We will miss you…

By: wan | June 14th, 2009

They say that the worst part of any disaster or tragedy is not the feelings of shock and despair that come in the immediate aftermath but the slow tortuous darkness that envelopes you in the weeks after the event had taken place. But life and football goes on regardless of how we feel and human nature has a tendency to always find the sliver lining; to find hope that keeps the desire alive. Yet it is a funny situation to talk about hope when it is about to be extinguished; rather the element that provides it is about to depart…

Any Betis fan worth his or her salt will know that I am talking about Edu. For once in a long time, this will be an entry about the celebration of a hero’s career, a post of optimism and of love rather than of the doom and gloom that have plagued the Betis nation in the last few weeks. Afterall, it is only in abject darkness that light always shine the brightest.

It may seemed like a long time ago but there was once a time when Betis captured and enthralled the attentions of the world and this time coincided with the arrival of the Three Selecao Musketeers. While the title suggests that there were three protagonist, it was actually four who really made an impact. These four Brazilians came and not only conquered Andalusia, they brought with them a new way of movement, a subtlety and refinement of skills and strength that made for a powerful impact when combined with the passion and heart of the Andalusian footballer.

There was the first – Denilson (Porthos) whose step-overs and world record transfer fee put Betis on the world map. His flamboyance and toothy grin always brought a smile to my face even though he never lived up to his reputation. Next was the youngest Ricardo Oliveria (d’Artagnan) whose dashing raids and rapier-like strikes saw him plunder 22 goals in just 37 matches in a glorious season. My favourite though was always Marcos Assuncao (Porthos) - the leader who directed and dictated play for Betis; he was a fearsome deadball expert whose free-kicks and corners were deadly weapons in the Betis arsenal.

Then there was Edu (Aramis) – he arrived with little fanfare and wasn’t really a big name as the previous three. At that time, I didn’t really appreciated his value. Yet as the Betis empire crumbled and as things fell apart, (and as the first three all left for greener pastures as did others), one person never abandoned the ship. One person stayed and did more than anyone to preseve the dignity of the Betis name. That person was Edu.

It may seem amazing now (especially taking into account the modern player’s self-centredness and ego) but Edu actually spent the first 2 years as a Betis player on loan! What that meant in simple terms was that he had no job security, had no recognition and yet never once did he complained or even contemplated leaving.

He was a player whom I never knew how to pigeon-hole: Was he a midfielder, a striker or a playmaker? I didn’t know it at that time but his fluidity and versatility was part of the magic of the person. It didn’t matter what you called him, he was a winner and like all winners, Edu always delivered when the stakes were highest. Just a look at what he did in each of the season is proof enough of this player’s impact and mentality.

2004/05 – In his debut season, he triggered the blossoming of Oliveria and Betis qualified for the Champions League by finishing fourth

2005/06 – He had a starring role as Betis won the Spanish Cup – a first trophy for more than 20 years

2006/07 – He scored 2 goals in the last 10mins against Racing Santandar in a must-win game to save Betis from relegation

2007/08 – He finished topscorer at Betis with 12 goals as Betis starved off relegation once again

2008/09 – He started the last 9 games for Betis, and the team earned 8 points, more than what they had gotten for the last 2 months

Yet more than statistics, Edu became the symbol of a side; to put it simply Edu acted like he cared. He cared for the team, and more importantly he cared for the fans. And as with all thing magical, the relationship between Edu and the fans, (between Edu and me) changed. It felt like on a mystical plane, Edu became my hope, became my representative, became me on the field. Every tackle he made, every goal he scored was as if I was on the field, making those tackles and taking those shots. I felt like I was making my own contributions to the team.

And this is the kind of bond that can never be broken; for to disregard it would be like giving up on yourself. And so throughout this season, I have lived in hope. I knew that as long as Edu was in the team, Betis would be fine. Had he managed to stay fit, I have no doubts whatsoever that Betis would have avoided relegation easily, seeing his impact on the team’s psyche and performances.

Fittingly now we are at the end – the end of Betis’ stay in La Liga and the end of Edu’s career with Betis. Yet amidst all the sadness and sorrow, I will always bookend Edu’s relationship with Betis with two “goals” – one scored and one missed.

Not many people remember it now, but Betis almost never made it into the Champions League proper in 2005/06. As a fourth placed side, they had to fight through the qualifiers and they were seconds from going out on the away goals rule before they scored a last minute miracle to secure their passage. The goalscorer? Edu.

Fastforward to 2009 and in a seemingly key win over Sporting Gijon, Edu missed a penalty in the 21st minute of a 2-0 Betis win, a low left-footed shot that was parried by the keeper. At that time, I thought nothing of this miss but now as all Betis fans know, that could have been the goal that could have saved our season.

Do I blame Edu? Not at all…in a way to me it was poetic justice as things come full circle. Betis should never have treated Edu so shabbily and shown him no respect. Yet even when he leaves, Edu still had one last gift for the Betis fans. According to reports, Edu rejected a contract offer from Seville even though they were willing to give him the salary and contract that he was looking for – all because he could not bear to insult the Betis fans that have loved him all this while.

For me, I choose to believe this is the ultimate proof that Edu is still Betis, Edu is still me. I would never sign for Seville even if they were the last team on earth so why would he? The bond is still there, the bond is still alive.

Farewell and goodbye my old friend. May the future be as bright for you as it will be for us. For I will forever miss you and hold your name in my heart.

Goodbye Luis Eduardo Schmidt