Le Normand, no one will object

Those who know me a little know the particular devotion I have professed for this man for a long time now. He first captivated me as a person, when I was just a budding footballer. I have said this many times, a man who, shortly after arriving in Zubieta to hold his first training session with the reserve team, admitted that he did not have the necessary level to play for this club, and told his parents he will do. maybe have to go back home, it seems brutally honest to me, and it defines him as a person. What followed was a story of improvement, breaking down the walls that separated him from excellence, day after day, until he reached his current level.

Initial doubts about his possibilities gradually gave way to a period of unstoppable growth, which made him one of the most consistent defenders in the League. His ability to concentrate and his desire to learn allow him to absorb, like a sponge, everything the technicians ask him. It was always a safe bet, but this turned out to be the best. No one doubts his virtues as a footballer, and he still has room for improvement which, surely, he will try to exploit to the last limits in his new destination. But Robin It’s more than Real Sociedad. He always considered himself a realistic youth footballer, because this is where he “learned to play football”, and from a humility cultivated from the cradle, he made the values ​​of his club his own. He, like few others, knows how to connect with the crowd of Anoeta, who appreciates him the footballer who, from the very bottom, makes room for himself, his own space, the team and the heart of those person. He is always the first to appear in the Zabaleta stands, pulling his team, to thank them for the support received, regardless of the result of the day. And he was the first to travel to the other stand, the familiar, sometimes unjustly forgotten, to repeat the ritual in that sector of the field. What can be opposed? Let him go to Atlético de Madrid? It’s not a crime, despite some, and he’s not the first footballer to do it either.

The value of an image

It is, without a doubt, one of the most important and great pictures captured in the last hours of Le Normand at Real Sociedad: the Breton footballer, in the foreground, raised his hands to his face to hide his tears during the farewell ceremony in front of his teammates and club employees, and in the background, almost blurred, the image of a Imanol crestfallen, still trying, no matter how long ago the decision was made, to digest the consequences of leaving one of his most beloved football players. The one from Orio never wants this to happen, because he, better than anyone, knows the value of RobinNot in vain, he became the main architect of this professional success, along with the player himself. Imanol knows very well that Real, despite the important income to the club’s coffers that came from the operation, is not winning, because it is missing its strongest value in the rearguard, and a man who makes the group. And he knows that the problem created by his departure causes many doubts about its solution, no matter how happy some are who don’t want to see it. Now we’re talking about signing a guy with draws to cover that loss. Of course!

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something has to come out

Finally, the club spoke about an issue of concern: the striker. Carlos and Sadiq They have a current contract, but, if possible, they will be accommodated on another team to make room for a new addition. With all the respect that both deserve, it seems that the club has decided to terminate their services.

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I promise them it will be great fun

At the end of last season, Imanol He smiled mischievously when asked about the preseason and managing it. It was going to be very different from the previous one, much to the coach’s dismay. In the end, for one reason or another, training at home, the way he wants, well…yes, but no. With many players absent and an unexpected trip to Japan, what do you want me to tell you!