From Child to Child

Fernando Niño (Rota, 1974) landed in Elche in the 2006 winter market. He arrived with a suitcase full of successes, after a glorious stage at Real Mallorca. As a vermilion, he played the Champions League, won a Copa del Rey and caressed a couple of titles more. Many thought that his appearance at the Martínez Valero was a golden retreat in which to hang up his worn boots. But Niño only needed a few months to get his new hobby in his pocket. The Cadiz center-back, a man who years before had sounded to reinforce top-level teams, showed his commitment and experience from day one. What seemed like an adventure became a beautiful idyll as franjiverde that lasted for two and a half seasons. In the end, He wore the Elche shirt 81 times and scored five goals.

Niño took root in the city of palm trees. Almost everything important that surrounds the life of a footballer happened to him in Elche. He won the Copa del Rey with Mallorca at the Martínez Valero (2003), retired in 2009 and saw the birth of his second daughter, born in Elche. In addition, he closely followed the first kicks to the ball that a six-year-old boy gave. That boy, already a man, was Fer Niño (Mallorca, 2000), the Villarreal striker who tries to find a place among sharks. Fer did not miss a game with his father from the Martinez Valero rostrum. The eldest of the Children did not do it either when the little one played, he spent a couple of years at the Club Deportivo Zafiro from the city. The young forward, with a special fondness for the team his dad played for, had to pack his bags and head for Rota when his father retired. “It wasn't easy because Fer wanted to stay in Elche. He had friends and he was happy”, says Fernando to AS.

The young striker continued to play at the Rota Sports Club until Cádiz threw the loop on him. His passage through the Carranza lasted three years. Villarreal, with eyes everywhere, recruited him when he was 15 years old. “Against all odds he chose Villarreal, the place farthest from home. He had several offers, but Fer wanted to see first-hand all those virtues that extol from the Villarreal quarry,” confirms the oldest of the Niño. Fer had options to play for Sevilla, Betis and Málaga, but decided to cross all of Spain to sign for Villarreal.

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Little by little, Fer took steps. It was not easy to establish itself as one of the great promises of the Submarine because an injury in the crusader left him almost a blank year, in youth. The little boy did not give up and last summer he broke down Unai Emery's door. Fer debuted last season with the first team. Calleja had a blind faith in him, but Emery verified first-hand those conditions that stand out from a striker who seems to be missing and always appears, a silent killer from the area. The Basque coach expressly asked that Fer not leave in summer because she loved him in her day to day life. Recently, Fer, along with a good batch, renewed until 2024 with Villarreal. Now, He struggles to gain a foothold with Bacca, Gerard Moreno and Paco Alcácer. “He is very happy at Villarreal and he feels loved by everyone. He has to go little by little and it is very good for him to have those forwards on the squad. You must learn all you can “, assures Fernando Niño.

Sunday is a special derby. Visit La Cerámica el Elche, the team in which the oldest of the Ninos ended his career. “It will be special and I wish Elche the best, but family comes first. For that reason, I will go with Villarreal this Sunday, although I want Elche to do very well. Everything that happened to me in that city was very beautiful, “says the former center, who has a very clear idea of ​​his son. “I've never given him soccer advice. I have never wanted to get into his work because that can generate a conflict with his coach if I think one thing and his coach another. I am not going to hinder its trajectory. Obviously, all my advice is about life and the typical advice that a father can give to a son, “says the former defenseman.

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Fernando Niño does not miss a game of his son. This Thursday he will be very attentive because Fer points to Villarreal's eleven against Turkish Sivasspor. On Sunday he trusts that he will have minutes before 'his' Elche, something more complicated because Emery hopes to recover troops. Still it will stick to the TV hours after Atlético Sanluqueño, a club in which Fernando is second coach, receives Tamareceite at home. This is the new life of the Niño, with a green-franj past and a yellow present and future.