A footballer becomes an idol because he achieves that the fans feel deep appreciation for him, because they consider him to have exceptional qualities and through which he has made a decisive contribution to the success and greatness of his club. They additionally elevate him to that condition because of his accomplishments, better if some border on sporting heroism. Sebastián Viera fits that definition perfectly.
The Uruguayan goalkeeper, and from Barranquilla by adoption, is undoubtedly Junior’s idol. After 12 uninterrupted seasons in the team, an unusual feat of loyalty in today’s polygamous football world, his achievement has been written in gold in Rojiblanca’s history book.
His 7 titles, his impossible saves, his penalties saved in extreme cases and his goals converted from free kicks, an added value of quality and daring for his first role as a goalkeeper, were some of the joys he brought Junior. Of course, it would be foolish to believe that in a 12-year relationship, however idyllic it may have been, there had been no discrepancies, moments of reproach by some of the fans condemning Viera for his greater responsibility in some goals, in some defeats.
Logical, in my opinion, in a game that is fraught with blunders, which is always plagued by mistakes, which is “the art of inaccuracy”, and in an actor who takes the most unfair position in football (the goal is scored for the team, but the loser is the goalkeeper) and who has taken the podium more than 630 times. His mistakes are small data compared to his rich statistics.
Junior announced Viera’s departure. There’s no drama, it’s not the first and it won’t be the last, football is also brutal and has an expiration date. But the climax of the story of the idol Viera deserved a different ending. Perhaps in the future, hopefully not too far off, Junior will change the indifference he has historically had with his idols to honor them after retirement and Viera will receive what he deserved.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
