Puyol, Vicente, Alonso, who debuted at the same time, have been hanging up their boots for many years, and Xavi, Torres, Iniesta, Cassi and other juniors have long faded out of the five major leagues.
Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez, a talented player who was once well known to Chinese fans and gradually forgotten because of the "talented people in the country", is still racing in La Liga and playing a key role at Real Betis.
Time to return to the Spanish Copa del Rey Semifinals in mid-last week, and the other side of the competition in Barcelona and Real Madrid to play a draw.
Valencia drew 2-2 with Real Betis.
The four goals included a thrilling four-seat corner kick straight to the goal.
The penalty taker's footwork is sharp and the intention is obvious, after observing the goalkeeper's position, he directly hits the front point, and the football as a whole crosses the goal line before being saved.
The goalkeeper surprised countless fans, and it was the former Spanish national team flying wing who was unconsciously over 37 years old: Joaquin.
Joaquin's style of play is like words, and at the beginning of his debut, he became famous for his high-speed, accurate cross, exaggerated dribbling skills, and his strong ability to break the bottom at the peak of his career was almost unparalleled in the world.
In 2002, Camacho brought Joaquin, who had only been in La Liga for just one year, to the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, where he single-handedly blew up the right side of the opponent in almost every game he had played.
It was also at this time that Joaquin's name was truly recognized by Chinese fans in front of the TV screen.
(In addition to live television, many fans are familiar with Joaquin through live football game channels.) ）
However, in the battle with South Korea, it became the biggest sad color of the genius teenager's career, Joaquin opened the corridor on the right side, taught the Korean full-back to be a man many times, but the key performance was blackmailed by the referee.
(In the quarter-finals of South Korea's elimination of Spain, Joaquin's breakthrough on the right side assisted Morientes' goal, which was mistakenly blown off by the referee on the grounds that Joaquin was out of bounds on the grounds that Joaquin was out of bounds.) In the final penalty shootout, Joaquin, who came out with an injury, decided to take the fourth penalty, and was blocked by South Korean goalkeeper Lee Yun, and Spain was eliminated)
The end of the World Cup is also the end of the impression of Joaquin by some non-La Liga die-hard fans.
In fact, Joaquin's career has just begun.
Joaquin, who played the "Korea Cup" football tournament in 2002, has just turned 21.
The darkness of the organizers and the light emitted by Joaquin are also obvious to all.
After returning to Spain, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Juve and other giants have all been related to this teenager.
It's just that Joaquin, who was born in Real Betis, intends to give back to the mother team and has no plans to leave the team.
At Real Betis, a small club in La Liga, Joaquin has had three more successful seasons at the level of personal data.
2004/05 - Played in 38 games, scoring 5 goals and 13 assists
2003/04 - Played in 36 games, scoring 8 goals and 11 assists
2002/03 - Played in 37 games, scoring 8 goals and 11 assists
Unfortunately, due to the strength of the team, Joaquin's honor roll only included the 2004-2005 Spanish Copa del Rey.
In the summer of 2006, Joaquin, who was looking for higher development, finally moved the idea of leaving the parent team, but instead of joining the new Premier League giants Ersi for the rumored 45 million euros at the time, he switched to the more competitive Bat Army in La Liga for 25 million euros according to his own wishes.
(At that time, Joaquin did not want to leave Spain, but not Real Madrid did not marry, but Real Madrid was still young at that time, and later bought a small shell, and then Joaquin retreated to marry Valencia next)
At the beginning of the franchise, countless La Liga fans looked forward to Joaquin, who guarded the right side, and Vicente, another unique left winger, who could stage a "two-wing flying" situation.
Unfortunately, "Right Joaquin, Left Vicente, two wings flying together, picturesque" is just a dream for fans.
Since Joaquin arrived, Vicente has gone to the hospital bed, the competitive situation has plummeted, and the 0607 season 0708 season has hardly appeared, let alone cooperated with Joaquin.
As for Joaquin, it is also subject to the team's tactics and frequent minor injuries, coupled with the frequent changes of the team's manager, plus the rise of many young attacking players in the team, Mata and Silva, and other factors.
It was also at this time that Joaquin began to lose the position of the main player of the national team, and rarely appeared, disappearing into the vision of Spanish overseas fans.
In 2008, Joaquin criticized then-coach Aragonés for not being able to handle the internal strife in the national team's locker room, and has not been called up for the national team since.
Fate often plays tricks on people, and Joaquin's disappearance from the national team coincides with the beginning of Spain's glory (the glory period of winning three consecutive major tournaments in 08-12).
What a generation of geniuses has left for the boss duck fans is only the back of the high-speed breakthrough after riding the dust, and the tearful picture of being eliminated and hiding behind the camera.
After the big ups and downs, it is the real genius who climbs up.
At the end of his time for Valencia, Joaquin's status began to return.
In the summer of 2011, La Liga side Malaga was the master of the Qatari consortium, and Joaquin, together with Fanny, Monreal, Cazorla and other good players, rushed to Malaka to start the second spring of his life.
Joaquin, who was the main player, helped Maraka to a historic fourth place in the league, and won the Champions League and reached the quarter-finals, but ultimately failed to go further due to two controversial goals in stoppage time.
In 2013, at the age of 32, Joaquin had his first overseas experience, joining Serie A Fiorentina as a main player and helping the team to second place in the league that season.
In 2015, the 34-year-old Joaquin lost his main position in the pursuit of a young lineup, chose to return to the roots, and returned to the place where the dream began: The Royal Betis.
The Royal Betis man, with the mood of welcoming the wanderer who has been out for many years to return to the nest for retirement, re-gave the captain's armband to this most famous player in the history of the team and commended it.
What they never expected was that they were not only a meritorious veteran, but a thigh.
The high-speed breakthrough is gone with the growth of the years, joaquin, who can't play a winger, transformed into an offensive midfielder, with rich experience, excellent passing, keen reading and defensive ability, and repeatedly stepped forward to dedicate himself at key moments.
This season, Joaquin played 16 La Liga games, started 10 games, scored 2 goals and averaged more than 1.2 key passes per game, helping Real Betis to currently rank sixth in La Liga.
Joaquin's contract with Real Betis expires in the summer of 2020, when he will turn 38.
On the topic of retirement, when Joaquin was interviewed by Western media earlier, he said that he would not consider retiring for the time being, and would insist on playing football, as long as he could play.
Whether the honor is worthy of the talent of the highlight period, whether the peak is overrated or underestimated, if it can be repeated, whether it will insist on taking the fourth penalty in the 02 World Cup, these questions are no longer important for Joaquin.
It is important to continue to enjoy football until you retire.