Ezequiel Garay is one of the strange protagonists of the market
.
Just over a year ago, the center-back
tore his cruciate ligament
, which was a huge blow for Valencia, aware of its defensive problems and the instability of not being able to count on its quarterback, Gabriel Paulista's inseparable companion.
Since that fateful meeting against Celta de Vigo, there is no news of the defender
.
To this day, he is without a team and despite his great performance before the setback, age and his recovery process are a burden on his back.
Despite everything,
Garay was called upon to reinforce a team in this winter market
.
He knows the league perfectly and has been Valencia's defensive leader for years.
Any team in the lower part of the classification would support such an arrival.
In fact, there were rumors in the last days of the strip that they placed him in Betis or Osasuna
.
Both destinations were perfect on a sporting level.
The Betic team is the most thrashed in the entire First Division and they need a leader in defense who hardly makes mistakes.
The rojillos, for their part, have had injury problems in the center of defense and require veterancy to avoid grotesque mistakes that cost points in a situation like this.
Everything indicates that the economic pretensions of these clubs were far from the expectation of the ex-Madridista
.
The central defender has been free since last summer
, when the contract with Valencia ended.
He was even able to renew, but disagreements with the board, a letter of protest and disagreement in the conditions of the contract led him to break their bond after successful seasons.
Who knows if both parties would have reached an agreement if the ligament injury hadn't gotten in their way.
After ending his stage at Mestalla, Garay made a brave decision in the summer market:
not to sign with anyone to recover well from his injury
and to be able to return with full guarantees.
A priori, the recovery would have allowed him to return for the beginning of the season, although it is true that he would have had to enter dynamics more quickly.
Thus, he chose to take a few months off to come back stronger.
The surprising thing is that in this winter market he has not signed with anyone either.
The veteran footballer resides in Valencia with his wife Tamara Gorro, with whom he shares happiness and stability on social networks and wants a guarantee project to take the step back to the pitch.
Of course,
the level, despite his age, seems to have it, but he rejected the proposals he had on the table
.
He will turn 35 in October and the debate on whether it is worth investing a large amount in salaries for a player who has not played for a year, comes out of a serious injury and does not have too many seasons at the highest level.
Was it time to play again?
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ezequiel Garay (@ ezequielgaray24)
It sounded for Liverpool!
After the serious injury of Virgil Van Dijk and the physical problems of other men behind,
Liverpool
began to comb the market in search of a replacement of guarantees.
The English press reported that Ezequiel Garay was on the list
, although that alleged operation did not take place at any time.
Finally, the team trained by Jurgen Klopp has found other alternatives to the center of the rear.
On the last market day, he made the arrival of
Kabak
, from Schalke 04, and
Ben Davies
, from Preston North End, official.
Both respond to a different profile to the former Valencia, both sportingly and in economic terms.
In fact, for the second it has only paid out two million pounds.
Before the Liverpool rumors, other teams were interested in him to sign him in the summer, despite the risk involved in incorporating a recently operated footballer from the crusader who had barely trained at the highest level.
Two of the most popular were Benfica and Elche
.
The return to Portugal did not attract Garay, even though he had already lived there and would play for a club that could fight for great things.
Nor did the call from Bragarnik, who promised her stripes, a good salary, trust and the guarantee that she would live close to her loved ones.
"My decision was to recover 100% so that I could give my all once incorporated into my next job"
Ezequiel Garay
In Valencia they remember him fondly
Although his departure was not without controversy due to the crossing of statements with the board and all the rumors that surrounded it, in Valencia they continue to remember with affection the one who was leader of the defense for years and one of the protagonists, without going any further, of the Copa del Rey conquered under the command of Marcelino García Toral.
But not only the fans have him in mind as one of the next referents in the entity.
Also his own companions.
Carlos Soler participated yesterday in the soccer players' gathering at Cadena SER's El Larguero
and was asked about the tense months of Valencia.
One of the questions raised put him in a bind: which players would he play for the team?
In the options presented, names such as Dani Parejo, Rodrigo Moreno or Kondogbia appeared.
This was answered by one of the captains: "
The players who have left have been important to us. They have helped us a lot. Garay, Coquelin ...
They have all been important, I wish them the best, but they are no longer in our team. The one I've been with the longest has been with Dani Parejo and I'm very fond of him ".
From within Valencia, the name of Garay is also present, months and months later.
His brother plays for Unionistas
After finishing his stage in the lower categories of Real Madrid, where he trained for ten years,
Benjamín Garay (better known as Benja), signed for Unionistas de Salamanca
.
With only 20 on the identity card, the center-back arrived to help and earn minutes in the first team.
He was coming from Melilla, in a step without pain or glory.
Now, he already works as a defender in the revelation of Second Division B. "I have the
example I look at at home, which is my brother
. I consider
myself
a center-back with a very good ball output, strong in aerial disputes and very good placement ", he acknowledged in an interview with this newspaper.