Tonight while the entire subcontinent watches Shebby Singh talk about Cholsi, one extremely sad and nostalgic Indian will be hoping a) Ten Action telecasts the Los Che game and b) Vicente starts. After 11 years, not just Valencia C.F but the entire city of Valencia will bid farewell to its favorite son, one of the most underrated footballers of the past decade. Fitting that it is against Levante, from where he was signed. More fitting that he signed in 2000, the year I started following Valencia seriously.
The player I initially used to curse, since he kept getting subbed in for my then-hero Kily Gonzalez, Vicente quickly became my favorite player within the next season. His telepathic partnership with Mista could have rivalled even Totti-Cassano (I won't of course go as far as saying Xavi-Iniesta), but as usual his 3 absolutely untouchable seasons in Liga went unnoticed, till he blazed Euro 2004 and ripped defences apart - I remember him drawing 4 Portuguese yellow cards in the first 20 minutes. It is one of football's greatest tragedies that Science hasn't discovered ankle transplants yet, truly scary what he could have achieved with a real ankle.
Farewell Vicente Rodriguez.
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