Dani Jarque, Espanyol captain RIP

By: Armando | August 8th, 2009

When you’re 26 years old and the starting central defender for an up and coming club like Espanyol, recently made Captain of the squad in fact under Mauricio Pochettino, you shouldn’t be expecting that it can all be taken away from you, that you could go to your hotel room on a tour of Italy for some Italian friendlies, in Coverciano just outside of Florence, preparing for a game against Bologna this weekend, and you’re talking with a family member on the phone, you faint and hours later you’re gone? His room-mate Ferran Corominas found him unconscious. They called the emergency services and spent hours trying to revive him. This shouldn’t be. 26 year olds shouldn’t be having heart attacks.

Your life should be ahead of you, the greatest part of your footballing career being lived in the moment, a dream that every fan has of stepping onto the pitch in the city where you were born for a club you have been with practically since the day you picked up your professional boots. Daniel Jarque was born in Barcelona in on the first of January in 1986. He gew up in Saint Boi de Llobregat in the southwestern suburbs of the city. Catalan born and bred. He played for the local club, he attracted attention from many other clubs but he signed for Espanyol. He came through the cantera, playing sporadically, subbing with the first team but waiting his turn and his time in the filial, the youth team. He played 173 games for the club, netting 8 precious goals in the process. He was a team leader, instrumental in the club’s 2006 Copa del Rey win against Real Zaragoza in the Santiago Bernabeu and also in the club’s improbable run in the subsequent season, when they came a hair’s breadth from winning the 2007 UEFA Cup against Sevilla. He clawed and suffered with the club when they struggled in 2007-2008 and when they staved off relegation last year. He was a team leader, and when the club were looking for the new face of the club, one to lead them out at the Nou Sarria, they chose Dani Jarque. This is a devastating loss for the club.

More information will come out. The club will honor his memory, like Sevilla honored the memory of their fallen player Antonio Puerta who himself died too young, and people will come out calling for better testing of players for pre-existing heart conditions, like what Ruben de la Red suffered last year for Real Madrid. His friends and family will mourn. We fans will send our condolensces and write our blogs. Life will go on. But for the moment just stop and think. A life has ended, no better or worse than any other in our existence, but one that will be missed nontheless.

Rest in peace Daniel Jarque, age 26.