The pain is never completely relieved, but love, memories, help to live in the best way with sorrow, especially now when they all come to one’s head in an irremediable way. “The memory of the people you appreciate never disappears. It visits you by surprise in countless moments… and brings back memories in the form of anecdotes”. The words are from Luis Enrique Martínez and they are for Enrique Castro Quini. Phrases of admiration from legend to legend of Sporting and football. The national coach remembers “El Brujo” with LA NUEVA ESPAÑA on the eve of the fourth anniversary of his death. He attends this newspaper making a hole in his busy schedule, just on the day of the farewell of his second in the Selection, Jesús Casas.
Luis Enrique shows the cup with a smile every morning, every day, he drinks his first coffee with breakfast. A container with the number 9 and where Quini’s name, “El Brujo”, is serigraphed. That common habit is the small daily tribute that the “La Roja” coach pays to his idol forever. But also that little moment returns him in a certain way to a happy past, to happy, indelible memories. To his childhood, to his childhood when he was a fan of Sporting from the stands of El Molinón. “First it was my idol,” he confesses. And then, as the greatest reference for him. Because the man from Gijón, in a way, had a career with obvious parallels to Quini.
The two grew up with Sporting, the club of their lives, and both were successful at Fútbol Club Barcelona and the Spanish National Team. Luis Enrique learned from the goals of “El Brujo”, from his shots, and from his infinity of resources to always find a way to see the goal, an ability that, together with his character, have made him a an emblem of Spanish football. Luis Enrique after him also had in his career a permanent idyll with the goal, an ability very difficult to find.
– “After idol, he was also the coach of the strikers”…
From Madrid, the Spain coach has not forgotten Quini. “Great Witch, always eternal, always present”, says Luis Enrique Martínez.
