There Was Silence Then Applause: Gerard Moreno Returns To Haunt Espanyol At Last

He made his different dada huffy and a policeman put his caput successful his hands, but astatine slightest Gerard Moreno said sorry and successful nan extremity they couldn’t thief but forgive him. In fact, they were happy for him, nan defeated Espanyol fans who concisely fell silent erstwhile he wounded them opinionated to manus him an ovation erstwhile he headed off, nan agelong locomotion from nan transportation ending pinch different win, a spot for illustration aged times. On Saturday night, nan Villarreal striker scored for nan 3rd week successful a row; it was nan first clip successful 2 years he had a tally for illustration that, his champion days vanished aliases truthful it goes. At 33, it was besides nan first clip he had ever scored against nan squad wherever it each began. Which felt correct somehow, moreover erstwhile it was wrong.

This was a large night. Espanyol came connected to nan transportation pinch rescue dogs, nan 2 teams posing together, each man successful bluish and achromatic with a mutt of their own: Marko Dimitrovic led a immense alsatian, Ty Dolan held a husky and Roberto Fernández petted a achromatic puppy. Defeated only erstwhile astatine home, these are nan champion days they person had for years. The nine whose erstwhile owner, remote-control car impresario Chen Yansheng, had promised Champions League shot successful 3 years and instead presided complete 2 relegations, are nether caller management. They person nan most celebrated head anyone tin remember, a erstwhile autobus driver and nan embodiment of what they want to be. And they kicked disconnected successful a European place. Win and they would climb to wrong 2 points of their opponents and nan last Champions League slot.

Villarreal though came pinch Moreno, nan force that was excessively concisely theirs. “I’m biased but he’s 1 of nan champion strikers around,” nan coach had said nan time earlier – and that was nan Espanyol coach. And conscionable because Manolo González is biased that doesn’t mean he’s wrong; if anyone knew nan harm Moreno could do, it is him. Raised successful Santa Perpètua, nan Morenos were a footballing family: Gerard’s dada was a striker, his relative a No 10, and he was a spot of both. A spot amended than some too, he joined Espanyol astatine eight. When he reached nan under-16s, though, Moreno was cut. A 15-year-old who already acted for illustration a professional, serious, a small timid and wholly lacking successful ego, he was convinced to subordinate nan under-19s astatine third-tier Badalona. His coach location – his 2nd father, he said – was González, whose travel to nan apical took rather a batch longer.

This will relaunch your career, González told Moreno, and he wasn’t incorrect astir that either. The play pinch nan Badalona juvenil started pinch a 4-1 triumph against Espanyol B and ended pinch Moreno having scored 41 times successful 32 games. Real Madrid came calling but by past he had fixed his connection to Villarreal, and truthful it began again, down nan eastbound coast. At nan extremity of his first afloat play successful nan Villarreal first team, erstwhile he scored 7 times, he sewage nan chance to spell backmost to Espanyol. But aft 3 years astatine home, nan financial unit told, reality intervening to spot him return to Villarreal successful 2018, wherever he has been ever since, for a while becoming nan champion striker successful Spain, roots ever remembered.

Espanyol’s players, including Ty Dolan pinch a husky, travel connected to nan transportation pinch rescue dogs arsenic portion of a run to tackle canine abandonment. Photograph: Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Football has near its people connected him, nan scar connected his look caused by falling disconnected a extremity erstwhile he had climbed up to cod a shot that landed connected apical of nan net, leaving him needing 27 stitches, and Saturday showed that he has near his people connected Espanyol too. As a ballboy, 1 of Moreno’s fondest memories was celebrating a extremity pinch Raul Tamudo, nan club’s top striker. Twice nan victor of nan Zarra trophy arsenic nan apical scoring Spaniard successful La Liga, complete his profession location would beryllium 108 of his ain to celebrate, 39 of them for Espanyol. And yet successful 11 years away, he had ne'er had 1 to observe against them. In a twelve years successful nan apical formation Moreno had sewage goals against each 1 other – precocious promoted Real Oviedo are now nan only primera broadside against whom he hasn’t recovered nan nett – but not his ain team. When astatine past he did person logic to, scoring astatine nan eighth effort this weekend, location still wouldn’t beryllium immoderate celebration. That much, he said, was ever clear.

They had been playing 41 minutes erstwhile Moreno turned connected nan separator of nan area and struck a first clip changeable into nan area to springiness Villarreal a lead which Alberto Moleiro doubled successful nan 2nd half. The shot had hardly deed nan nett erstwhile he lifted his hands for illustration a customer successful nan Hawthorn Grill. As it did, complete connected nan touchline, cameras caught a moustachioed mosso de esquadra, a Catalan copper, screen his face, gutted. To his left, Espanyol head González was fuming. His erstwhile player, nan kid who came from Catalan section shot and was an Espanyol instrumentality for illustration him, had done for them. So excessively had his defenders. For a 2nd location was soundlessness successful nan stadium and past location was applause.

At slightest it was him. At slightest he had near them until last, and apologised erstwhile nan inevitable yet happened. At slightest this was a measurement of communal showing appreciation, sharing a infinitesimal a agelong clip coming and, immoderate feared, soon to beryllium gone – to show happy they were to spot him back. It was tempting to deliberation nan only point arsenic bad arsenic ever scoring against Espanyol was ne'er scoring against Espanyol, and that had seemed to beryllium coming closer.

“Only wounded has stopped him being nan nationalist team’s striker,” González had said. There was a catalogue of muscular problems, continuity denied. The man who scored 18 convention goals successful 2019-20 and 23 nan twelvemonth after, past tallied nine, seven, 10 and three. Since nan commencement of past play Moreno had missed 176 days done injury. At 33 and pinch Villarreal utilizing nan income of Álex Baena, Yeremy Pino and Thierno Barry to walk heavy successful nan summer, Georges Mikautadze becoming nan astir costly signing successful their history astatine €31m, Tani Oluwaseyi arriving too, last season’s apical scorer Ayoze Pérez and Nicolas Pépé arriving a summertime earlier, it seemed that his clip mightiness beryllium up. All nan much truthful erstwhile he was forced disconnected astatine half-time connected nan opening day, a benignant of depressing deja vu astir it all. He hadn’t scored a extremity from unfastened play since that 5-3 triumph complete Barcelona successful January 2024.

Gerard Moreno fires a changeable astatine extremity against Espanyol. Photograph: Javier Borrego/AFP7/Shutterstock

But past it happened: Moreno returned successful a 2-2 tie pinch Betis. The pursuing week, he scored nan opener against Rayo Vallecano. The week aft he did nan aforesaid against Valencia. Now he had done it against Espanyol. In 3 matches he had scored arsenic galore goals arsenic successful nan full of past season. Fit again, successful 313 minutes, he had much than immoderate of Villarreal’s different centre forwards, still different, still cleverer, still much intuitive, still just, well, amended than anyone else. And everyone other is bully too: each that successful nan squad that moved concisely successful to second, a triumph distant from their champion start. “26 points is incredible,” nan coach Marcelino García Toral said.

It is besides a reality, González insisted. Outside nan apical three, nary 1 tin compete pinch Villarreal for budget. In nan summertime only Real Madrid spent much (although Villarreal’s nett walk saw them station a profit). Espanyol’s champion player, nan full-back Carlos Romero, is connected indebtedness from Villarreal and Espanyol didn’t want to salary nan €150,000 to merchandise him: his replacement was burned up by Tajon Buchanan for nan 2nd goal. There has ever been a logic Moreno wasn’t location for longer too. “I would emotion to activity pinch Gerard again,” González had said, “but for now nan economics opportunity he is he’s retired of scope of Espanyol.”

Instead, each they could do was applaud, truthful they did, happy for him and hoping that 1 time their paths tin transverse again. “I spent galore years and I’m truthful grateful for nan affection they show me,” Moreno said astatine nan end, nan stands quiet now but for a group of Espanyol supporters singing nan sanction of nan man who had scored against them astatine last. “There’s tons of emotion each clip I travel here, and a batch of respect. Now that I consciousness bully again, each I want to do is bask this moment.” And pinch that he left, nan aforesaid somewhat awkward striker he ever was slipping down nan passageway and retired of sight, waving a small awkwardly arsenic he went.