JESÚS NAVAS CELEBRATES 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEBUT

20 years ago today, Jesús Navas made his debut at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuic against RCD Espanyol, replacing Paco Gallardo in the 78th minute. It was Joaquín Caparrós, recent inductee into our Managerial Hall of Fame, who introduced him alongside a string of other academy players, into the senior squad.

Despite defeat on the day, the date was etched in gold ink into the Sevilla history books, with that substitute going on to become a club legend. He has gone on to play 668 competitive matches for the club, over 200 more than any other player (Pablo Blanco is second with 415), including 483 appearances in the league, 65 in the Copa del Rey, 65 Europa League, 46 in the Champions League, 4 in the UEFA Super Cup and 5 in the Spanish Super Cup. Of course, he has racked up an impressive list of honours in that time: four Europa Leagues, two Copa del Rey trophies, one UEFA Super Cup and one Spanish Cup.

Alongside his great success at the club, it would be remiss not to mention his achievements with the Spanish national team. Just last week, on 16th November, he marked a half-century of caps, which span across three decades, having won the World Cup, European Championships and most recently the UEFA Nations League. 

At 38 years old, our captain continues to prolong his legend status by performing each week with more courage and passion for the club he loves more than any other footballer. It was this character which saw our training pitch named after him before even finishing his playing career, just one of the many plaudits he has enjoyed. Navas is, without doubt, a sevillista through and through.