When Luis Rubiales was a footballer – Spain

The brakes are activated, the buttocks are thrown back and the supports aren’t exactly solid. This defensive situation is visible every Sunday morning, Spain was able to enjoy it for 90 minutes at the Camp Nou on one afternoon on April 29, 2007. The artist’s name then is Luis Rubiales, 30 years old and veteran of Levante, tortured by the still fresh knees of Lionel Messi, 19, and author of his famous slalom a week ago against Getafe. went in all directions by la pulgaRubiales, already bald, then completed a playing career written in relative obscurity.

🤤It’s been a long time since Lionel Messi visited Luis Rubiales, the controversial president of the Spanish Football Federation.

🔙In 2007, the Levante team was picked off and humiliated by Argentina throughout the match, which ended with a 1–0 victory for Barça. pic.twitter.com/3rfTp4C0uw

– El Grafico (@elgraficoweb) 29 August 2023

On the left, wooden knee

The memories of the now former President of the Spanish Federation on the lawn are clearly not legacies. And the truth is that it has only a few experienced followers soccer The Iberians should definitely keep their Wikipedia entry in mind. Because Luis Rubiales’ journey is relatively routine. , Lewis was a full-back, Balance Olivier Cupo, who worked with the person concerned at Levante between 2006 and 2007. He was over-defensive and never crossed the halfway line. But he was an excellent defender! Technically he’s not crazy, but he never made mistakes. , Pre-trained at Valencia and modeled at Atlético in the mid-1990s, the Canarian would have to move to amateur level to further his CV. Victim of fracture of femur with reserve colconeros, he flew to Guadix, on the outskirts of Granada and resident of the fourth division, where a successful trial awarded him his first semi-professional contract. Enough to attract the attention of Juan Ramón López Caro, a future firefighter of the Real Madrid Galacticos version, but at the time the coach of the Mallorca reserves.

Rubiales, 22, apparently agreed to do so sparring partner For promising youngsters like Samuel Eto’o or Diego Tristan. Under the command of Luis Aragonés, the fortunes in A, finally reached the preliminary round of the Intertoto Cup, in the summer of 2000, to challenge the Romanians of Cihlăul Piatra. Thus the coach calls upon the other knives, including a certain Daniel Guiza, who allows Burmelons To win the first leg (2-1), before exiting the back door on the return leg (3-1). In the process, Luis Rubiales arrives in Lleida, a solid inhabitant of the second division. But if individually, everything goes well (35 matches out of a possible 44 are played), then the one who just switches to the left sees his team in last place in the rankings. D3 flatly refuses to return to the horrors of Rubiales. plays the role of a thug : He claims his wife received multiple death threats after he was fired and demanded she be immediately released from her contract. Catalan leaders followed suit, taking the matter seriously. At the same time, the person concerned reached an agreement with Xerez, recently promoted to D2, and led negotiations with the club’s coach, the legendary Bernd Schuster.

professional trade unionist

A successful deception for the defender, who managed to keep his team in Segunda División during his two years in charge – and with which he would miss promotion to La Liga by only three points during his first campaign. But the broken femur has become painful again, and retirement is already being considered. Before fate touches him for the last time. Signed by Levante, still in D2, in 2003, being named captain he ascended at the end of the season. Then La Liga discovers a confident barker who leaves no one indifferent. , When I sign, one of the first people I’m introduced to is, Kapow rewinds. He immediately involved me in the internal affairs of the club and assured me that he would protect the players at all costs. , Rubiales put this trade unionist spirit into practice by joining the Spanish Footballers’ Union, while his teammates went on strike for unpaid wages in late 2007. , With the Italian Damiano Tomassi, he really fought for us, so that our salaries were paid on time ,Pose Peguy Luyindula, others French By Levante (with Matthew Burson, Frédéric Dehu, Laurent Courtois and Laurent Robert). The former Lyonnais also recalls Rubiales being present on all fronts: , Once, I became very ill, so much so that I had to be taken to the hospital. Well, one of the only people who came to meet me was Ruby. This is something that impressed me. ,

Luis Rubiales may have had his environment particularly marked by its availability. , He was destined to enter politics ,, maintains the olivier capo. A policy that he would use to provide a final service to another of his comrades: Félix Étienne. Betrayed by a crooked agent, the Ivorian found himself bankrupt at the end of his career. Rubiales, aware of the situation, would offer financial assistance before appointing him as a personal driver after becoming president of the federation. For Kapo and Luyindula, the surprise was equal when they saw their former leader embroiled in a sexist scandal. , It’s really annoying… It’s always hard to react when one of your friends does something stupid, Starts first. But in this case too, Lewis messed up. The shame is that this world champion title rewarded his work as president. , Luyindula continues: , I said to myself as I turned on my TV: “But no Louis, not you!” This gesture is truly unbearable… , After Levante, to end this relatively respectable journey, Luis Rubiales will enjoy two fleeting stints in Scotland, at Alicante and Hamilton. In any case a much more respectable end to 2023.

Ousmane Dembele, the goal no longer responds