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Spanish football is in mourning. Manolo 'el del Bombo', the most iconic, avid supporter of the Spanish national team, passed away this Thursday at the age of 76. His death is a source of deep sorrow for all football fans and especially for those of La Roja, who had become accustomed to seeing his famous figure on every pitch wherever, and whenever, the national team played.
Born in the town of San Carlos del Valle, Manuel Cáceres Artesero, the full name of this passionate fan who took his fervour and love for the national colour of red to venues all over the world, lived in Huesca, Zaragoza and Valencia, all cities in which he became an icon for banging his popular bass drum. His current home was in the town of Moncófar, in the province of Castellón. A few days ago he was admitted to the Hospital Universitario La Plana de Vila-Real due to respiratory problems that finally ended his life.
Manolo 'el del Bombo' attended ten World Cups and eight European Championships, tournaments that turned him into a true legend for Spanish fans, to the point of making him the star of several advertising campaigns. The last time he accompanied La Roja (red being the colour for the national team) was on 23 March. In his beloved Valencia he enjoyed an epic game that led the Spanish national team to the final four of the UEFA Nations League after defeating the Netherlands in the penalty shootout that decided the result of this thrilling match held at Valencia's Mestalla stadium.
That match, which Luis de la Fuente's side clinched thanks to the providential performance of Unai Simón in the fiercely contested 11-metre penalty shootout and Pedri's decisive spot-kick, provided a new joy for fans, who never spared any expense or effort when it came to indulging their passion for Spain's national squad.
A fervent supporter of the national team since childhood, Manolo first burst onto the drumming scene during the 1982 World Cup hosted by Spain. Since then, there has been no World Cup without his presence and his unique way of cheering on the national team. The World Cup tournaments of Mexico 1986, Italy 1990, USA 1994, France 1998, South Korea and Japan 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 were blessed with the presence of this warm-hearted fan. Everyone saw this legendary running streak cut short in 2022 when the Spanish football federation (FEF) awarded him entry tickets to attend the national team's matches at the World Cup in Qatar and provided him with flights, but not the proof of prepaid accommodation that he needed to enter that country, eventually leaving him grounded.
"I am very sad because I had everything arranged and, two days before leaving, they tell me that I have to have a hotel. I'm surprised that the people who gave me the tickets didn't find me a hotel even if I had to pay for it," Manolo said on television at the time. He was devastated at not being able to accompany the Spanish national team to a major tournament for the first time in four decades. The FEF assured him that, if Spain reached the semi-finals, they would pay for his hotel, but Spain's elimination in the last 16 at the hands of Morocco put paid to those plans to assuage Manolo's sorrows, and he was once again left in tears.
By then Manolo, who had 12 or 13 bombos (bass drums) and was offered up to 20,000 euros for one of them as he reported in the magazine 'Lecturas', had already closed the bar he had run for many years in Valencia, located just a few metres from the Mestalla stadium, which was a must-see for avid fans of Spanish football and especially for devotees of the Spanish national team. After 32 years in business, the covid-19 pandemic forced him to close the bar, which had become a veritable museum to football.
He then moved to a small flat in the town of Moncófar in Castellón, where he lived off his pension after a lifetime of working to pay for the passion that fuelled his existence (besides a few other life essentials). "I hope that one day I will be recognised for what I have done for the national team," said this man who had played at hundreds of matches, not only the big, official ones, but also the friendlies, which he turned into a real party with the boom of his bass drum while sporting the famous XL beret that always adorned his head.
"One of our most loyal fans, who always accompanied us through thick and thin, has passed away. We know that you will continue to make our hearts beat faster. Rest in peace, Manolo. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends," said the Spanish national team through its official channels after hearing the sad news that provoked countless messages of condolence from Spain's Olympic committee (COE) to LaLiga, as well as various clubs that will never forget the mark of Manolo cheering on La Roja with a fervour that from now on will resound from the heavens.
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