Sweet centenary for Javi Sánchez

By Greg Demetriou

When it comes to Futsal, few in Europe can rival Javi Sánchez. The veteran pivot of the Spanish national team may be 32, but he is showing no signs of slowing down.

What a week
In May, Javi Sánchez made history as the first player in Spain to reach 100 caps when he played in the 2-2 friendly draw against Iran. He was then a two-goal hero in his club's UEFA Futsal Cup final second-leg victory as Playas de Castellón ultimately triumphed 7-5 on aggregate against Action 21 Charleroi of Belgium.

Fans praised
"It's been an extraordinary week but one which would not have been the same without this achievement," he said. "Winning 100 caps for the national team is an individual thing but today is about the success of a team, a city, a support, a group who have put a lot into Futsal for many years."

Slow start
The Futsal year actually began on a low note for Javi Sánchez as he was part of the Spain team eliminated by Italy in the semi-finals of the third UEFA European Futsal Championship. Even so, Javi Sánchez still shone, nearly engineering a late equaliser only to be denied by strong goalkeeping.

Many honours
Javier Sánchez Franco has been with Castellón for all but one of the last ten years, spending the 1994/95 season with Pinturas Lepanto Zaragoza before heading home again. His list of honours is incredible, including European titles and world crowns, and while he has had to let young talent like Daniel and Kike share the stage, he is still a great performer.

Still learning
The secret of his success is simple. "You need the desire to carry on playing and I've a lot of desire - to be an important player, to show I merit a place in the team," he explained. "I've had some of the best players in the world around me, both in the national side and at my club. I have a great capacity to learn, I learn a lot every day and I want to carry on learning."

Stunning vision
The No9 showed all his class in the UEFA Futsal Cup final. In the first leg on 16 April, that finished 1-1, it was his stunning vision that led to a lofted pass for Vander Carioca to score a spectacular away goal. Then, in the second leg in front of a packed home crowd on 3 May, it was his quickfire double, after Alemao's opener, that set up victory.

Tough year
Summing up the achievement, he said: "This team has got fight and we are glad to work for each other. It's been a tough, physical year - we've not always been in the best condition, but we always give it our best." The Cáceres-born player added: "This season's win was the greatest achievement because the standard of Futsal in Europe is much higher."

More twists
With entry to the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup guaranteed and the 2004 FIFA World Futsal Championship to come, the Javi Sánchez story has plenty more chapters in store. He admitted that "next year it will be harder", but few would bet against him rising to the challenge.