a discursus on the epic, pure and true love of Victor Valdes and Andres Iniesta: meretricula

meretricula

a discursus on the epic, pure and true love of Victor Valdes and Andres Iniesta

Aug 21, 2011 12:25

tried to update the Barça spam, once again rebuffed by character limits. FINE. BE THAT WAY, EL JAY. Victor and Andres deserve their own post, anyway. beware, this one's a bit lengthy. and it contains words and stuff as well as pictures.

anyone who's talked to me for long about Barcelona could tell you that I'm just a tiny bit obsessed with Victor Valdes and Andres Iniesta. they're both very quiet people so there's not a whole lot of resources that I've seen on them (remarkably, considering what a huge impact Iniesta in particular has made both at Barcelona and for Spain). however, by scrounging around the internet, I have uncovered a few awesome facts about them. first and foremost: they were roommates at La Masia in Andres' first year (he was twelve, Victor was fourteen), along with some other names you might know (Pepe Reina, Mikel Arteta, Thiago Motta anyone?). keep in mind that Andres was the most miserably homesick child imaginable when he moved to Barcelona from Albacete - he missed his parents and he cried for most of his first year away from home. there is a probably-untrue but alarming plausible anecdote about a reporter being told not to ask him about his family because it would make him cry.

yes: they have been friends since a time when they both had hair

second and third from right, bottom row

note the picture in Victor's locker underneath the dollar bill. he has a photo of them hugging tacked up in his locker. (special thanks to stickmarionette for noticing this glorious fact, knowing I would adore it and scanning the picture for me!)

Victor was one of the first people Andres met at La Masia and he immediately took him under his wing, since Andres was very, very young to be living at the academy and Victor had been there longer (Víctor took care of us and was great with us can I just). he still sticks up for Andres in interviews. they have been on the same football team for over a decade, since they were at La Masia; they made Barça B at the same time, and were promoted to the first team at the same time as well. and they're perfectly happy to inform interviewers that they're best friends. Victor has apparently been giving Andres parenting advice. ♥ (Victor has a son named Dylan; Andres' girlfriend was pregnant with their first daughter, Valeria, at the time of the interview.) when the shortlist for the 2010 Ballon d'Or came out (Xavi, Leo and Andres were the final three; Leo won in the end) Victor repeatedly said in interviews that he was happy for all of them but he wanted Andres to win because Andres is his little brother.

Victor, bless his extremely bad-tempered soul, is a complete psychopath on the pitch and gets into a lot more fights than he ought to in order to defend his generally much smaller teammates, including during the first Clasico of the 2010-11 season, when he sprinted a good forty yards outside his penalty area (and got yellow-carded for his trouble) to back up Andres in a fight with Cristiano Ronaldo. when Andres got injured right before the World Cup (Informe Robinson made a documentary about Spain at the 2010 World Cup; the relevant bit is translated here), Victor said afterward that it was one of the worst days of his life because of how awful it was for Andres; he walked off the pitch in tears and none of his teammates could do anything to help.

Andres did recover in time for the World Cup, obviously. his goal in the final and his dedication to Dani Jarque will go down in history, which is as it should be. probably fewer people know that Andres dedicated his first goal at the World Cup, against Chile, to Victor. he may not be very talkative, but when Andres stands up for Victor (who has kind of a not-great reputation, since he is hot-headed and tattooed and admittedly looks a bit like a skinhead), he does it right:

I’ve been asked this question many times, but I always say the same thing. Víctor has an impressive look… for those who don’t know him. He’s a work of art, a magnificent and caring person like few others, but what happens is that you can’t judge anyone if you don’t know them, and sometimes people judge him without knowing him. For my part, I can only say that since we have known each other, and looking back through the years, he has never let me down.

they have been through everything together, every step of the way: depression, injuries, the terrible end of the Rijkaard era, the death of Dani Jarque. and they've won everything together too: five Liga trophies, one Copa del Rey, five Supercopas, two European Supercups, two Club World Cups and three Champions Leagues.

…when we finished the final at Wembley, I thought about those talks with Andres. The Final at Wembley was the greatest day, the most beautiful thing I’ve experienced. Not only because we won the Champions League, but also because of the rival and the stadium. And finally because Andres and I managed to fulfill our dream.

one fact that gives me great pleasure (and makes it easier to find pictures of them together, despite the total lack of interest from the media) is that ever since their days in Barça B together, they always, always sit next to each other when they travel. and sometimes on other occasions, too.