Pere Milla, from South Africa's fear of the hero of Elche

Pere Milla keeps smiling. The Elche forward has passed from the ostracism he experienced a year ago, at the beginning of last season, to the prominence that began to live at the end of the previous year And now it looks at the start of this new career in the First Division. The Catalan made his debut as a top scorer against Alavés. He was the most prominent in Mendizorroza, with a goal, a stick, a disallowed goal and even a card that he showed the referee, in the curious image of the day. He even recovered the ball that originated the second goal.

The history of '10' from Elche, however, goes beyond the sweet present that you taste right now. His has not been exactly a bed of roses. Pere Milla (Lleida, 1992) was trained at the club in his city, where he made his debut in Second B at the age of 19. In the first year, 19 games and two goals in official competition. In Lleida he was four years old, with two second playoffs included. Getafe called him up to join his subsidiary. At the age of 22, he was fixed in the second team in Madrid and made his debut with the first team of Quique Sánchez Flores, in the second round of the Copa del Rey, against Almería.

After stroking the First Division with his fingers, Pere Milla was seduced by an offer from the South African Premier League to try new experiences. That adventure did not have a happy ending. Not even a beginning. LOn proposal she was not as attractive as her then representative had promised her; it didn't even have a fixed destination. He was tested in the Platinum Stars and in Ajax Cape Town, among other teams, but more than enjoying a new football what he discovered was the taste of fear. He lived locked up in a hotel, with restricted hours to go out. And one of those days he suffered, aboard a taxi, the police pursuit of a car that, in reality, was driven by thieves who wanted to loot it.

Mikel Orbegozo, now a Tudelano player and a personal friend of Pere from his time at Getafe B, mediated his situation to put him in contact with the one who set the course for the Catalan striker, Egoitz Basurto. “I was surprised by everything about that story. He was the best of Getafe B, left-handed and 22 years old. That agent told him that he had no offers in Spain and that the best thing was to go to South Africa, for much more money. There he was truly afraid. Messi there is only one and Pere Milla has arrived where he is on his own merits, overcoming many difficulties “recalls his former partner. Spain had just been World Champion in South Africa and the appeal of incorporating a LaLiga player was a juicy attraction from which that representative seemed to want to get some added revenue. Hence, other proposals were denied.

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Basque agent Egoitz Basurto took him out of South Africa to give him back to Spanish football. He put seven offers on the table and Pere Milla decided on the one from Logroñés. There his best season as a scorer took shape. In the 2015/16 season: 42 official matches and 18 goals, without taking penalties. After losing the dream of promotion against Sevilla Atlético, Eibar signed him. It premiered in Segunda with the assignments to UCAM and then to Numancia. In First, with the gunsmiths, he only participated in five league games; two more in Cup.

Then Elche appeared, with a three-year contract and a very strong bet, sporting and economic, for his signing. Pacheta opened the doors of the team for the data that represented his effort in the field; the goals, however, were slow to come. The first was in November, against Dépor; the second, in the Cup and from a penalty against Segoviana. As of January, When the competition from the winter market threatened and Pere was more outside than inside the club, the work on the grass was translated into success until reaching the point that the comeback against Real Oviedo culminated, which was worth to enter the playoff making good the defeat in extremis of Fuenlabrada in Riazor; and to that historic header in Montilivi to certify the promotion.

Now a site has been made in Elche de Almirón. He has started three of the four games played (Real Sociedad, Eibar and Alavés) and completed the second half against Huesca. On Sunday he premiered his directorial account in Primera. Even the joke of admonishing the referee Cordero Vega was allowed. The referee lost the yellow card after calling a foul by Emiliano Rigoni. The Catalan player returned it to him, showing it, exchanging the role with the referee for a few seconds. The action represented the anecdote of the game and evidenced the moment of grace that the ram is now going through.