The 32-year-old midfielder feels valued again in San Sebastian after an endless break that began with the pandemic.
Three years of frustration, training alone, serving time in the gym. Asier Illarramendi (Motrico, Guipzcoa, 1990) knows a lot about sacrifice and willpower. The midfielder from San Sebastian feels like a footballer again. He has already appeared in six games this season, a hopeful sequence after being plagued by injuries since the start of the pandemic. He has even rediscovered himself with the goal, last week he scored against Celta. The last goal of the Real Sociedad captain had been scored more than four years ago: August 2018 against Legans.
An emotional and sports reinforcement for the Anoeta team, which has started in a pletrical way this season and that this Saturday is measured against Valladolid (4:15 p.m.). In the League it occupies third place, behind Madrid and Barcelona, with seven wins, one draw and two losses. Environment conducive to a player who needs to grow back. Next June, at the age of 33, he ends his contract.
Illarramendi regains notoriety, but he wants to continue out of the limelight. He turns down interview requests. In the Basque club they insist: “He doesn’t want to remove that stage, rather forget it. His will is to turn the page and not talk about his three years of unemployment.” Asier’s ordeal began in 2019. Shortly before the explosion of the coronavirus. On February 11, she suffered a muscle injury to her thigh and was out for 64 days. On August 30, in the derby against Athletic, he broke his fibula and underwent surgery. In October he underwent another operation to remove a screw. He was out for 243 days and missed 33 games.
“There were two serious injuries, in many training sessions I already had discomfort. I worked a lot, but it didn’t always go the way I wanted. After getting injured in Bilbao I had to leave football aside to be in the gym”he pointed out in a conversation broadcast on the club’s website blue whiteshortly after recovering.
“Now I just want to enjoy”
In mid-June 2020 he relapsed with an adductor injury in a match against Alavs: 147 days off. Last season he only participated in 10 league games, one in the Cup and another in the Europa League. Total: 426 minutes. “I spent a lot of time away from the team training alone and that’s very difficult. Now I just want to enjoy myself” he said after regaining the confidence of Imanol Sheriff.
Last Wednesday, in Real Sociedad’s victory against Mallorca, Asier played his 201st match in the First Division with the San Sebastian squad. Very far from him is that June 19, 2010 of his debut against Elche, when the team was trained by Martin Lasarte. The zenith of the international pivot was reached in June 2013, when he was hired by Real Madrid. For the story, that photo in which he appeared surrounded by his friends in the noble zone of the Bernabu.
He stayed with the white club for two seasons, in which he signed 59 games in the League, 11 in the Copa del Rey and 18 in international competitions. So, according to the Transfermarkt portal, he was valued at just over 20 million euros. Now, after long absences due to injuries, he is valued at only three million. The rebirth of Asier.
According to the criteria of
Know more
