Let’s all take a minute or two (or a few hours) to bask in the glory of this Keylor Navas save.
https://vine.co/v/ep9qFbOizaD
With the score tied at 1-1, the Costa Rican goalkeeper’s vital paradón helped lead the Madrileño team to victory, earning them the coveted Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu.
After the match, Rafa Benítez was quoted saying that Navas had a very good game, and that he had three very good goalkeepers who he intended to work with “to the maximum.”
Okay. Alright. Cool. But don’t you just wish the goalkeeper saga that’s been plaguing the Madrid locker room for years could finally reach its long-awaited end? Aren’t you dying to see a solid goalkeeper – like Keylor Navas or Kiko Casilla – have a decent shot at securing the number one spot between the posts for good, without living under the constant, pervasive fear that his time in the spotlight might come to an end as early as tomorrow morning after practice at Valdebebas?
Madrid’s goalkeeper troubles started back in December of 2012, when José Mourinho dropped the man who’s bled sangre blanco since the day he was born: Iker Casillas. By “troubles,” I mean that top-notch keepers like Diego López, Navas, and Casillas have seen their positions in the squad questioned, challenged, and sometimes lost altogether due to often rash decisions by club officials. Is it time to give a porterazo like Navas a fair shot?
https://twitter.com/Dj_Tati85/status/633987140230225921
In all honesty, it seems more likely that Navas will take center stage as part of negotiations to bring David De Gea to Madrid before cementing his position between the posts for Madrid. His inclusion in a deal with United has the potential to reduce De Gea’s €40 million price tag and give him the chance to earn a starting spot over Argentine Sergio Romero.
It’s hard not to get disheartened by the way that players are thrown to the side when the next hot commodity becomes available (and subsequently becomes an all-encompassing obsession in Florentino’s mind), but I guess that’s the luxury of being Real Madrid. The club clearly has an excellent system in place for bringing superb young talent into the mix, but has some work to do in relation to the respect it shows for its veteran players.
At this point, we can only really hope that this doesn’t drag on much longer, regardless of how it concludes. Shouts out to Navas for crushing it.