well understood and his head is working at full capacity, he has mobility problems and is continually dependent on a wheelchair. From her he will do the honor roll this Saturday.

The capital of Alava is illuminated in blue on the occasion of the centenary commemoration events. Different emblematic buildings of the city such as the City Hall, Los Arquillos, the La Florida park kiosk and the pergola of Sancho el Sabio adopt the color blue throughout this week and a canvas with the colors and the new image hangs from the Town Hall corporate club of Vitoria.

In this way, the City Council has joined the centenary celebration and congratulates the club and its fans for their sporting career and their dedication to the city team during these 100 years of history. Through a statement, the Vitoria Town Hall has highlighted the club as part of the sporting history of Vitoria and Álava as “a great ambassador” of the territory where it has played. “The city has added to his successes and has remained with his team also in defeats,” he added.

Javier Berasaluce Marquiegui will do the kick-off this Saturday, January 23, 2021, the date on which Deportivo Alavés was founded one hundred years ago. “For me it is a great pride to be able to do it and celebrate such an important date. This club has always been very good to me. In fact, when I played for Deportivo I met my wife, I got married here and we had five wonderful children, “he told Diario AS.

Berasaluce was born in Deba (Guipúzcoa) 90 years ago. He began to play for the Salesianos de Deusto and later joined the Real Sociedad. “It was then when, at the age of 20, they told me in San Sebastián that I had to come to Vitoria because they needed a goalkeeper. I remember that I met another colleague, they did some tests and they decided to stay with me ”, he pointed out. In reality, Alavés had Emery (Unai's father) and Calderón (grandfather of Iñigo Calderón, a recently retired soccer player) injured. This management, initially a transfer, created problems with the Real, since as a result of the transfer, the relations between both entities were broken.

In the 1953-54 season the team rose to the First Division with Berasaluce under the sticks. “We were a group of friends who played soccer. That is why we functioned as a family. Erezuma, Remacha, Primi or me were there. They were very good footballers and we achieved our goals. I remember when we beat Barakaldo by 2 goals to 1 and then we got promotion by winning by 3 goals to 1 at Escoriaza de Zaragoza ”, added the nonagenarian goalkeeper. In the middle there was also a defeat with Gimnástica de Torrelavega (2-1), a victory with Caudal de Mieres (1-0) and a draw with Racing de Ferrol (0-0).

For Berasaluce, everything that happened then was an adventure. “We took advantage of the trips to see the world. I remember a trip to Asturias, already promoted, and how we made a detour to visit Covadonga. The coach told us that we did not have to put the leg so much to avoid injuries and the Felguera team ended up winning us 6-0. Those were times when you earned some money but not enough to live the rest of your life. After hanging up my boots, I spent my whole life working with my brother-in-law selling office furniture ”.

His most brilliant journey would come at Real Madrid. “I played there for five seasons and got two leagues and five European Cups. For me, Madrid is manor and elegance. It is an exemplary club in every way. They treat you wonderfully and my memories are phenomenal. Then I finished my sports career at Racing de Santander ”. Berasaluce coincided in those years with Alfredo Di Stéfano. “He was a huge player, the best I've ever seen. He always asked for the ball and could play anywhere on the field. He was very fast and never lost the ball. You could give it to them that they were never going to take it away. Also, we were very good friends. I was very sorry when he passed away a few years ago, ”he said sadly.

The Gipuzkoan goalkeeper was able to extend his sporting career further because “Osasuna was very excited to sign me. They came to see me several times and I was about to commit to them. But in the end it was not possible because Madrid told them they needed me. They offered money and told me that if I went to Pamplona I would have to stop until the wind. Then I hung up my boots and dedicated myself to my family and working hard to get it done. My father-in-law also helped me although that was more bullfighting than football ”.

Regarding his current physical condition, he assured that “in the head I am quite well, thank God. The downside is that I can't walk and I'm always in a wheelchair. I don't have stability, my legs can't support me and I've already fallen several times. But, well, it's already 90 years old and I can't ask for much more… heh heh heh (laughs) ”.

Not all entities can boast a hundred years of existence. Ten less has our protagonist who will be the one who performs the honor kick shortly before 9:00 p.m. of Saturday. He will be accompanied by his son Javier and, well sheltered, he will once again step on that grass of Mendizorroza that gave him so many afternoons of glory. In addition, before another of the clubs in which he marked an era. A great in every way.

Little remains in Alavés from that glorious May 29, 2016, when the team then led by José Bordalás sealed in Mendizorroza, it could not be in another place, on the penultimate league matchday their jump to the top category thanks to the victory against Numancia (2-0). Manu García, in minute 23, and Raúl García, in minute 40, achieved goals. Thus ended a parenthesis away from the elite that opened in 2006 with the controversial Piterman. There are three historical survivors during this journey among the greats. The great flag of the dressing room is Manu García, current babazorro captain, who is in his ninth season at the club. He is a specialist in historical goals. He scored the goal of the club's promotion and also opened the account as soon as he stepped on the elite, on August 21, 2016 in the old Vicente Calderón, where nine months later he was going to play the Glorious Cup final. Manu did not stop there. On October 6, 2018, already in the 2018-19 season, he was also the author of the solitary goal that served to defeat Real Madrid in Mendizorroza. Quite a feat.

Much has changed at the Vitoria club during this journey through the elite. Countless technicians have passed by, there have been huge scares in the goal of maintaining the category, the joy of the Cup final … but what has not changed is the presence of three historic players. Manu García, Fernando Pacheco and Víctor Laguardia are not only the only survivors of the promotion four and a half years ago. It is that they have been the backbone in all this time.

Manu, the oldest of the current squad at almost 35 years old, has been a participant in the last three great achievements of the team: promotion to Second A in the 2012-13 season, the jump to First in 2015-16 and Cup final at 16-17. He has always counted for all his coaches and his seniority has been key in the permanence of these campaigns. The captain of Glorioso became in the last game, against Sevilla, corresponding to the nineteenth day of LaLiga Santander, the second player with the most games in the history of the Vitoria team, which precisely celebrates its centenary this Saturday.

The man from Vitoria reached 296 matches with the Albiazul jacket and beat another man from Vitoria, Pablo Gómez, to position himself behind Argentine Martín Astudillo with 346 games behind him in ten seasons at the club. Manu García has nine seasons in the babazorro team since he arrived at the club in 2012 when the entity was in Second Division B and has lived through the last great chapters of the Basque team.

The leader in the locker room babazorro has jumped as a starter in 250 games and has scored 19 goals. Curiously, the first goal was scored against Eibar and the last goal that appears in his statistics was also achieved against the gunsmiths, on the eleventh day of the 2018-19 season. Of the 296 stakes, 132 have been played in the First Division, 105 in the Second Division, 33 in the Second B and 22 in the Copa del Rey

Pacheco is possibly the one with the most pedigree of the three. In December 2020, he became the player in the history of Alavés with the most minutes played in the First Division. The brand was held by Antonio Karmona, with 13,143 in 144 games played. The Badajoz goalkeeper started the clash against Real Sociedad with 13,098 minutes. so, at the beginning of the second half, he already surpassed that record. Pacheco arrived at the Vitoria club in 2015. Everything pointed to a loan from Real Madrid but in the end it was a transfer. It has sounded many times as a possible exit, especially to Sevilla, and has finally continued at the foot of the canyon in Mendizorroza.

And finally, Laguardia is the race in defense. Since he arrived at Mendizorroza in the summer of 2014, he has not ceased to be the main reference for the Albiazul defense. “Hopefully we can have many‘ Victor Laguardia ’in the squad, because he represents the values ​​of the club,” babazorro sports director Sergio Fernández said months ago. At the age of 24, he decided to leave his home and Real Zaragoza, in whose quarry he was formed to bet on a new adventure in a Deportivo Alavés that, in the previous campaign, had just sealed an agonizing stay in Second in the final seconds of a match of heart attack in Jaén on the last day of the 2013-14 campaign.

The defender from Zaragoza was incorporated as one of the reinforcements to the squad led by Alberto López at that time. But not everything has been so idyllic. He has had to overcome several blows in this time. For example, soccer deprived him of the dream of playing in the 2017 Calderón Cup final. In April of that year, in a clash with Kevin Prince Boateng in a league match against Las Palmas at the Insular stadium, Víctor suffered an injury knee that stopped him on the way to that appointment against Barça. The Aragonese was out for almost nine months until, in January 2018, against Sevilla, he reappeared at the close of the first round of the 2017-18 season, in which Alavés, who seemed doomed to decline after a bad start, he managed to save himself easily thanks to a miraculous comeback with European numbers thanks to that landing, the first since another recently arrived, from Abelardo.

In that campaign, after being out during the entire first round, he became the great winter reinforcement of Alavés. Precisely in December 2018, Laguardia extended his contract, hand in hand with his inseparable Pacheco. During this time everyone has renamed him the “kaiser” babazorro. In so many years he has had many dance partners behind: Migue and Jarosik in the 14-15 campaign, Pelegrín in the 15-16 campaign, Feddal and Ruano in the 16-17, Ely and Maripán in the 17-18 and 18- 19, along with Magallán, and Lejeune in the present. For all of them it has been an example of involvement and passion albiazul. Like those exhibited by his ‘colleagues from fatigue’ Pacheco and Manu García.