Ruben De la Red, Always In Our Hearts

By: Corey | October 26th, 2009

With the Copa del Rey beginning for Real Madrid tomorrow, we are reminded of the start of a troubling time in our club’s history. The laughable reign of president Ramon Calderon, the stressful period under Bernd Schuster, and the loss of one of our own to a rare illness which still does not have a cure. As Antonio Puerta and Dani Jarque have passed in recent years, and may they rest in peace, we should feel fortunate that Ruben de la Red is still amongst us. On October 30th in a Copa del Rey match against Real Union, Ruben collapsed on the field and was immediately rushed to the hospital that night. He would not return to the pitch, and the tie was all but lost for the Real players who had other things on their mind at that point.

Ruben was an up and coming star in the world of football, and the name on the lips of many a Real Madrid fans that season. After two incredible years at Getafe, he was repurchased after winning the European Cup with the national selection that summer. It was to be his big year, and with Bernadine Schuster behind him, De la Red became a starter in the midfield next to Mahamadou Diarra, forming a tantalizing 1-2 punch. His early season form was nothing short of outstanding, with assists, goals and great defensive play combined in to a very tidy package of passing, hustle and Madridismo. He was the canterano the first team was crying out for.

His subsequent collapse and undiagnosed heart conditioned have put a halt to his career, which looked like it could scale the heights of the footballing world. He now waits a second battery of tests to determine the true cause of his collapse and whether he will ever be cleared to play again. Real Madrid have prohibited him from playing until he is cleared by a medical team as a precaution, but he still remains a member of the team, attending training occasionally and being involved in the cantera system. Ruben and close friend Esteban Granero spoke recently of their hope of Ruben returning to the field next season, and we all hope this will be the case.

Here is an excellent video found by reader labomba, highlighting Ruben’s meteoric rise from average Castilla center back to gifted central midfielder.

Leave your comments on Ruben or anything else below. If you do get to watch the match against Alcorcon on Tuesday, kept Ruben in mind. I am sure he will be watching the game and wondering ‘what if?’.