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Yesterday I woke up to the sad news of the death of
Paco Gento
, one of my best friends at Real Madrid. I still remember our last meeting, at the club's Veterans Association dinner, at Christmas 2019. One of those meetings where we continue to collaborate to help a colleague, if he is in some kind of trouble. Unfortunately, Paco has left us in these very difficult times, precisely when role models like him are most needed. He has been, without a doubt, a fabulous character for football.
I think I will never be able to forget the day that, just landed from Montevideo, I met Paco. It was the summer of 1957 and he was 23 years old, four years younger than me, but he already had undeniable prestige not only in Spain, but throughout Europe. From the first training I was amazed by the speed of his runs, the amazing ability to recover from every effort and the precision of his crosses. Although above all these virtues, what was most impressive was his nobility: that of a type of people who never forgot the place where he was born.
Sometimes we would joke around in the locker room, trying to bet on who would beat him in a sprint, but then nobody dared to compete with him. Just seeing him run was already a glory for the eyes, among other reasons because at that time there were not many very fast players. He was also an exemplary professional who always arrived on time for training, a guy who kept his mouth shut in the face of any adversity and preferred to talk about the field. That spirit, away from selfishness, contrasted with that of other rivals I met, who only seemed to think about renewing their contract.
Nor can I ignore those shouts that Puskas
gave him
, another extraordinary character, who always came, in an affectionate way, to some rude expression.
Then, with a smile, Pancho patted you on the back.
Thanks to these types of gestures, the unity of that locker room was forged, with 15 footballers convinced of a mission.
We didn't brag about anything, just winning games.
As a central defender, I also liked to know that our goalkeeper was the least beaten.
That was the seriousness of Madrid.
And Paco perfectly represented the values of the club.
I cannot say a bad word about him, because he always behaved like an exceptional colleague.
As a child I was taught not to lie.
This is simply what I lived with Paco.
Jose Emilio Santamaria
Born in Montevideo in 1929, he played for Real Madrid between 1957 and 1966, where he won four European Cups, six Leagues, one Intercontinental Cup and one Spanish Cup.
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