a tribute to óscar de marcos...
My first proper football-related post of this year (the new year's greetings don't count) is a tribute post to a very promising young player, an amazing, incredible guy, and a true lion: Óscar de Marcos.
Not only has he been constantly improving under Bielsa, he also demonstrated that he's made of iron and has balls of steel. Uhm - literally.
On December 17th, during the first half of Athletic's last league match of 2011, Zaragoza's Paredes fouled Óscar and caused a large tear in the distal urethra (!!) and three open bruised cuts in the groin-scrotum region (!!). (Just for the record, Paredes wasn't booked for this. Athletic didn't even get a free-kick.)
Despite the undoubtedly horribly painful injuries, Óscar de Marcos kept playing until the end of the match, scored a (wrongly disallowed) goal and gave an assist to Toquero's match-winner. He was the best player on the pitch, constantly contributing from the right flank. Even though he kept looking into his shorts with a pained face, nobody really had a clue that he was so badly injured until the end of the match, when he was immediately taken to hospital and fixed with 25 (!!) stitches. The article I linked to above said that it was likely he'd be catheterized for a week.
And then, leaving the hospital the next day, he proved some awesome humour, saying that every guy knows how much it hurts to have open wounds down there but that he simply needed to play on, and also that his teammates will probably make jokes about this for the rest of the season. (Knowing them, I'd be surprised if they didn't make any jokes. Poor Óscar. XD)
Oh, and if you're wondering... yes, he was in the starting line-up for last night's Copa match against Albacete Balompié. And played as if nothing had happened at all.
There are no limits to the respect and utter adoration I have for this guy.
And to make this a proper tribute, I have prepared a little picspam as well as a video that you all need to watch because it is hilarious (even when one doesn't understand much, like I did when I first watched it) and it features Cola Cao and Javi Martínez as well as Óscar "Superman" de Marcos. :D
And the best thing? Óscar just extended his contract with Athletic! Until 2016. With a clause of 32 million. (But hands off, he's ours!!)
Not only has he been constantly improving under Bielsa, he also demonstrated that he's made of iron and has balls of steel. Uhm - literally.
On December 17th, during the first half of Athletic's last league match of 2011, Zaragoza's Paredes fouled Óscar and caused a large tear in the distal urethra (!!) and three open bruised cuts in the groin-scrotum region (!!). (Just for the record, Paredes wasn't booked for this. Athletic didn't even get a free-kick.)
Despite the undoubtedly horribly painful injuries, Óscar de Marcos kept playing until the end of the match, scored a (wrongly disallowed) goal and gave an assist to Toquero's match-winner. He was the best player on the pitch, constantly contributing from the right flank. Even though he kept looking into his shorts with a pained face, nobody really had a clue that he was so badly injured until the end of the match, when he was immediately taken to hospital and fixed with 25 (!!) stitches. The article I linked to above said that it was likely he'd be catheterized for a week.
And then, leaving the hospital the next day, he proved some awesome humour, saying that every guy knows how much it hurts to have open wounds down there but that he simply needed to play on, and also that his teammates will probably make jokes about this for the rest of the season. (Knowing them, I'd be surprised if they didn't make any jokes. Poor Óscar. XD)
Oh, and if you're wondering... yes, he was in the starting line-up for last night's Copa match against Albacete Balompié. And played as if nothing had happened at all.
There are no limits to the respect and utter adoration I have for this guy.
And to make this a proper tribute, I have prepared a little picspam as well as a video that you all need to watch because it is hilarious (even when one doesn't understand much, like I did when I first watched it) and it features Cola Cao and Javi Martínez as well as Óscar "Superman" de Marcos. :D
Click to view
And the best thing? Óscar just extended his contract with Athletic! Until 2016. With a clause of 32 million. (But hands off, he's ours!!)