Sergio Arribas: 'In less than 48 hours, I travelled across Spain to be with my team'
From a delivery room to the dressing room: Arribas's 1,000km dash to the Anoeta Stadium, arriving just 20 minutes before kick-off
Sergio Arribas lived a whirlwind 48 hours that blended the most emotional moment of his personal life with a heroic effort to remain present for his team. The UD Almería attacking midfielder became a father on Thursday night and less than a day later, arrived at the Anoeta Stadium just 20 minutes before kick-off against Real Sociedad 'B', after a 1,000km, 10-hour journey across Spain.
What began as a standard training week in Almería suddenly turned into something unforgettable. On Thursday morning, his wife Anahis went into labour. 'We were training in the afternoon, but that morning she started having contractions. I spoke to Rubi straight away and he gave me permission to drive to Madrid,' Arribas explained in an interview with UDA Radio.
'Everything happened fast and went very well. I made it in time to see my son born,' he stated. But the journey did not end there. Driven by adrenaline, joy and dedication, Arribas immediately began planning the second leg of his trip to rejoin the team for the weekend match. 'In less than 48 hours, I drove across Spain,' he recalled. I barely slept, but I told the head coach I could make it to San Sebastián. My dad and my brother drove me to the stadium, I arrived just 20 minutes before the game started.'
By the time he entered the dressing room, his team-mates were already in their final huddle. 'They were doing the war cry. 5 minutes later, I was on the bench still pulling on my shorts,' the 23-year-old said.
Though he did not get to score and dedicate a goal to his newborn son Marco, the playmaker hinted that celebration may come soon: 'I’ve saved it for this weekend,' he smiled.
And what a weekend it promises to be since UD Almería face current league table-toppers Racing Santander in what Arribas calls 'a beautiful match' between two attacking sides. 'We’ve got two very tough months ahead and this match will show where we stand. We both always go forward, always want the ball. It’ll be one to watch,' Arribas concluded.