Javi López: “Espanyol has been at the height of my family”

An excited Javi López, interrupting his responses on more than one occasion, drunk with sadness after 13 years and 283 official matches, officially said goodbye to Espanyol this morning after terminating the contract that had recently been renewed. The club, which in the mouth of Josep Maria Durán, CEO, gave him a gold badge, opened the door wide for him when he retired: “He is part of our history, he is one of Espanyol's children … I hope it will be a see you soon, I want you to be with us in the future.”

The one who has been captain for five years, began by making it clear that the captains did not attend the tribute to Dani Jarque: “My commitment was questioned and I will never allow it. The respect of myself and the captains for the figure of Jarque is unquestionable. If we were not there, it is because the circumstances did not arise due to COVID. The respect we have for his figure and his family is unquestionable. I will not allow anyone to question it. “

Along the same lines, Javi López came up against criticism from a sector of the fans that the captains had not shown their faces after the pandemic. The one from Osuna explained that “whenever they asked us, we were there” and recalls the descent at the Camp Nou in which he, who had not played for a minute, went out to speak to the media breaking LaLiga protocol to apologize to the fans.

“Not in three lives will he be able to return what Espanyol gave me”

Javi López, who has experienced moments of all colors at the club, is clear that “the biggest thing is the fans” and is left with “the infinity of expressions of affection that I have received these days. I gave my best, many Sometimes I have put the club before my family. I look at the aggregate of 13 seasons “. The player, in fact, stays with those moments in which the fans were the protagonists: “The greetings before the derbies or the match that got us into Europe against Real Sociedad, a match against Valencia in Cornellà's second year that you couldn't hear anything from the noise of the people …”.

But Javi López was tender when he delved into his involvement in the entity during these years. “It is a privilege and a pride to have worn this shirt, it is the greatest thing that I take. Words are unnecessary. Not in three lives could I return what Espanyol gave me. I will not deny that there was a critical part, but I want to keep it. darling. I would like to stay with that. The end had a bad taste in my mouth. I am happy to have lived a great story but with a bad taste in my mouth, a thorn in my mouth, a thorn for life, as responsible I am, “he summarized.

And he took the glove that Josep Maria Durán left him. Javi López would return to the parakeet club tomorrow: “The moment I walk out that door, Espanyol will always have me for whatever they need. I have always been at their disposal. Espanyol is my home. I am convinced that I will be at your disposal for whenever you want, I defended it as if it were mine. I feel it inside of me. “

To finish, the right-back, a historical, was moved again when he remembered his family: “I am eternally grateful, it is the most important thing in my life, I put it at the level of my family. I want to thank my wife who has spent so many nights without sleep, without her the bad moments would not have been overcome. I want to remember my parents and my brother who are in Osuna … My thanks to this club are infinite “.

Javi López leaves Espanyol at 34. He arrived at 21 without many expectations and leaves 13 years later having overcome “the dream he had as a child”.