On Thursday the 26th of June if Carso or any other members of Real Oviedo’s hierachy were unsure of the size of the club they are running, then tonight would have answered any lingering doubts.
On Thursday the 26th of June if Carso or any
other members of Real Oviedo’s hierachy were unsure of the size of the club
they are running, then tonight would have answered any lingering doubts. Over
3000 Carabyones fresh from last months disappointment of not reaching the play
off’s turned out to welcome the return of legendary goalkeeper Esteban.
The Real Oviedo under 10’s side were also paraded after
recently becoming national champions at that level. Many many congratulations
to them on their wonderful achievement.
You got the feeling though that the majority of the fans
held the return of Esteban as the main event of the evening.
Unless you’re an avid follower of La liga in recent years
then most International shareholders probably know little about the 39 year old
keeper.
Born in Aviles he began his career with local club Real
Aviles before moving to Real Oviedo in 1996 where he spent 6 years playing for
Los Carbayones. 4 of those seasons were whilst we were in La Liga.
He also picked up his only cap representing the Spanish
under 21 side which was in 1998. After Real Oviedo were relegated in the
2000/01 season he stayed with the club in the Segunda division for 1 season
before moving to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2002. He then spent most of
the next 12 years in La liga where he also represented Sevilla, Celta Vigo and
finally on to Andalusia club Almeria in 2008 where he stayed for 6 years before
returning home to Oviedo a few weeks ago.
Amazingly in the last 2 seasons Esteban did not miss a
single game. The 2012/13 season he played all 42 games in the Segunda division
helping them to promotion via the play offs. He then of course last season
managed to play all 38 la liga games and was one of the main reasons they
survived which was a superb achievement, as they were the bookies favourites
for the drop at the start of the season.
So what does his signing mean for Real Oviedo? Well other
than the obvious talent and experience that signing a la liga player will
bring, the other factor is the hope and belief it raises. This was a statement
by the club making such a big name signing especially so soon after the end of
last season.
One lifelong Oviedo fan I spoke to when asked what this
signing means for the Real Oviedo supporters told me: “Esteban’s signing really
means hope. We have been wandering in the wilderness for so long that his
commitment inspires us all to keep on believing there’s a way out of this hell
that has frozen over us”
Strong words im sure you will agree but it gives you some
indication of the passion of the fans to return this club to where it belongs.
There have also been a few other new faces in at the Carlos
Tartiere along with a few going in the opposite direction but none have had
quite the impact that signing Esteban has. For over 3000 fans of a 3rd
tier club to turn up on a Thursday evening whilst the World Cup is on the
television is quite incredible. More than most of the clubs at this level get
through the turnstiles on match days. Not only did the fans turn out in great
numbers but they were all wearing the club colours, chanting and there was even
flares and smoke bombs to make it a real sense of occasion.
As mentioned earlier this will leave the Carso group in no
doubt as to the size of the club and the passion of the fans that support it.
Once a new manager is named I’m sure there will
be even more new faces in for what promises to be an interesting few weeks.
Expect none to get the welcome that club legend Esteban got though.
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