Tears of Jagobe Arrasate

Jagoba Drag He wanted to be a coach from the first day he hung up his boots as a striker without much travel. Cautious, confrontational and practiced teacher, teacher, professorbut he put his hat on for half the day to make time for his passion: football.

He started out at Preferential with Berriatuk, his hometown team, and at Elgoibar began a career that took him to the elite with Real Sociedad, but when his days as coach of the txuri-urdin came to an end, he had no problem rejoining Numancia before coming to Osasuna in the Second League.

Having knocked down so many stones, you know how much it costs to conquer a humble team. Q That’s why on Saturday, at the end of the King’s Cup final, he started to cry while going to the area where the Navarre fans were. Because Jagoba knows better than anyone that it may be many years before the Rojillos get another chance to embrace their first title in more than a hundred years of their long history.

But those tears could also be the satisfaction and pride of making a group of middle-class players, on a very small budget, into a respected, recognizable team that has a season to frame with a very long way to go in the conference. return to Europe.

Jagoba’s tears may also have a Galician undertone, because when Osasuna was headed for relegation, Braulio Vázquez, the sporting director, made it clear that no one would get off the boat and go to another league or stay with the same coach. That vote of confidence was the first step for La Cartuja to surrender to Osasuna’s bold proposal and the tears of Professor Arrasate. Gestures don’t give titles, but they glorify a sport with too much ego.