Joaquín said goodbye to the derbies playing his 27th duel against Sevilla with the Betis shirt. He did it by adding a new tie that makes the tally of his derbies upon his retirement reflect four wins, nine draws and fourteen losses. Last night, he entered the field in the 80th minute and that meant that he added a new game to his account, 619, which allows him to continue opting to match Zubizarreta’s 622.
Everything was discussed in the preview. And mostly nonsense. Anyone who thought there was any chance that Sánchez Pizjuán would fire Joaquín with a standing ovation has very little idea of how Seville works. Joaquín was received and dismissed with a loud whistle, which is normal and will happen in the same way, and nothing will happen, when Navas plays his last game at Villamarín.
Joaquín didn’t have much time to do things with the ball, but he did have time to show that on the pitch he has rarely stopped being a good teammate. Not to say never. The Betic captain was the first rival who approached Jesús Navas to inquire about his condition after the criminal attack with which Miranda attacked him. An absurd and irresponsible action by the footballer who, curiously, had entered the pitch with Joaquín.
There were insults to Joaquín that will be reflected in the League report. There was no banner with Joaquín dressed in a flamenco dress and homophobic insults as there were those who announced exclusively.