The 23 years of 23: Tamudo

Paradoxically, the 23 most emblematic of the history of Espanyol wore the 29 on the back, in that sort of green shirt, black pants, the day everything started. March 23, 1997. 23 years ago, at the Rico Pérez in Alicante, the legend of Raúl Tamudo began to be forged. “My life changed in one day,” said a report with AS.

It was him 57 minute of Hercules-Espanyol, day 30 of one of the League of 42, which Espanyol arrived with water around his neck, after six games without winning. For this reason, and after the season began, Pepe Carcelén, a week earlier, Vicente Miera had been removed for the benefit of Paco Flores, who knew Tamudo from the quarry well. Nando Muñoz was the one who gave him the alternative, at a time when the parakeets fell 1-0, goal by local Diego López.

It would take to score Luis Cembranos the goal of the tie, who had not just taken a Espanyol out of the poor who started the twentieth weekend, three points from permanence. Tamudo would fail a heads up against Miguel Marí, who played for the expulsion of Peter Rufai and who will remain forever as the goalkeeper of the debut of 23. “I thought, after missing that occasion, that I would no longer play in First Division“, confessed a few years ago the former striker to this newspaper. But it was not.

Why in the 89th minute, after a sharp pass from Jordi Lardín, Tamudo was planted again only before the rival goal to beat him with that mischief that he would return to exhibit dozens and dozens of times. With a petroleum jelly that gave Espanyol the victory and that it paved the way towards a permanence that, as almost always, was achieved.

From that day 23 years ago, Tamudo would end up contesting 389 official matches with Espanyol, conquering two cups of the king in whose finals it was more than decisive, in 2000 and 2006, and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2007. Not to mention the Jab. Their 129 goals in 340 games continue to position the current deputy to the sport management parrot as the top Catalan filmmaker in LaLiga history. And the first time was at Rico Pérez.