If Jesus spent 40 days in the desert,
ATLETICO DE MADRID player
JOSE ANTONIO REYES entered & got lost in the wilderness for years since he left English Premier League Club Arsenal FC in 2006. In fact, most had given the player as “professionally dead” until now with his Football resurrection reminiscent of Lazarus & the role of Jesus in this modern Football case being played by current Atletico Coach Quique Sanchez Flores.
José Antonio Reyes began as a Football prodigy debuting in the year 2000 with just 16 years of age with
SEVILLA FC. His talent & rise to the top was followed by a 24M€ transfer to Arsenal where he became a leader & reference player allowing him to climb the next step onto the Spanish National Team. So much was his Football pulling power that
REAL MADRID signed him as a “Star” in 2006 to see months later fall into doubts, poor play & be put back onto the market. Many commented that the “fact” of the matter was that Reyes was not up to “Real Madrid level” & in 2007 was transferred to
ATLETICO DE MADRID were the fall continued & took form of a spiral with the Spanish National Team doors shutting on his face. If this wasn’t enough, his new Club fans remembered his “white past & arrogant antics” & poured nothing but abuse & bad “vibes” onto the player causing an intense psychological obstacle that forced the Club to loan Reyes out to Portuguese Club
BENFICA for the season 2008-2009.
It was here that an “Oasis” was to appear in the José Antonio Reyes desert journey; a refuge named Quique Sanchez Flores – his current Coach at Atletico – who was also undergoing a spiritual voyage was named Benfica Coach, & destiny was to smile on both with relative success at the personal & Club level. Here Coach Flores gave playing time to Reyes who responded with good Football thanks to the “lifting off his shoulders” of all the pressures that weight upon his back in Spain. This & the human warmth & confidence that Flores gave the player helped Reyes put in order his head & personal life to transmit the “positive vibes” on the field. The improvement was such that Atletico recalled Reyes back this season, although one can argue that the poor economic situation of Atletico with hardly any signings played a factor in the decision. However, true as that may have been, let’s not take away the merit of the personal effort from Reyes & the improvement in his Football.
Destiny however was to play Reyes a bad hand again, when his “new” Coach at the start of this season at Atletico was Abel Resino, a trainer who had little (if no) faith in the player, kept him sidelined & on the bench to once again see how circumstances rubbed off all the good work done in Portugal & indirectly (not intentionally) tip the player back into a spiral of self-doubt & lack of confidence. It looked like history was repeating itself as the little playing time that Reyes was given was followed with supporters cheers full of abuse for his “past Club colours” & “image of bad player”.
Then it all turned again, Coach Abel was sacked & the new Coach was Quique Sanchez Flores, that same person who had confined in Reyes & helped bring out the “Footballer” in the man. Here the feeling of respect & trust was mutual from the “old days”; the Atletico supporters held back past prejudices & gave Reyes the benefit of the doubt. Coach Sanchez Flores gave the basic ingredients that every Footballer needs; playing time, confidence & trust, to let the rest be taken care of by the player himself. Reyes put his part in with concentration, individual & personal self analysis, added with some elements of luck to put back perceptive & things into place. A return to form, vital participation & play making in helping qualifying his team onto the Spanish Cup Final, his fundamental contributions in the victories over FC Barcelona, Galatasaray (Europa League) & last Sundays Valencia CF win has allowed Reyes to win back the confidence of his team-mates, his Club & more importantly, the warm support of the home fans.
As romantic as this all may read, Jose Antonio Reyes has a lot to answer for in his fall from grace from “The Next Best Thing” to a possible “Has Been”. An immature personality that was complimented with a persistent over arrogant attitude, lead to numerous unwise public statements & behaviour that did nothing but only marginalize more Team-mates, Coaches, his Clubs, Media & finally friends played a big part in his self-imposed exile. Many Football commentators had commented that José Antonio Reyes himself was determined not to succeed & that his “problems” were his & his alone to be solved with hard self analysis. Some even went further to declare that Reyes was a “lost case”.
Atletico de Madrid under Coach Sanchez Flores has given the LAST train out of the desert for Reyes, & this time with more years & maturity under his cap, the player has reacted positively & taken it to travel where he is today: a born again Footballer, back to his best form, participating & contributing to the success of his current Club who see in Reyes an important member, whom in return are pouring onto the player their confidence & trust allowing Reyes to practice what he must truly love the most; to play Football.
SFS is glad for Reyes at a human level, is happy that Atletico has regained a “lost asset” that is helping them overcome a disastrous season start & has contributed to see know how Atletico has title/s options. Reyes serves as another example for everyone that if others believe in you, & that if you believe in yourself, that things can be turned around, achieved & comebacks are possible.
