Captain Melendo's Fourth Waltz

The first goal of the era was scored by Vicente Moreno by Óscar Melendo on a pass from Nico Melamed. Two light players but with a natural talent for this sport, who since childhood have struggled to counter the clichés of the physical. The first, who turns 23 today, played as a midfielder. Released, he found the association with Adrián Embarba easy, and felt more comfortable defending on the inside than on the outside, where this season has had more than a nightmare chasing sides.

“The feelings were very good. We wanted to capture the ideas of the coach, but we got on the rhythm. The coach gives us freedom and security with the ball, that we trust ourselves. He wants us to play soccer “, commented the player for Espanyol TV. The simplicity of that last sentence makes the playmaker happy, who in these four campaigns already accumulated in the first team has seen them in all colors.

His talent seduced Quique Sánchez Flores, who made him debut but did not give him much continuity afterwards: 32 in a year and a half, 80% entering from the bench. Rubi and David Gallego were the technicians who best understood him. With the first, where his performance was also remarkable, he played 37 games, 32 of them as a starter. With the second he started out as the cornerstone, but the team did not work. In total, Melendo has already, despite his youth, 108 official parakeet matches. If this course plays regularly, at 23 he will already be among the 100 players with the most games in the club's history.

Espanyol Shield / Flag

The Sant Adrià footballer also had his first experience as captain. After the substitution of Diego López at halftime, he wore the bracelet until it was substituted, and then it fell on David López's arm. Vicente Moreno bets on players like Melendo, with talent, who want the ball and join forces. A good sign for a player to have a master's degree in football and act like a veteran.