On August 24, the Camp Nou was filled with 91,062 people to contribute to the charity match for the investigation against ALS promoted by Juan Carlos Unzué.
That was the idea that the former Barça player had and that he made known to Rafa Yuste before they won the presidential elections.
After 86 days, the match between Xavi's Barça and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and everything that has been generated around it has raised a total of €4,362,872.
"Today we are a little closer to finding that treatment," said Unzué.
Of all that amount of money, 10% will go to the Luzón Foundation.
40% will go to the European platform Tricals, which will help carry out the most expensive clinical trials in Spain and enable Spanish ALS sufferers to take part.
Finally, the remaining 60% will go to basic research to start possible projects that one day will be effective and can cure the disease.
“We will create scholarships in the medium term with the aim of encouraging many more researchers and being able to be with the best to investigate ALS.
If they see that they can be awarded and financed, we understand that they will want to investigate more”, added the captain of the ELA team whose scholarships will be named Unzué Luzón Areces and will go to 15 groups to develop research for three years.
Unzué also did not want to forget what he and his teammates experienced that night at the Camp Nou: “That night it was hard for me to sleep, I was levitating.
Not even in my wildest dreams did I think so many people could come to the stadium”.
He also had a few words of thanks for the clubs that made the game possible: “I want to thank City very much, especially Txiki, Ferran and Pep.
Then, to Barça for showing once again that the motto is still valid”.
They also did not want to forget the role of the press: "We are very grateful for the follow-up you are having, for giving us continuity and giving us the opportunity to inform people what it is and what situation those affected are in."
In the press conference after the charity game, Unzué already said that the proposal he made to Barça and City had been made, long before, to La Liga.
In the summer of 2020 he was proposed to the competition.
"We continue without a response from the League," he pointed out.
"Have you not thought of a game every year for a different cause?" Unzué wondered.
Responding: “They told me they would study it, but so far I have not seen any change.
It doesn't cost too much."
“The entire ALS community and our foundation will be eternally grateful for this event, disclosure and dissemination of the disease.
You are our captain and we count on you for many more years,” María José Arregui Galán, executive president of the Luzón Foundation, told Unzué.
"The solution is research," he pointed out.
"As long as I have strength, I'm not going to stop," he concluded.
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