The midfielder has gone so far as to recommend to his successor in the captaincy that “he should not get so involved, because he is paying the bill, especially at home, and this cannot be allowed.” He has offered to help from outside his role as captain, whom he has also recommended “to try to transmit the values of Spanish nationalism to all his teammates.” Visibly moved, he acknowledged that his T-shirt “weighed more” than that of some teammates at key moments, such as during the course of the ascent. He also said that returning to Primera is the best memory this stage leaves for the club of his life: “Getting promoted was a very important release, the feeling of a job well done allowed me to stay at peace with what had happened the previous year “.
The 2019-20 season, that of relegation to the Second Division, was especially hard for the Sant Cugat native, who had just recovered from a serious knee injury. “The season we went down penalized me a lot in the face of the fans, because the fact that I went out to face many times after the games was associated with my image of defeats, bad play and relegation, but it I would do it again, I don’t regret it. ” Of his legacy, he said, he hopes that the spirit of constant improvement will remain: “I hope you remember me as someone who never gave up, no matter what came: mistakes, criticism, defeats, a relegation, injury or substitution. fallen many times, but always thinking of getting up, which is what Espanyol stands for “.
David López has also admitted that he did not have the end he was hoping for, as once he returned from Naples in 2016, his dream was to get his boots hanging like white-and-blue. “Things could have been done differently, but it’s a club decision that was already made,” he said. The midfielder, however, has left the door open for a return to Espanyol in the future: “I will never stop being a member of Espanyol, which will always be my home, and I will always be available for what the club needs. I don’t know what will happen, but I would like our paths to be crossed again. ”
The Sant Cugat native has made it clear that he wants to continue playing football and that he has some proposals on the table that he will have to study. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, I’m still a little dazed by everything, but I’m open to whatever comes. The only thing I won’t do, because my daughter wouldn’t forgive me, is go to Barça.” At 32, however, he is quite clear that once he hangs up his boots he could be seen as a coach: “It’s an option I would like, I plan to get the title because I like it and it’s interesting, but I’ll decide later “. Three former captains and legends of the club such as Raúl Tamudo, Dani Solsona and Rafa Marañón have given him a commemorative shirt with the 237 matches with Espanyol. Tommy N’Kono, on the other hand, has the captain’s armband with the number 21 Dani Jarque. “Being the captain of Espanyol has been one of the great successes of my career,” he concluded.
