Any other 37-year-old man with a mop of shockingly bleached hair, dancing wildly late on a Sunday night, shirt off and posing like the Hulk in full “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” mode, would draw derogatory comments about his “midlife crisis.” But Joaquin Sanchez is no ordinary man. No ordinary footballer, either.
Somehow, the Real Betis captain is dreams made flesh. Wildly talented at football, uproariously funny, durable given that his club’s medics announced last season that he’s been born with a privileged physique that has gifted him the body fat, stamina and ability to recuperate of a man 10 years younger.nike nfl jerseys wholesale cheap
Sunday in the Estadio Benito Villamarin, his back-post header with 10 minutes left against 10-man Sevilla in that city’s derbi gave the green-and-white hordes and the club he adores their first home victory against the hated enemy since 2006. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Only two players on the pitch had also starred in that 2-1 Betis win 12 years ago: Jesus Navas and … yes, you guessed, Joaquin.
His goal was only his second in 33 matches against Los Rojiblancos for four different clubs (his beloved Betis, plus Valencia, Malaga and Fiorentina) on a night when his 20th Sevilla derbi meant that nobody in history has played that fixture more often than he.
The goal that lit the touchpaper, and probably sparked a baby boom scheduled for around May/June 2019 in the Andalusian capital, was also his first touch on the ball since being brought on as a substitute five long minutes previously. It was glorious, explosive, poetic and contagiously exciting to be near. The stadium shook. I promise you.
And Joaquin’s magical moment was also his part in the weekend when Spain’s mavericks, La Liga’s loping, lovely lone wolves, had their day.cheap nike nfl jerseys paypal
Further north El Comandante, also known as Jose Luis Morales, put in yet another jaw-dropping performance to ensure that since his club, Levante, finally began taking him seriously (at the age of 27) they’ve not lost their city derbi at home to Valencia. The highlight of the Commander’s classy, sassy performance against bigger, richer, more successful rivals was Levante’s first goal.
On Day 1 of the season, Morales had beaten five Betis players, putting Sergio Canales on his backside in the penalty area, across a 75-metre run for Levante’s second goal in a 3-0 away win. Against Valencia he fancied more of the same. This move he began by nutmegging the Dane, Daniel Wass, and then he continued by beating five more opponents in white before slipping a pass that ended with Roger Marti scoring.
It was epic, just a thing of galloping beauty as his pace, technique and daring all merged into a kind of drug that induced the Levante fans to roar their defiance at their lordly neighbours. It was pure magic. Find it, watch it.
