Old Lucas Signs
Should auld acquaintance be forgot?
At this time of year, people should be close to the people they love. So Lucas Pérez is doing just that. On Friday, he scored an 83rd minute equaliser to salvage Cádiz a point against Almería. Less than 24 hours later, his romantic return to Deportivo La Coruña was made official.
On the face of it, a player who has scored six LaLiga goals in 2022 – including at both Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabéu – should not be dropping down two divisions on the eve of the January transfer window.
But the situation regarding Lucas Pérez is altogether different, and it represents a beautiful fairytale among the depressing banality of modern football transfers.
After initially coming through with Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano’s youth sides, Pérez tried to build his career in Ukraine and Greece before returning to Spain. He found his home on the north Galician coast, scoring 24 goals in 58 LaLiga appearances for Dépor between 2014 and 2016.
This form earned him a move to Arsenal. He failed to make a significant mark in the Premier League, but did score a hat-trick in the Champions League, still the last Arsenal male player to achieve this.
He returned to Dépor for 2018/19, but was unable to help them survive, as Clarence Seedorf’s side descended along with Málaga and Las Palmas. Pérez had a year at West Ham before joining Alavés, and latterly Elche and Cádiz, but his heart remained at Riazor.
By this stage, Dépor’s problems had deepened and they now reside in Primera RFEF, the third tier of Spanish football, and outside its professionalised leagues. It has been a brutal fall from grace for the superb side who were champions at the turn of the century, who entertained millions and who produced that remarkable comeback against Carlo Ancelotti’s marvellous Milan in 2003/04.
Lucas Pérez is determined to change things for the better. Of the reported €1 million it has cost the Galicians to re-sign him from Cádiz, the player himself is contributing €493,000, almost half of the entire fee. He has put heart before money to return to the club of his life, and the fans already love him for it.
He tried to make this happen in summer 2022, but Cádiz could not sanction the deal because they were short of forwards. Rather than the tantrum that is so often seen, Pérez accepted it and reacted with dedication and professionalism. The Andaluz club has now responded in kind and granted him his wish.
“I’m going to fulfil a dream” he said on his farewell tweet to the Cádiz fans and he has to be applauded for it. A genuinely heart-warming story to see in the New Year, full of pride, sentiment and the true values of football.
Any LaLiga romantic would want to see Dépor back where they belong. Lucas Pérez is doing all he can to make it a reality.
We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet.