Marino Uriel helps us raise awareness of Alzheimer’s
Using the symbolic character of a fictional Atleti player from the 1970s, we put ourselves in the shoes of those suffering from the disease.
This Tuesday, the auditorium at the Cívitas Metropolitano hosted the presentation of a campaign to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. Atlético de Madrid created the project in collaboration with the Association for the Families of Alzheimer’s Patients of Madrid (AFEAM). The campaign’s central figure is Marino Uriel Hestfuz, a fictional player who played for the Club during the 1970s.
Under the pretext of celebrating a key player in the 1975 Intercontinental Cup-winning team, we asked our followers on the Club’s social media channels whether they remembered the man known as “El Garrincha de Chamberí”. The question intended to deliberately generate confusion and doubt in our collective memories as per the history of a player who, in fact, never existed at all.
Such feelings helped us, for but a few moments, to put ourselves in the shoes of those who suffer from Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease which slowly erodes the cognitive abilities and destroys the memories of those afflicted by the illness. The disease strips sufferers of their day-to-day independence and also has a big negative impact on their families and relatives.
“Alzheimer’s is a reality that we cannot ignore; in Spain, more than 800,000 people over the age of 40 suffer from this illness and each year, and more than 40,000 new cases are identified. What makes this even more worrying is that in 80% of cases, especially in the early stages, it goes undiagnosed, which leaves the sufferers and their families without the necessary support,” said Club chairman Enrique Cerezo in his opening speech at the event.
The event was also attended by Dr Víctor Gómez Mayordomo, neurologist and co-director of the Vithas Neuroscience Institute in Madrid, and AFEAM chairman Ramón Magaña Navinés. Furthermore, there were plenty of Atleti legends present: Fundación Atlético de Madrid chairman Adelardo Rodríguez, Javier Bermejo, Roberto Fresnedoso, Manolo Sánchez Delgado, Juan Carlos Pedraza and Marcelino Pérez.
As such, just as the intention of the supposed tribute to Marino Uriel was to give visibility to those important players overshadowed by the passage of time and the presence of other teammates, the Club’s chairman stated that “these numbers remind us how urgent it is to give visibility to this battle and the necessity of awareness and prevention” of this disease.
To promote and raise funds for this prevention work, the Club will not only donate to AFEAM but will also invite Rojiblancos supporters to get involved in the initiative: a vintage Atlético de Madrid shirt will be available with the name Uriel on the back, as well as the number 21 to honour World Alzheimer’s Day which took place on 21 September.
The shirt will go on sale – for a price of €25.95 – in the official Club shop at the Cívitas Metropolitano. The proceeds of the sales will go to AFEAM.
