The lesson that the loss of Jesús de Miguel leaves us

BarcelonaIn Sabadell, we live with the fear that a team with more money will come and snatch Quadri Liameed from us. We really love this Nigerian boy who arrived two years ago with a shy face and has become one of the pillars of the team. We love players like Quadri, Albert Orriols, or Ton Ripoll, as their stories are moving. Young people who dream of being footballers, who work hard but are over 20 years old and are still not professionals, having to earn money by working as waiters or youth counselors, as their football salary doesn't allow them to make ends meet. And suddenly, everything changes. They arrive at Sabadell and they don't stop growing. Now they play in the Second Division for a club that has over 11,000 members, they are professionals, and they won't lack offers. That is why we don't want to lose them.

For this reason, we were moved on Monday when Quadri asked to be substituted nine minutes into the match against Real Sociedad B. We need a bit of context: last Saturday, October 31st, Quadri received a very hard kick to the head at the Albacete field. He lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital. Those were moments of panic. 24 hours later, in a match in the same category, Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel lost his life in a similar collision. In all First and Second Division matches, a minute of silence was held and the match was stopped at the 9th minute to remember the Madrid-born Tenerife striker. In the Sabadell-Real Sociedad B match, Quadri started, but just at the moment of the video, he felt dizzy. And he was substituted. Everyone thought he had become emotional upon seeing the video, remembering everything that had happened to him. The club explained that rather than emotion, it was a dizzy spell. And that out of precaution, they sent him to the bench even though he wanted to keep playing.

The Sabadell coach, Ferran Costa, did well. He shouldn't have kept playing. These days, life has reminded us that there is nothing more important than returning home after work. That there is no need to take risks or want more than what is appropriate at work. One of the lessons is this: the priority is to return home to your loved ones. There is no need to act like a hero or take more risks than necessary. You shouldn't put work ahead of everything else, no matter how much you love what you do. Sport allows us to forget the miseries of life, but we cannot forget that athletes, even if they have good salaries, are like us. People with dreams, doubts, and priorities. Logically, I prefer that Quadri plays, as he makes a difference. But, above all, I want him to be happy. Sometimes misfortunes have to happen for football to become, for a few hours, a space of brotherhood and common sense. Who knows how long it will last.