The Galician, however, has not had words of reproach but of gratitude towards an entity that has left a deep mark on both him and his family. “It was very hard to tell my daughters not to follow, they inherited the parakeet feeling from their parents,” he admitted. The fifth goalkeeper to play the most matches with the official Espanyol shirt (213) is gone, only surpassed by Thomas N’Kono (333), Toni Jiménez (265), Carlos Kameni (229) and José Trias (216). His departure, however, could be one soon. “I don’t know where I will be in the future, but this will always be a special club and we would love to be able to come back here one day,” he admitted, opening the door to a return to another role in a few years.
And despite being over 40, Diego López still has the ropes for a while: “I feel very good and want to play. If it’s up to me, I’ll keep playing, but teams need to come in to do it. I would be sorry to leave it now, “he said. It will depend on the market, therefore, whether or not this has been his last year as an elite goalkeeper.
Asked about the legacy he leaves to Espanyol, the Galician has made it clear: professionalism. “The maximum delivery every day, the ambition and the hunger not to be satisfied are some of my values, it is what has made me get here and what I hope to leave at the club. He has reached out to his teammates, who often remind me of him “, explained Diego López, who commented that he is leaving” happy and content “after” having left everything for the club “. “Since I arrived I knew you were a unique club, I will always love you, Espanyol,” he said.
The goalkeeper regretted not being able to say goodbye to the fans in a match at the stadium, but in the end he did say goodbye to about 200 or 300 fans who finally came to Cornellà-El Prat to applaud the Galician and his family. Some time ago, the club paid tribute to him with a commemorative shirt, given by several exporters, such as his mentor, Thomas N’Kono, with the number of matches he has played as a Spaniard, 213, and a captain’s armband that Carlos Marañón, the former player and current ambassador of the club, has appointed him.
