THE away end at Craven Cottage for Swansea City's visit to Fulham in December was the scene for perhaps the most surreal moment of the Premier League season.
With kick-off approaching, the Putney End was abuzz with the usual pre-match chatter from Swansea supporters shuffling towards their seats, anticipating what was a fairly routine game against another mid-table team.
But a rush of excitement soon rippled through the crowd, as Swansea's fans turned to one corner of the stand to find a familiar face in their midst — Chico Flores.
Left out of the matchday squad as manager Michael Laudrup sought to keep his players fresh during a hectic Christmas schedule, Flores had driven to West London with his wife Davinia to watch the game.
Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery.
Eschewing the comforts of the directors' box, the Spanish defender, who joined Swansea from Genoa for £2.5 million last summer, decided to join in with the travelling Jack Army and instantly guaranteed himself hero status.
"I couldn't play against Fulham so I drove there with my wife to watch the game with the fans," Flores recalls with a broad grin.
"I love football. I've been passionate about football since I was a baby. I'm a footballer now, but I've always been a fan."
The chants prompted a few perplexed expressions in the press box, with some journalists even checking their team sheets to ensure they had not missed the Spaniard's name.
But a post-match interview with Swansea captain Garry Monk confirmed that Flores had been immersing himself with the supporters and boosting his ever-increasing cult following.
The 26-year-old was a little rash in the early weeks of the campaign, and the former Real Mallorca centre-back was sent off for a reckless tackle on Sunderland's Louis Saha in September.
Fortunately, Saha was unhurt by Flores's neck-high challenge, and the Swans defender believes the incident has led him to curb his aggression.
Although that red card was a chastening lesson for Flores, it was by no means the lowest ebb of his first season in Swansea.
That moment arrived on February 9, when an ankle injury forced the former Barcelona B player off the field during the 4-1 win over Queens Park Rangers, just two weeks before the Capital One Cup final.
Flores tried all manner of methods to aid his recovery, visiting the physiotherapists at Barcelona and using state-of-the-art technology at Swansea's training ground.
But his efforts were in vain, and he was forced to sit out Swansea's momentous 5-0 victory at Wembley, the club's first ever major trophy.
After the tears of the initial setback, Flores was at Wembley to join his team-mates for the celebrations, and the sight of the Spaniard dressed as a matador on the pitch is still one of the most enduring images of Swansea's Capital One Cup triumph.
Flores's cult status among Swansea's fans has long been established, and he seems similarly popular with his fellow players, striking a particularly strong bond with fellow centre-back Ashley Williams.
No comments:
Post a Comment