Villarreal CF pays tribute to ten players, among them Mario, that have played 10 years at the club
A very moving and sentimental event. Ten Villarreal CF players who have represented the Yellows for ten years were honoured in a club ceremony led by President Fernando Roig and held at the Entrelíneas Restaurant inside the Estadio de la Cerámica. The President personally presented each of the players with the traditional ceramic submarine trophy.
Among the honorees was First Team defender Mario Gaspar Pérez Martínez, who was evidently emotional upon collecting the award. The Yellows number 2 came to play for the Yellows Academy at just 16 years old. Now, ten years later, he is one of the captains and key players for Villarreal. Together with the Novelda native, nine other Yellows Academy players also received their well-deserved recognition: Ramón Bueno (Villarreal B), María Colonques (Ladies First Team), Aarón Gallego (U16 B), Francisco Garrido (U16 B), Josep Marqués (U16 B). Damián Sánchez (U16 B), Marc Tirado (U16 B), Joan Cachafeiro (U16 C) and Alberto Miró (U16 C).
Fernando Roig: “It is a very well-deserved tribute”
Villarreal CF President, Fernando Roig, addressed the players that were honoured, thanking them for their effort and dedication for so many years: “For me this is not a small tribute, but a huge and very well-deserved one for all of you, because some of you started at Villarreal at four or five years old and you are still here. This is a tribute for you all and your families, who have also made a great effort and sacrificed a lot for you to be here. We hope that every year, in these ten year anniversary tributes, that there are more and more players and people involved to celebrate such a special occasion”.
Mario: “Villarreal was my home from day one”
For his part, Villarreal’s right back from Alicante, Mario Gaspar Pérez Martínez, only had words of praise for the club: “I can only say thank you because for me, ever since I came to Villarreal, I was treated like I was at home. Villarreal has taught me how to be an athlete, but also a better person. This club teaches you a series of values that I believe, with events like this one, are the right ones”.
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