We pay tribute to our legend Paulo Futre
This Thursday we paid a well-deserved tribute to the Portuguese star, who was accompanied in this special celebration by a large representation of the different members of the great Red & White family.
This Thursday we lived a very special day at the Cívitas Metropolitano, where we paid a well-deserved tribute to our legend Paulo Futre.
The Portuguese star -image of the membership card this season, which marks the 35th anniversary of his debut as a Red & White player, was surrounded by representatives of the club and different institutions, family members, our captain Koke, Atleti legends and members of the Senate, as well as a group of members who were born on the same day and year as our historic striker.
"He is a player with a Red & White heart, one of our best ambassadors and an idol for the whole Atleti family. Paulo is a real man, a person who has always defended Atlético de Madrid with passion. He fought and gave his all for the shirt of his love in 215 games. He made us vibrate and enjoy like few others," said our president, Enrique Cerezo, who welcomed all those present at the event to our stadium.
Scorer of 60 goals for the Red & White jersey, which he wore for seven seasons spread over two periods (1987-1993 and 1997-1998), Paulo Jorge dos Santos Futre emotionally received a commemorative plaque in honour of his career as an Atleti player and affirmed: "One has dreams, but one can never think of something as big as what I'm experiencing, a tribute so big that it doesn't enter my head. I have no words to thank everyone, my teammates, the club, the Atleti fans. It's also a moment to thank the press, all this wouldn't be possible without their constructive criticism. Thank you very much to everyone, I have no words for all this, I can't say more".
From legend to legend, Koke and Fernando Torres also had words of recognition for the Portuguese legend.
"Always, since I was little, people talked about you. You are the idol of all the Atleti fans and that is something spectacular. I have a very nice anecdote: before winning the last league, I received a message from you encouraging the whole team and that helped us, it gave us strength. You are a legend and an idol for all the Atleti fans. We all thank you for that", said the captain of the first team, while the current coach of our Juvenil A team said: "My grandfather was the first one who told me about Paulo. Atleti is a brave, dynamic club, that wants to do things, that feels passion, and that's what Paulo was as a player. That's why they loved him and still love him as one of their own. Apart from everything he has been as a player, I think that over the years he has continued to be linked to Atlético de Madrid because that's the way he has been, he's just another Atleti fan. We the fans feel that Futre is one of us and that he will never let us down. For me he is a very special person because he was the one who called me to give me the opportunity to start training with the first team when he was sporting director and he changed my life".
Likewise, our CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, expressed his affection for Futre: "I would love to be with you at this well-deserved event. Simply, remembering 35 years together is a lifetime. For us as a family you are not just another person, you were not just another player. My father's arrival at the club together with you managed to wake up a club that was going through some very bad times. Both for his personality and your character, for his courage and passion and for yours, you somehow recovered the illusion. You have been and are for Atleti a player, a legend, a friend and what we want is for you to continue to be so for many more years. Keep being the way you are, a very authentic person, very honest, sincere and, simply, we love you a lot".
In an event full of pics for posterity, the Portuguese star, winner of the Copa del Rey in 1991 and 1992, was immortalised alongside his sons Fabio and Paulo, with them wearing two of the shirts that their father wore during his time at our club. The Red & White, belonging to the first kit of the 1987/88 campaign, and the red one, to the second kit of the 1991/92 campaign, with which he also scored two goals in a spectacular match in San Mamés in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the KO tournament in 1992.
In addition to our president, Enrique Cerezo, heading the board of directors, also accompanying Futre in this tribute were the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida; the ambassador of Portugal, João Mira Gomes; the health minister of the Community of Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero; and the president of the Madrid Football Federation, Francisco Díez.
After the event, Futre went to our official shop located at the Cívitas Metropolitano, where he held an autograph signing session in which he received the affection of numerous Atleti fans.
Obrigado, Paulo.
