The white-and-blue captain, protagonist in the two goals of the triumph in Vallecas, is Espanyol’s great hope against an Atlético de Madrid (10 p.m., M. LaLiga) who probed him last summer to incorporate – it’s free from next July 1. Darder said no. There was only one idea in his mind: to continue at Espanyol. The same desire, in fact, that had led him to give up playing European competitions alongside Nabil Fekir or Memphis Depay to return home.
Darder was the great priority of the sports area, which despite having an agreement with the player and his agent needed to pull financial engineering to make possible an operation that, for almost the whole summer, seemed impossible take on financially Jean-Michel Aulas, president of Olympique Lyonnais, began by asking for 15 million euros, two more than the 13 they had paid two years ago in Malaga. It was a prohibitive figure for Espanyol, who despite everything conditioned their entire budget to sign that summer on getting the desired name.
Lardín settled for eight million euros, the maximum that Espanyol could reach. Darder had other proposals to leave Ligue 1, but he did not want to hear anything about them. His only goal was to fulfill the dream he had since childhood: to play with the Spanish first team. The player’s desire was key to unblocking an operation that seemed to escape the limits of an entity that dragged a negative salary margin after having invested more than 18 million euros in reinforcements.
To be able to square the fair play financier, Lardín proposed deferring the payment: in the first year, Espanyol would only pay 300,000 euros in terms of a transfer (aside from the player’s salary), which included a purchase obligation that could be easily fulfilled in the event that he disputed a minimum matches Satisfied with this point, Espanyol undertook to pay eight million euros deferred over four years (amortizing two per year) and two more in variables, apart from 20% of a possible sale at the end of the first year. A risky move, on the last day of the market, which ended up working out well. “He made us suffer, but we had the player”, remembers the former Spanish sports director.
Darder ended up being an extraordinary signing. In these six years, d’Artà has become much more than an indisputable piece for all the coaches who have managed it. His ancestry transcends the field of play, because he exercises captaincy with pride, feeling and gallantry. After demanding psychological work, he has become the undisputed leader of a Spanish team where he is not only the brain: since his arrival, he is the second player to have participated in the most goals, 49 (25 goals and 24 assists), only surpassed by RdT, which generated 51 (45 scored and 6 distributed).
This Wednesday, against Atlético, Darder will equal David García as the 18th player with the most official games played in the club’s history, 243. He will need 100 to enter a podium reserved for three Spanish legends: José María García (343 ), Antoni Argilés (357) and Raúl Tamudo (389). A select list of which he could be part if he ends up fulfilling, or even extending, the current contract, which ends in 2026. He will be 33 years old. Long live Darderism.
