Navalacruz & I have something in common…

… we both love Iker!

The town of Navalacruz (Ávila) named Iker Casillas as a favorite son today in a tribute for his role in leading Spain to World Cup victory.  There, accompanied by his parents (I also spotted his grandmother, and several other relatives) he was greeted by applause and shouts from the approximately 1,500 townspeople and fans from neighboring areas who had gathered in the pueblo, and got to unveil a sculpture representing the link between Iker and this town in La Plazuela.  It was made from stone, and in the form of a ball and a glove (since it’s the left hand one, does it only have four fingers?) attached to a big old chunk of granite, which incidentally, matched Iker’s gray blazer!  (It looked like the glove was attached to the stone using a spider).  The sculpture also had a plaque attached, honoring our captain for his football career and successes (it said: to Iker Casillas Fernández, for the successes achieved in your sporting career).  That’s great and all, but I don’t really understand the point of the chunk of rock… Apparently, the rock represents the town, and the glove/ball, surprisingly, Iker!

Then it was on to the town hall, where Iker came out on the balcony and people applauded some more and shouted, ¡Viva Iker, viva! as well as “sigue así, no cambies.”  There was also a nice poster reading “las manos de Dios.”  The mayor of Navalacruz, in a statement to the crowd, not only praised Iker’s footballing qualities, but also his charity work.  Then Iker was formally named as a favorite son of Navalacruz, and received the corresponding diploma.  Gracious as always, he thanked the town and the people present, saying, “I’m very thankful for the values you all have instilled in me since I was small, and I’m very happy to be your favorite son.”  He had to stop several times to contain his emotions (and we all know that he can get very emotional!), another reason why I love this man.

Iker also said that he had never seen so many people in the town (the normal population is less than 300) except during Christmas Eve, and that he hadn’t expected such a turnout.  Iker also talked about the memories he had related to the town – the unforgettable moments, the wonderful summers, the pranks he pulled as a seven-year-old kid… and of course, the 29 years he’s been coming here.

And my favorite sound bite – “I hope my future generations will also enjoy life here.”

Iker looked adorable, per the norm, but only from the waist-up today.  It looks like he matched gray and khaki, and those colors, to me, do not match.  (His belt was also a neutral shade, but didn’t complement either the pants or the blazer).  The white polo shirt didn’t go either… And the white sneakers were back too!  But at least those matched the shirt!  His voice also sounded a bit hoarse as well – he said it was because he yelled too much at his teammates during the game yesterday.  Okay, he didn’t put it that way, he said it was because he was very emotional today, and because he had given out a lot of instructions yesterday.

Navalacruz is the small town where Iker’s parents were both born, where his grandparents still live, and where he spends part of his summer each year.  He’s also building a house in the town.