Few times in the history of football has a prop for the fans become a character of a greater depth than that of many players, coaches or leaders as has happened with Bernardo Spain “Españeta”, who died this Wednesday, but in his most His four decades at Valencia CF have come to represent the essence of the club beyond wins and losses or titles and failures.
The fans of Valencia, like that of each club, have their idols, their preferences and their whims, but in the case of Valencia, everything positing it came together in Españeta, who left at 82 after a complicated illness, after having the affection, without distinction, of all Valencianists gathered for a long time.
With a vocation as a soccer player since childhood, different circumstances prevented Bernardo España, born in 1938 in Valencia, from fulfilling his desire to be a player, but not that of joining football from a young age and completing an important career in the 21st century. the Valencia.
His has been the ability to keep most of the secrets of the Valencia dressing room that have gone with him from the time of Pepe Claramunt, Mario Kempes or Ricardo Arias to that of the league champion team in 2002 or 2004, when in the club players such as Amadeo Carboni, Santi Cañizares, Rubén Baraja or David Albelda played.
He was a tireless worker, a constant traveler who did not miss any trip and was already at the rival's stadium early in the game days away from home to prepare the players' luggage in the locker room with the aim that everything was ready in the afternoon for the dispute of the meeting.
Nobody in Valencia has had a word against them and everyone keeps in their hearts the anecdotes shared with Spain, whose expertise in signing the autographs of the players and the balls of the entire squad was well known, but with the passing of the Time allowed him to personally sign, as the hero of his hobby, many more autographs than some of the team's footballers.
In 2003, shortly after Valencia had won the 2002 League and before it prevailed in 2004, a biography was published entitled “Españeta. Secret memories of Valencia CF”, written by the journalist Federico Chaine, prefaced by Alfredo di Stéfano, with whom he worked at the club, and published by Carena Editors.
In that book, it is clear that the figure of Bernardo Spain transcended that of a prop to become a psychologist, confessor and advisor to many of the players who have passed through the Valencian club's dressing room.
His favorite was Mario Kempes, who arrived in 1976 and left in 1984, whom in addition to being a great friend and “brother” he considered the best footballer of those who have passed through the club and to whom he signed not only autographs, but also checks. banking, without forgetting the touch of the ball by Daniel Solsona or Javier Subirats or the ability to defend his teammates by Ángel Castellanos.
For Españeta, the best coach he saw at the helm of Valencia was Alfredo di Stéfano, who was also the most entertaining, but also the one who had the worst relationship with the board and who passed through the club in three stages.
In his memories were Vicente Peris, who died in 1972, as the best manager, relegation to the Second Division in 1986 as the worst moment and the League achieved in 2002 as the greatest joy that the club has experienced.
As of 2003, when he turned 65, his activity at Valencia waned, but it did not disappear, since until 2016 he kept the torch lit after receiving the gold and diamond badge in 2014. EFE