Juan Diego remembers as if it were yesterday the first time he set foot in the Benito Villamarín. Hand in hand with his godfather, he experienced a 3-0 victory against Granada. That was the beginning of one of the most beautiful love stories of his life.
Everything changed for him six months ago when he received «the worst news in the world.» Doctors diagnosed him with ALS, a degenerative disease that currently has no cure and originates when the nerve cells called motor neurons gradually decrease their function.
It is estimated that in Spain, about 4,000 people suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The incidence of ALS is 1-2 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. This disease mainly affects people between 40 and 60 years old and is more common in men than in women.
In a sleeve album, Juan Diego keeps all the membership cards and memories since he started his journey as a fan of the club. «From a preference with wooden seats or a whole stadium standing, through 2nd and 3rd division and soaked in water on rainy days,» he recalls nostalgically.
Among the sixty years he has been attending the temple, he highlights the promotions, the stays, the semifinal against Rayo Vallecano, and above all, the first day he took his son to the field, although it is difficult to choose just a few moments, as the memories of a lifetime are plentiful.
Juan Diego recounts that he «will never forget this field singing with five thousand throats, just as he does today with fifty, that feeling of being a Betis fan that only we understand.»
«To be a Betis fan, you have to be born a Betis fan, and I was born one,» says this faithful follower of the thirteen bars, who recalls his first Magi, where he was given the Betis goalkeeper Manuel Campos’ kit from the 70/71 season.
His greatest regret is not being able to accompany the team to Poland due to this disease, as he had always dreamed of seeing Betis in an international final.
That is why he could not miss the last game at the Benito Villamarín as we know it. He experienced the pre-match rituals, the entrance to Gol Norte accompanied by his son, and that feeling of reuniting with his second home, with that old friend who saw him grow.
Although in a wheelchair and in a different way, he once again supported his team as he has been doing for half a century and every two weeks.
In the days leading up to the last league match against Valencia, Juan Diego, accompanied by his son, visited the Benito Villamarín. At the edge of the field, he looked with a smile and teary eyes towards the seat in that stand that has given him so much joy.
For the first time, he entered the dressing room where his idols from yesterday and today adorned themselves on numerous occasions with the green and white kit and recalled the most special feats in the history of Real Betis Balompié in the museum of memories.
He couldn’t hold back the tears when he received a shirt signed by all the first-team players. «You have made me very happy,» Juan Diego expressed when words barely came out, overwhelmed by emotion.
Now, through various associations, Juan Diego fights for greater assistance and research, «hopefully it will help future patients.» «I find the club’s involvement in this and many other diseases spectacular,» he acknowledges.
