Isidro Lángara as a link. Pelé, in memory. Xavi, Ancelotti or Totti as chosen. The reference to the brightest stars in the world of football was a constant in the voting ceremony for those invested in the International Football Hall of Fame, the institution that Jesús Martínez, owner of Oviedo, created at the time and cares for with care, and that in this edition has decided to bring to the capital of Asturias.
Jesús Martínez was in charge of baptizing an act that he dedicated to his granddaughter Juliana, who was born during the gala. “It is the first birth that I will miss from one of my five grandchildren,” Martínez explained, her voice cracking with emotion.
The emotion did not subside when he recalled Pelé, the recently deceased Brazilian star and whom the Mexican defined as a “friend and adviser”: “Pelé, friend, we welcome you to the city of Oviedo, a city that, like all cities of the world, misses you and will never forget you”.
Next, Martínez launched a promise that once again includes the Asturian capital in his future plans. “I am sure that Oviedo will receive the investiture ceremony very soon,” he said, addressing Alfredo Canteli, the city’s mayor. This year’s official gala will surely be in October in a location in the United States, but Martínez and the organizers of the Hall will work to develop a future edition in Oviedo, which would mean the presence in Asturias of some of the most important stars in history. of world football. After thanking Canteli and Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, for their presence at the event, it was led by Toño Moreno, director of the Hall.
In reality, the voting had begun unofficially an hour before, at 4, when nearly fifty journalists present, including LA NUEVA ESPAÑA, plus many others who intervened electronically, had made the final filter to choose between the candidates who will finally be invested.
The seven international footballers selected by the committee with their votes were: Carlo Ancelotti, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández, Francesco Totti, Rivaldo, Samuel Eto’o and Kaká. While Cholo Simeone, Marcelo Bielsa, José Luis Chilavert, Iván Zamorano, Lionel Escaloni, Diego Milito, Landon Donovan, René Higuita and David Beckham stayed at the gates.
In the deans category, exclusively for former soccer players over 65, the chosen one was the German Uwe Seeler, ahead of the also historic Mazzola, Sindelar and Leónidas. In the women’s category, the Brazilian Pretinha will enter the Show, ahead of the Americans Jennings and Lilly and the Norwegian Riise.
Mexican journalists also voted for the soccer players and personalities related to soccer in the North American country: Rafa Márquez, Cuauthemoc Blanco, Fernando Quirarte, Ricardo La Volpe, Óscar “Conejo” Pérez, José Alves Zague, Isidoro Díaz, Emilio Azcárraga and Andrea Rodebaugh.
The celebration had an impact on the figure of Isidro Lángara, a historical figure for Real Oviedo, and an established goalscorer in Mexico and Argentina. Moreno referred to the Basque as the “central protagonist of the campaign to announce these votes” and added that “it is the least we can do to recognize someone who united Mexico and Spain.” A video was broadcast on the central screens in which the historic scorer was reproduced by artificial intelligence.
The gala lasted for almost two hours, in which the names of those who will be invested were announced and the opportunity was taken to discuss some modifications in the selection and voting process in a participatory manner. Jesús Martínez, the soul of the Hall of Fame and who intensely lived his stage at the helm of Oviedo, ended up visibly happy for an act that brought two of his two passions closer together.