Joan Capdevila says:
–We were on the bus, heading to the stadium, and there no one opened their mouth.
The scene has to be overwhelming.
A fan of great players, experienced and pedigree, crossed the avenues of Pretoria. From the windows, the team watched the public, who were walking towards the stadium, a mamotreto looming in the background and whose spotlights were already lighting the night. Del Bosque’s men were traveling scared, perhaps overwhelmed by the weight of the moment.
Before arriving in South Africa, Spain had appeared in all the pools. It was a favorite for the title.
Two years earlier, the team had won the Euro Cup.
And yet, in South Africa things were not quite right. Spain had compromised in its debut, against Switzerland (0-1), and had corrected, at least in part, the drift against Honduras (2-0).
Now, at the end of the league, the Spanish faced Chile, one of the championship ogres, a grown team (that same generation will later win two Copa América titles, in 2015 and 2016) whose ranks included Claudio Bravo. , Arturo Vidal, Matías Fernández, Mark González or Alexis Sánchez.
Fear in the body
A fan of great players crossed the avenues of Pretoria, heading to their appointment: another defeat and goodbye to the championship
Chile was already virtually classified for the round of 16, but Spain arrived in a hurry. She needed to prevail. Another stumble and goodbye. Outside the World Cup.
Capdevila, Iker Casillas, Marchena, Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Navas and the coach Vicente del Bosque are plunged into the drift of Spain, their journey towards the greatest milestone of their sports career: the title of the 2010 World Cup .
Iker Casillas saves a shot by Arjen Robben, during the final between Spain and the Netherlands, at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (Getty Images Europe)
They do it through
The secrets of La Roja
, a creation of Rakuten TV (in collaboration with the production company Grupo Secuoya) that the entity broadcasts since last night, exclusively and free of charge, through its channel. Ten years have passed since that success.
–We won that match against Chile and there we started another World Cup –said Xavi.
And then he tackles another momentous episode: Puyol’s goal against Germany, in the semifinals.
The documentary stops at a scene. It’s half the game and Puyol and Xavi talk as they retire to the locker room. Puyol gestures and fucks with his arms while Xavi looks at the grass.
We are retiring to rest and Puyol tells me: ‘The Germans defend in static; in the corners, put me in the center of the penalty spot ‘”
Xavi relates it:
–We are retiring and Puyol is saying to me: ‘Didn’t you notice? In our corner kicks, the Germans defend static. You put the ball in the penalty center and I put it. ‘ And I say, ‘Okay, okay.’ And he: ‘Listen to me’. And at the end I say: ‘Yes, I will put it where you ask me’.
The second part begins.
Xavi centers a corner, places the ball on the penalty spot and Puyol appears as a shell. The Spanish central defender anticipates the German defense, he even anticipates Piqué, who had also risen. Puyol flies. Hit him with the soul.
The header goes inside.
Spain is planted in the final. And Xavi laughs:
–At the end of that game Puyol came to me: ‘Do you see it, do you see it?’ And years later he still reminds me when we see each other.
Del Bosque reviews the team’s strengths, a project that he had inherited from Luis Aragonés, coach of the 2008 European champion. Pedro declares himself marveled by his evolution, the story of a Canarian gamer who had left everything to succeed at Barça and the national team. Villa celebrates his goals. And Casillas sits on the couch, facing Iniesta, who reflects on the depression he had suffered in the previous months and the injury that had occurred in the first match, against Switzerland.
