Jose Antonio Reyes - Former Arsenal and Sevilla icon whose legacy lives on
“I’m both the happiest and saddest man in the world at the moment,” Jose Antonio Reyes told reporters when he joined Arsenal from Sevilla in January 2004. “I’m leaving the best team in Spain to join the best team in England.”
Two months before that move, Reyes had lit up La Liga with a virtuoso performance as Sevilla thumped Real Madrid 4-1. The report of that game in El Pais eulogised over a ‘genius’ performance and purred on how he had ‘dismantled the Madrid defence with ease’. That was the game when Spanish football realised they had a potential superstar in their ranks.
Sevilla had realised his potential right from the start. Born within a 25-minute drive of Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium in the Andalusian town of Utrera – home to just 50,000 inhabitants, this was also oddly the birthplace of Dani Ceballos, another future Gunners star – he had been handed his first-team debut aged just 16. By the time of his switch to England, Reyes had already clocked up 96 first-team Sevilla appearances and was ready-made for Arsene Wenger ’s side.
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido described the sale as “the saddest thing we have ever had to do,” and protests were held outside the stadium following the sale. Reyes was like many young Andalusians in his reluctance to leave home; deeply grounded in his familial life and comforts.
Leaving the sun-soaked streets of southern Spain for wet and rainy London was not his natural instinct. In a deal which would rise to £17million with add-ons, Reyes agreed to the deal on one condition: all the money would go directly to cash-strapped Sevilla, who had developed his career, with no commission for agents.
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Reyes broke through at Sevilla as a teenage star (Getty Images)
He returned to the club in 2012, winning three Europa League titles with the Andalusians (Getty Images)At this stage, Reyes was breaking into the Spain international setup having impressed at under-21 level where he roomed with Mikel Arteta. "He will probably be looking down and feeling proud of both of the clubs," the Arsenal boss said of his former national team-mate ahead of the first meeting between the two clubs since his passing. "He was a player of extraordinary talent, one of the greatest in the history of Arsenal. He is part of our history in an important way, he was part of 'The Invincibles'."
Within four months of his move to north London, Reyes became the first Spaniard to win the Premier League title and he played no small role in Arsenal’s historic ‘Invincible’ league season too. While the forward’s most famous moment came as he netted twice in an FA Cup comeback victory over Chelsea, he also netted the winner over Fulham in the penultimate Premier League clash having scored a second-half equaliser during a draw at Portsmouth – helping to preserve Wenger’s side’s historic unbeaten league campaign.
Reyes bagged 23 goals in 110 appearances for the Gunners: winning three trophies and appearing in the 2006 Champions League final. After that narrow loss, he joined Real Madrid on a season-long loan – helping them to win their first La Liga title in four years. He won trophies everywhere he went, including at Benfica, Atletico Madrid, and after an emotional return to Sevilla in 2012. Reyes remarkably won five Europa League trophies in the space of seven seasons.
Reyes played a key role in Arsenal's 'Invincibles' season (AFP/Getty Images)The Spaniard was a player who did not seek the spotlight, who was never entirely comfortable with his star status yet who continued to perform and win with it. In January 2019, he signed a five-month deal with Segunda club Extremadura. One month before the deal expired, the 35-year-old was killed in a car accident. His cousin, 23-year-old Jonathan Reyes, also passed away while another passenger, Juan Manuel Calderon, sustained serious injuries. Later that day, a minute’s silence was held before the Champions League final – which he had participated in 13 years earlier.
Earlier this month, Jose Antonio Reyes junior – the 16-year-old son of the former star – signed his first professional contract with Real Madrid. Having also impressed at youth-team level for Spain, Reyes junior had been on Madrid’s books since his dad’s death and the club wasted no time in tying him down to professional terms.
Sevilla play Arsenal for the first time since the death of Reyes on Tuesday night and there will be no more fitting occasion to remember his impact and legacy at both clubs.
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