Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta died last Tuesday after several prolonged periods of cardiac arrest. He was 22. (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Soccer: John F. Molinaro
Rest in peace, Antonio Puerta
Last Updated Friday, September 7, 2007
by John F. Molinaro
Death can sometimes bring out the very best in people. In the case of Antonio Puerta, it has united a nation.
Spain is still reeling from the sudden death last Tuesday of Puerta, a 22-year-old midfielder with Sevilla FC and one of the country's most promising young talents.
Puerta lost consciousness and fell to the ground during the first half of an Aug. 25 Spanish league contest - the opening game of the La Liga season - between Sevilla and Getafe, a frightening scene that was ghoulishly catalogued on YouTube within minutes.
Puerta was able to walk off the field after being treated by team doctors, but he had a heart attack in the dressing room and again in the emergency room of the Seville hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
He died three days later after several prolonged periods of cardiac arrest.
The Sevilla star's tragic death cast a dark pall over all of Spain, his amazing skill on the ball and his ability to thread a killer pass to a teammate now a faint memory.
Puerta's story was that of a local boy who made good.
He was born in a working class neighbourhood of Seville who dreamed of one day playing for Sevilla FC. A product of the team's acclaimed youth system alongside Sergio Ramos (now with Real Madrid) and Jesus Navas, Puerta broke into the senior side in the 2004-05 season before becoming a starter the following year.
Renowned for his versatility as a left-sided player who was equally adept playing as a defender or midfielder, Puerta became a hero to Sevilla fans for the spectacular goal he scored against Germany's Schalke 04 in the UEFA Cup semifinals in April 2006.
Puerta's curling shot in extra time that just tucked inside the far post sealed the victory for Sevilla, who went on to claim the UEFA Cup a month later, the club's first major trophy since winning the Copa Del Rey (the Spanish Cup) in 1948.
Spanish national team coach Luis Aragones took notice of Puerta's skills, and called him up for national team duty last October in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden. Although it was the only cap he earned, Puerta was one of the players Aragones planned to build the national team around in the future.
He was also being courted by Europe's top clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid.
Puerta's death is a devastating loss for Spanish soccer, but if any good has come from it, it is that it has momentarily brought together a country that has historically been divided.
Spain is more of a loose federation of uncompromisingly autonomous-minded regions (the foremost among them being Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia) than it is a single, unified nation. Spain is divided by a rigid sense of regionalism; its citizens often identify themselves as being Catalan, Basque or Galician before they do Spanish.
This devout regionalism, not so surprisingly, carries over into La Liga, where FC Barcelona has long been considered more than just a soccer club, but also an institution to Catalanism.
Cities are also divided when it comes to the soccer loyalties of its citizens. Madrid and Barcelona both boast two top-division teams, but the most heated local derby is in Seville, home to Sevilla FC and Real Betis, easily the most violent rivalry in Spain.
Back in February, a game between the cross-town rivals had to be abandoned when a Betis fan threw an object from the stands that hit Sevilla manager Juande Ramos in the head and knocked him out.
This was just the latest despicable episode in a bitter feud that has raged for decades between the two teams.
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido and Betis chairman Manuel Ruiz de Lopera have always taken every opportunity presented to them to swipe at each other in the Spanish press, but Lopera put their past petty bickering aside when he was interviewed by Radio Marca following Puerta's death.
"This has been a huge blow for the whole of Seville, and completely unexpected," Lopera said. "It is important to see the rivalry counts for nothing, and that we are all affected.
"My thoughts are with Puerta, his family and Sevilla. Betis will always stand by Sevilla."
And so they did. More than 20,000 people - Sevilla FC and Real Betis supporters alike - filled the streets of Seville for Puerta's funeral.
Lopera further backed up his words at Betis's home game against Barcelona-based Espanyol this past weekend when his players walked onto the field adorned with the No. 16 jersey Puerta wore at Sevilla.
In the shadow of death, fans and players from both sides of the great Seville divide put their differences behind them and united to lovingly pay tribute to one of the city's favourite sons in a rare sign of Spanish solidarity
Let that stand as Antonio Puerta's legacy.
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