Diego López: hero by night, free agent by day

When it seems that a Diego Lopez he has no more left challenges to meet at Espanyol, another appears. The goalkeeper looks like a inexhaustible source of milestones, records, moments to remember. The penultimate was the one lived this Tuesday, in El Toralín, when he responded to the presence in the Copa del Rey –which Vicente Moreno gave him after Joan García dropped and for having the maximum number of headlines– establishing himself in the absolute protagonist of the penalty shootout and, ultimately, the move to the round of 16.

In the first round conquered by Espanyol in 32 years, up to two maximum penalties Diego saved, who had already saved his team from the local rush in a particularly dizzying stretch of the second half. And that he linked his virtuous performance with what he had already been offering in LaLiga, competition in which it is the goalkeeper who has made the most saves in the entire first round: 63. Although, in reality, the inspiration comes from afar, since last season he already won the Ricardo Zamora award to the best Second Division goalkeeper. There he swept Espanyol’s unbeaten record (538 minutes), just as before he had done in First (586′) and in europe (374 ‘). It always stops, but it never stops.

And less to their 40 years, that although he prefers not to be classified by his age, another of the walls that he has demolished is that of becoming, since last August, in the oldest player to wear the parakeet club shirt. Now the big question will be until when. In the middle of the pandemic, his renewal for a year, to play in Second Division, caused an upheaval that his interventions silenced. For games played, his contract was automatically extended until June 30, 2022, now without anyone complaining, in view of the facts. Y Right now, regulations in hand, he’s a free agent. He could be negotiating with any team.

But, although the future of the former player of Villarreal, Real Madrid, Sevilla or Milan is open today, his spectacular performance, their commitment and their aspirations -Has the fireproof Gianluigi Buffon as a referent– encourage to think that Diego López will end up crossing another barrier. It is too early to figure it out. Before aiming high in another direction: towards up in LaLiga, as far as possible in the Copa del Rey. A tournament where perhaps he still has a record to meet …