I have a little “treasure” at home. A modest collection of Real Oviedo soccer jerseys with whom I have maintained a good relationship. Two years ago I realized that I was missing a very important one, that Pelayo’s did not have. I picked up the phone, with all the nerve in the world, I called him, he searched his parents’ house and, a few days later, we arranged for him to give it to me. I perfectly remember how he came with his eternal smile, the shirt and a marker to dedicate it to me. And it is to this day that I do not understand my answer, since I told him that, for the moment, it was better that he not sign it for me, that I had doubts if he wanted me to put my name or that of my son, that I was going to think about it. “Overall, Pelayo would have a thousand opportunities to stay with him and have him sign it for me whenever he wanted…”. I noticed that he looked surprised and I can’t get that gesture, that moment, out of my head. Not because the shirt is going to remain unsigned, but because I have the feeling that I have disappointed him, that there is no remedy, and disappointing such an exceptional person and good boy like Pela is something that is eating me up inside these days.
When Pelayo was admitted to a hospital in Zaragoza, after his accident in Huesca, his parents allowed me to visit him and try to encourage him on behalf of the Symmachiarii Group. I brought him a few details, including an “Oviedo, por todo y ante todo” T-shirt that he always wore with great pride. Despite the fact that his tragic end may distort reality, those of us who saw him in the hospital know of his incredible recovery, his tenacity and his strength. From being prostrate in that bed without moving, he became the jovial, friendly and affectionate person who conquered all the people of the Peña Oviedista Teverga when he came to our party or, on the 25th anniversary of Symmachiarii, where he stayed until the end, enjoying and dancing like one more, with their friends and partner. It was incredible what he had achieved in a short time due to his desire for improvement and courage. Let no one ever forget that Pelayo was a fighter and devoted uncle, that he overcame many very complicated challenges that were presented to him in his life.
Now what we have left and we have to know how to manage is the legacy that Pelayo has left us. He was the least soccer player I’ve ever met: you saw him on the street and he didn’t carry with him that aura that surrounds a good part of his teammates. He was a humble, modest boy, a friend of his lifelong friends, always with a smile on his face and without causing the slightest problem. He loved his club, the club of which he was a member and in which he had grown up and enjoyed as a footballer, and it is that example, the one that should be instilled in all the kids who fill the Real Oviedo academy, because what we really want the oviedistas are “eleven Pelayos” who know how to represent us, both on the pitch and on a day-to-day basis, and Pelayo Novo has been unique and exemplary in embodying those values and his commitment to Real Oviedo and the oviedistas.
We have lunch with Lafuente pending, for me to give you the Symmachiarii shirt you asked for, the dedication on your shirt and so many things that can only be replaced by the memory of your eternal smile.
Pelayo, we love you and we will never forget you.