Goodbye Roberto : -(

The Soldier is finally leaving us folks. Its been rumored before, and it became painfully obvious as we sat by and watch his considerable talents go to waste on the bench. But its finally happened, Roberto Soldado is a Getafe player. He has played for the club for 8 years as a youth team product, and was one of the best striker the Castilla team has ever seen. He made his league debut for Ramon Lopez Caro against Valencia on October 23rd, in a 2-1 home loss. He would go on to score a game winner against Olympiakos in the CL (before his league debut actually) as well as against Santander, while he scored against Osasuna and Bilbao in the Copa del Rey.

Also during his debut season, he scored 19 goals in the second division for Castilla, being second highest scorer in the division behind Uche. He would in total score 23 goals that year for both teams, but it was not enough to help Real clinch a title or keep Real Madrid Castilla from being relegated. He moved to Osasuna under Capello, having an excellent season for them, with 11 league goals, 14 goals in total.

He also played for Spain twice in EURO qualifiers against Lichenstein and Latvia, impressing with his ability to hold up the ball and let David Villa run off his play. Roberto also played for the Spain U-21 team 17 times and scored 7 goals, and was a EUFA U-19 Champion with Spain.

Here is what Roberto had to say before he left Irding to return to Spain to be with Getafe:

Roberto Soldado leaves Real Madrid after eight years of service to the Club. The striker has been transferred to Getafe, but before leaving, he gave an exclusive interview to Realmadrid.com as a farewell to the fans.

Roberto, it’s time to say goodbye…

Yes, that’s true. An agreement with Getafe has been finally reached and I’m very happy about it. Last year was pretty bad or me, but I’m happy because I’ve learned a lot at this Club; I owe everything to Real Madrid and its fans, who have always shown their affection for me and youth system players in general. I want to thank everybody. I’ve learned so much from them… This is where I’ve grown both as a person and a player. I am both sad and happy now that I have to leave. It’s been eight years… Real Madrid will always be in my heart.

You seem to be quite moved…

It’s been eight beautiful years in which I’ve learned a lot. My family’s also enjoyed watching me play for Real Madrid, which had always been my dream. I new challenge awaits me at Getafe, where I hope to learn much from the people at the club. I want to be humble and work hard.

Getafe have a beautiful and ambitious project.

I thank the club for its efforts and the confidence it has in me. I want to thank President Ángel Torres for his efforts to sign me and I hope to pay him back for his confidence in me with goals.

You’ve been an exemplary academy player for years…

Every youth system player dreams about playing on the first team and I have been lucky to achieve that dream, even if I haven’t had much playing time. I want to play. I’m 23 years old and I want to play as much as possible and join the national team. That’s something difficult for me at Real Madrid.

What would you like to tell the youth system players who dream about being promoted to the first team?
I want them to fight hard to achieve staying on the first team for a long time, which is something I never managed to do. It may be hard, but there may be several academy players on the first team in the future.

What did your teammates say to you when you bid them farewell?

We are going to continue being friends because I’m going to live in Madrid. The most beautiful thing is to have that friendship with people at the Club and in the dressing room.

Good luck.

Thank you.

I dont have access to YouTube at work, so I cant put up some of his goals, but when I get home I will put them here:

The grace he displays while leaving the club is incredible. He never threw a tantrum about not playing or used the media to insist on leaving. He recognized he needed more playing time, asked the club for a move and stayed patient. The club obliged and he got a move to Getafe, which I think will further his career once again but I expect to see him playing for Valencia one day, although I still hold out hope he will come back to Real one day. Roberto was my best bet for the second coming of mini-Jesus (although he is much taller than regular Jesus) Fernando Morientes to partner regular Jesus, Raul. I miss El Moro, but I think I will miss Soldado even more, because he had such a passion and a dedication to the club, something alot of the players on the roster just dont have. They may say it, but Roberto lived it. He will forever be a Madridista, and much like the other departed Castilla products, will always be welcome in Madrid. Adios Roberto.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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