The day Francisco Santamaría was reborn at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga

Saturday, 9 August, was no ordinary day for Francisco Santamaría. His football club – Málaga CF – were playing, which meant it was a day of celebration for him. With the excitement of an excited child, he dressed up and went to La Rosaleda. Like every other fan, he went to a nearby bar for a pre-drink before entering the ‘temple.’ His brother, ‘Sule,’ was also a member of Malaga’s defunct ONCE visually impaired team. Two real fans, who were about enjoy an exciting Trofeo Costa del Sol game against Betis. After the first whistle, things changed dramatically.

The light was out and the temperature dropped. I was cold. The 65-year old hero was sitting with his friends, discussing the team, when suddenly the light went off, I felt cold, and “bang ‘…”” he heard. Sule felt that 17 minutes were an eternity after the shocking incident in the upper southern end of La Rosaleda.

His anguish was heightened by his blindness. Even though he was right by his brother, he had no idea what was happening. He heard the screams from nearby fans. “I had his hand on his leg and I suddenly felt him fall and he fell. I was so scared that I knelt down next to him, called out to him but he did not answer. They started screaming at me, and I was told to place him on his back. Within a couple of minutes, help arrived and i moved to one side. I was unsure if there was a pulse in his body, so I felt it and found that it didn’t beat. I became very concerned, and I had no idea what to do. My nephew’s good friend called for help and was very helpful. Sule said, “We are grateful.”

Francisco was in a cardiorespiratory collapse that lasted for over five minutes before he could be revived. “The next memory I have is that when I woke up, I was in an ambulance with people who saved me. They transferred me to the Carlos de Haya hospital and then to the Clínico. I now need surgery. I hope everything goes well and I can see Málaga CF once again,” he says. Strapped to a heart rate monitor and reviewing the press coverage of the match over lunch, Francisco talks to SUR from the ICU at Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria (Clínico).

The life of true Málaga CF supporter

It is in La Rosaleda where Santamaría has lived the happiest memories of his life. His passion for football, and especially for Malaga CF, was instilled in him by his father, who was once the coach of the San Félix club, although he was a fisherman by profession. Francisco started his career as a fisherman, but later branched out into other areas, such as hospitality. When he was 17, a businessman hired him as a waiter in Belgium. He spent about 20 years in Belgium before returning to his hometown. It was there that he met and married his wife (who passed away from a cancerous tumour 10 years ago), and gave birth to his two children.

Francisco has always been a bit of an emo kid. He remembers how he would sneak out of class to watch his idols in action and can still recall the chants that the team sang during the 60s, 70s and beyond. Viberti, and Migueli have been his greatest idols.

Pons’ header was one of the goals he scored in his first match. He believes that the team of his youth is no longer comparable, but he cherishes the memories and creates new ones by supporting the team he supports. “To be a Malaguista,’ (Malaga CF fan), is to feel the homeland, your team… Sometimes you are upset, but after three days, you forget about it. It’s hard to describe what it is like to be a Malaguista.

His coronary disease is congenital. Sule, his brother, has had up to six cardiac arrests. Their sister died tragically six months ago after undergoing heart surgery. Francisco also decided to delay an operation that was scheduled for October due to his fear. Francisco hopes his heart will once again beat to the Malaga CF anthem at the site where it all started. “I want to be at La Rosaleda wearing my Malaga CF shirt with the cheers of all the people who love Malaga CF.”

In the first league game of the season on Saturday, 16 August, Malaga CF will pay tribute to all those who helped save Francisco Santamaría’s life, both the Red Cross workers at the stadium and the people who revived him.