Every last magical drop

They Call Him El Mago, But Even Dimas Delgado Knows No Potion That Can Bring The Years Back To Him. By His Own Admission, Life As A Footballer Is Slowly Ebbing Away From Him. But The Spaniard Says That Every Last Drop Of Football Left In Him Will Be Squeezed Out Before His Boots Get One Final Wash…

It was a routine that he had mastered and perfected. As the ball rolled towards him, Dimas Delgado’s body would switch towards the direction where a predetermined next pass would go. Except, this time it was different. In planting his right boot on the grass, Delgado pulled up with an injury to a muscle in his thigh. The Blues were scheduled to begin their Indian Super League campaign less than two weeks later.

“I was changing directions when I pulled up. The recovery was slow, but I’m glad to have had a spectacular medical team around me. When I came back to the pitch for training, it was involuntary that I tried to avoid that action again. Slowly, I felt better, but every time my mind told me to make that move, I would remember the injury and sometimes avoid it. We had been cautious about not rushing back to the field, which meant I couldn’t start the first two games.”

Wearing a brace to support his right thigh, Delgado took part in several individual sessions with Head Physiotherapist Senen Alvarez before joining the squad for full training. However, the brace around his thigh remained. “I joined full training and felt nothing for a few days. It seemed like the injury was gone, but in my mind, I always felt it was the brace that was holding it together. One day before training, I went to Senen to get taped and forgot my brace on the table. When I finished training, my first thought was to remove the brace and it wasn’t there. Senen told me I’d left it behind and that was a big step for me because sometimes the power of the mind is so strong that it stops you from feeling free. You might be fit, but your mind will tell you otherwise.”

The Blues were a different team with their no. 14 on the pitch, going on to claim their first win of the season against Chennaiyin FC in Bambolim. Having returned to full fitness, Delgado says he is now enjoying his football as much as he ever has. “When you get older, you begin to realise that the time you have left to play football as a professional at the highest level is close to the end. The life of an athlete is not too long, but the most important thing is the way you feel about yourself. I have no date in my mind that I’ve decided I will be done. But it’s always getting closer. Sometimes the factors are your body and your injuries. But it’s also sometimes about being away from your loved ones, missing the special moments in your child’s life. Ours is a fantastic and beautiful game. As professional footballers, we only have to do what we love. But behind all that you see on TV are sacrifices that hurt you sometimes. But this is the life we chose; it’s a life we fought for.”

While he admits the sacrifices are many, Delgado says the sport he fell in love with gives him the same level of excitement as it did when he was a little child in Gramanet. “Even today, I feel a little nervous stepping out onto the field and before the referee blows his whistle. That’s what tells me that I want to keep playing. I remember coming to India for this season. I was at the airport saying goodbye to my family. It was a hard moment for me and them, but the minute I had the boarding pass, I was excited and feeling like a footballer again. I was looking forward to having the opportunity to train again, to share a dressing room with my teammates and to have a ball at my feet. I’ve been doing it for 19 years, but every pre-match routine, every meeting, every trip to the stadium, I’m living these moments with the same passion that I always have.”

But even as he explains to us in carefully measured words about how much he loves the sport, we’re afraid to bring him back to reality and to remind him that one day it will be over. What, then, lies ahead for Dimas Delgado? “I can’t speak for others, but I think most footballers spend their entire lives thinking about football. For some of us, it’s the only thing we know. I’m the kind of person who wants to enjoy as much as I can, and I want to squeeze every last drop of football I have left inside me. But, even after that, I don’t think I can just stop playing and be done with the sport. Simply because I don’t see myself doing something else. I believe I can impart some of what I’ve learned to younger footballers, and coaching is something that has crossed my mind. When I was younger, I watched the seniors and learned from them. I want to take up that role. I want to be able to give back to football what it gave me.”

Despite a slow start to his season, Delgado has been a focal point for the Blues’ style of play, anchoring Cuadrat’s midfield with a panache that very few midfielders possess. It is a role that he has relished since joining the club in 2017. “When I came to India, Albert and Carles were two coaches who knew me and they were clear about the part they wanted me to play at this club. I had their support and as a player half the battle was won right there. Since the day I joined, I have been able to express myself on the pitch and that has been magnificent for me.”

Since making his debut for the Blues in the 2017 AFC Cup, Dimas has featured over 70 times for the Blues, scoring four goals and assisting over a dozen more across competitions. He hasn’t called time on this chapter just yet and hasn’t ruled out another one afterwards, but Delgado says that his time at BFC is one he will look back on with great fondness. “Moving to Bengaluru FC is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my career. Everything I’ve experienced here has been great. I feel at home, really. I’m not just saying that, because I had offers to move to other clubs. But it never made sense. I have everything I need right here. Having been shown so much love and respect, I am thankful. I know that one day I will have to leave, but I feel I owe this team something for all that it has given me and that’s why I’m still here. And as long as I’m still here, I’ll be giving everything I have.”