The gloom heralding the storm looming over our land makes me sometimes forget about the task of researching sports to write my Sunday column. What is the importance of the cups today, the sporting failures of the Astillero clubs, the death of sport in the Sports Federation of Guayas, an entity that seems to have changed its name to a company name; the adventures of the minister of sports who decided to create a political image based on photos and broadcasts, and sports entities do not receive funds?

We are living a story of terror, of useless sessions, of incompetents, of a presidential speech that seems to have been recorded on an old tape (“We will apply the full weight of the law; there will be no impunity”, “we will get to the last” consequence”). There is no refuge where we can hide to escape gunmen or politicians who fire their missiles into the future of our society. Who stops the violence that bypasses the “triple security rings” and puts us without the advertised and useless “rings” in danger of death?

I am saddened by the death of two great friends: champion María Cangá, international judo and athletics star, and Andrés Rendón Briones, social communicator and photojournalist who graced the ranks of newspapers and magazines, including Diario EL UNIVERSO, where I had him as a friend.

How to escape from the ominous shadow that darkens us, that pushes us into pessimism and hopelessness? Sometimes I find peace in re-reading old books, in worn copies of Estadia and El Gráfico, and in opening albums containing very old photographs that remind me of dear friends and lead me to relive almost forgotten episodes.

One of those photos gave me light and instant peace. Not everyone who appears on the graph played regularly at Club Sport Emelec, but in the 50s and 60s the best teams from America and Europe came to the Capwell or Modelo stadiums. They were faced by our teams, which reinforced football players from other clubs for a better performance.

The photo that appears in this column refreshes our memories of good players for yesterday, today and tomorrow, although the ‘wise’ fifteen-year-olds from radio and television who still stain their diapers say that they did not know how to play football. Some were not able to overcome the cracks who just run to catch the ball and the treasurer of the club, the holder of a juicy check. They don’t care about the shirt, whose history they ignore; They are only interested in the figure agreed with the president (sometimes reduced, who knows why by an obscure pact).

On the far left is Flavio Nall, an elastic centre-back or forward with excellent technique. There was a time when Fedeguayas organized intercantonal championships. From the Milagro team, in 1954, Flavio came out as a striker, together with another star: Hugo Pardo. Unión Deportiva Valdez signed him to replace him with the historic Leonardo Mondragón.

Shortly thereafter, he assumed the position. When Valdez disappeared in 1958, Nall went to Everest and was in the national team for the Extraordinary South American in 1959. He was part of the World Cup qualifying team in Chile in 1962 and played in the 1963 South American in Bolivia. He was national champion in 1962 with the well-remembered Red Roller.

Along with Nallo, one of the most technical midfielders in the history of Ecuadorian football appears on the chart: Jaime Carmelo Galarza. Like many boys, he appeared in Rookies League tournaments and from the entity that produced the big stars: England, led by Toribio Espinosa de los Monteros. It was inside right. For the “wise” fifteen-year-olds to know: there were five strikers, and today there is barely one left, and if the “balanced” coach experiences an attack of impudence, he appoints another one.

With the right index finger he played interior or entreala. Carmelo was born with an excellent technique that flourished without a teacher, with pure intuition. In 1954, Club Sport Patria took him into their ranks to join him with veteran teacher Faust Montalván, who was burning his last cartridges. De Patria went to the Guayas team and teamed up with César Veinte mil Solórzano. In 1956, he teamed up with Rómulo Gómez and both went to the national team.

In 1958, undefeated champions Patria based their territorial dominance on a midfield line that is among the best of all time: Carmelo Galarza and Argentine Oswaldo Fortunato Sierra. In 1959, the patricians repeated the title under the technical guidance of Montalván, who united Galarza with the wonderful José Merizalde. When he moved to 9 de Octubre Galarza joined another great midfielder who came from Aduano Portuario: Raúl Montero. No one, who appreciates well-played football, will be able to forget Carmelo Galarza who, in addition to making great plays, was a great performer of free kicks and penalties.

In the center of the photo is Honorato Gonzabay, who is cited by those who really know football and who have seen hundreds or thousands of games as one of the greatest and most elegant central defenders. Ralph del Campo, one of our most respected journalists, called him a field marshal and thus entered history. He was a center forward at Milagro Sporting and was nicknamed Guarumo because of his height.

One day they were missing a central defender and they put Gonzabayo there. It was the beginning of his brilliant career that continued with Unión Deportiva Valdez, the Ecuadorian team in 1955, 1957 and 1959, Atlético Chalaco de Lima and 9 de Octubre. He was very hard to miss, exceptional, refined, elegant, it was a spectacle to see him come out with the ball in dominance to hand it to his midfielders as a pleasant gift.

7-2 Catholic University

Next up is Uruguayan Eustaquio Claro, who arrived at Emelec in 1961. He was in his country’s squad for the South American youth team in 1954 and, apart from his class, was a player of great personality and very strict grading. He was a national champion with electrics, forming a great middle line with Vicentino’s crack Walter Arellano. He played for Emelec in the 1962 Copa Libertadores and formed the midfield alongside José Merizalde in the night’s 7-2 victory against Universidad Católica de Chile in Modelo.

And on the far right, one of Emelec’s all-time symbols: Raúl Argüello Espinoza, almost always a striker and also a central defender. He was technical and tough at the same time, but faithful. He was a youngster when he was given an alternative in the first place alongside Jaime Ubilla and the great Argentine centre-back Eladio Leisso. His duels with Gonzalo Chalo Salcedo, as tough and brave as his marker, were famous. It was a train wreck in shipyard classics, but they never complained; they fell, rolled and got up without a word.

There were never any claims between the two and they were still great friends off the field. Argüello was in the national team in 1957 and 1959, and left Emelec on October 9, 1963, after defending the electric currency for eleven seasons. (OR)