When a man has been the best of his kind, and then is laididle by injury for eight months, the pain of withdrawal becomes cerebral ratherthan physical. For David Villa, the relief at coming back on Barcelona’s LaLiga opening game was beyond words. He entered the field late in the gamebetween Barcelona and Real Sociedad and was given a standing ovation by 75,000at the Camp Nou. When he scored, his celebration was preplanned and personal. Hestripped off his scarlet and blue jersey, revealing a black shirt imprintedwith a photograph of his wife and their two daughters, and the words:“Imposible sin vosotras” “ Impossible without you. Inevitably, the refereeshowed him the yellow card. It smacks of a game ruled by people who neverplayed, or forgot how it felt to do so.
Barca had to make do without not just Villa, but also Eric Abidal,the left back who needed liver transplant surgery; the captain Carles Puyol;and the new striker Alexis Sanchez, who also missed long stretches of lastseason. Real Madrid came through and took full advantage in a record season forboth the Spanish clubs “ and, as it happens, Real was back at the Camp Nou onThursday playing the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup between the leaguewinner and the King’s Cup winner. This time, some of the doubts will surroundMadrid because its opening match last weekend ended at 1-1 in the Bernabeuagainst Valencia.
In a tough match that included yellow cards for some fearfultackles, Madrid risked its goalie and captain, Iker Casillas, for more thanhalf the contest after he appeared to be groggy, maybe even concussed, after hebanged heads with his own defender, Pepe. Pepe spent Sunday night in a hospitalunder observation and was released on Monday. Spain missed Villa, even thoughit retained its European championship without him. “He suffered a lot,” saidBarcelona’s playmaker, Xavi. “He has had a considerable injury, and the bestnews tonight is not that we won 5-1, but the return of El Guaje,” or the Kid.“We have missed him.”
