A statue of a late fan was the only spectator left in the stands during a Champions League game played behind closed doors amid the coronavirus outbreak.
After his death Valencia superfan Vicente Navarro Aparicio was honoured by the club for his avid support – by building a bronze statue of him in his seat where he watched the club for so many years.
Mr Navarro’s seat, 164, row 15 of the Tribuna Central Section, was the only one filled by a fan in the Mestalla Stadium on Wednesday evening.
🖤 We are #LÀnimaDeMestalla🖤 We are #TheSoulOfMestalla Because here.. ..ɴᴏ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ɪs ᴘʟᴀʏᴇᴅ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴏʀs🦇@ChampionsLeague ⚽️ #VCFAtalanta 🌟 pic.twitter.com/aZ7c4noLPk — Valencia CF English 🦇💯 (@valenciacf_en) March 10, 2020
The superfan’s support was lauded for both its longevity, as he had been watching the club since the 1960s, but also because Mr Navarro lost his sight when he was 54 due to a detached retina.
Despite being blind for around 40 years Mr Navarro continued to attend games with his son, helped by the atmosphere and his son who would describe what was happening on the field.
After dying three years ago, Mr Navarro was honoured in 2019 with the statue at Valencia’s stadium.
The Mestalla will never be truly empty. The statue of Vicente Navarro will be the sole spectator tonight as Valencia host Atalanta… Navarro lost his sight in his 50s but still attended every game until he passed away, so the club made sure he would never miss another one 🙏 pic.twitter.com/imQ8S2rmEf — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 10, 2020
Unfortunately for the Spanish side, Wednesday night’s game finished 4-3 to the visitors Atalanta.
The Italian club proceed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after an 8-4 aggregate victory.
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