Marcelino García Toral has collected the ‘Iñaki Churruca Award’ in Gijón, an award, in its first edition and created by the Unión de Peñas Sportinguistas, which recognises an outstanding trajectory, fact or circumstance of a person or association.
The coach from Villaviciosa was given the award for being the Asturian coach with the most games under his management in the First Division and with a great career with several promotions on his record, and they hope that he will achieve more successes in the future. Marcelino received the award from Iñaki Churruca, a historic winger for the red and white team in the 70s.
The coach had a few words of thanks on receiving the award and wished Real Sporting Gijón promotion to the all-star league: ‘I hope we play at El Molinón in the First Division with Villarreal’. ‘I owe a lot to Sporting’, added Marcelino, in reference to Eloy Olaya’s bet, also present at the event, when he made the jump to the first team.
Marcelino also acknowledged the complexity of a second spell on the bench at his beloved club: ‘I have two seasons left on my contract with Villarreal and I don’t have many years left in my coaching career’ (he will turn 59 in the next few weeks).
At the same time, the coach took the opportunity to praise the Sporting fans and the experience he had at El Molinón – Enrique Castro ‘Quini’ when he attended the box during the Playoff match against Espanyol: ‘the atmosphere was incredible, it is a great satisfaction to receive the affection of the Sporting fans’.
‘Thanks to all of you who decided to think of me as the first recipient of the Iñaki Churruca award. I have not been present at Sporting for many years… not entirely because my heart is always there’, said Marcelino García Toral yesterday, visibly moved, acknowledging with a smile that his passion for the red and white team had caused him the odd “mishap” in national football.
The Asturian with the most games in the First Division (La Liga)
The presentation of the distinction created by Unipes brought together around fifty people in one of the large halls of the Bellavista Restaurant, making it a tribute to Churruca – ‘we believe he is undervalued in the history of Sporting’, emphasised Gustavo Alonso, president of the group – and, of course, to Marcelino.
The gala was presented by the communicator Pablo Martínez, with Gustavo Alonso, president of Unipes, acting as host to the guests, among whom was the mayoress Carmen Moriyón, who cancelled her schedule of events to attend the Unipes party. ‘I understand what Sporting is and that your true heritage is Sportinguismo’, emphasised the councillor, who recalled that “my godmother and her husband were fans of Churruca” and added that “they always told me at home that Mareo was made thanks to you”. In relation to Marcelino, she acknowledged that ‘I had not been lucky enough to meet you; with respect to Careñes, you are a bit of Gijón and we all boast about you’.
Eloy’s choice
Eloy’s decisióntur
Marcelino was joined by Eloy Olaya, representing the Sporting Veterans Association. A person forever linked to the coach from Careñes by a symbolic bond: he was his great supporter at the beginning of everything. In 2003, in the face of doubts and some strange gestures in the offices of Mareo, Eloy proposed and bet on the rise of Marcelino, who was then in the reserve team, to the bench of the first team.
The decision was loud and controversial, and in the weeks that followed it was met with some criticism. They’re going to kill you,‘ Marcelino told me when I told him I had thought of him,’ Eloy said, expressing a ‘small’ illusion with a chuckle: ‘You’ll have to lower your salary a bit, but I’m hopeful that one day you’ll return to coach Sporting. Football owes you one for that year when we came close to promotion’.
And so it was. A few months after the decision, El Molinón was once again completely hooked on his team. And almost a year later, Sporting, who were not even contenders on the starting grid, regretted losing promotion in a controversial manner. There were several dark episodes that remained tattooed in Sporting’s memory, such as the refereeing by the Balearic Rodado Rodríguez in Ipurúa.
Twenty years on, Marcelino is one of the most respected coaches in La Liga, one of the most sought-after Spanish coaches in the national and international showcase and a true specialist in conquering objectives, with the latest example being the comeback he undertook last season at Villarreal, who fought until the end to get into Europe after flirting seriously at the start with relegation.
719 games as a coach in professional football endorse him, with three promotions to Primera, a Copa del Rey, a Supercopa, distinguished several times as the best coach in La Liga, classifications and participations in the Europa League and the Champions League… And, since a few months ago, the Asturian coach with the most games in Primera: 404.
‘Thank you for remembering me’. With members of several peñas present, also ex-footballers such as José Luis Ablanedo, representatives of the Asociación Anselmo López and the Grada 1908, Iñaki Churruca also received a standing ovation for the legacy he left at Sporting with, among other things, his historic transfer to Athletic: ‘Thank you for remembering me. There are many great people in Sporting’s history and I didn’t expect this. I also want to take this opportunity to remember other teammates and, of course, to congratulate Marcelino’.