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The 2010 World Cup may have happened more than a decade ago, but the memories of that occasion are still etched – figuratively and literally – in former Spain defender Joan Capdevila’s mind and body.
Capdevila played every minute for Spain as they worked their way to lifting their first World Cup title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final at FNB Stadium.
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The 44-year-old, who was part of a solid defensive unit that included Sergio Ramos, Carlos Puyol and Gerard Piqué, bears a tattoo of the World Cup trophy with the word “Johannesburg” inked below the artwork on his left calf.
“When I look back at having won the World Cup with Spain in South Africa, a lot of nostalgia is what I feel because it’s something I was able to experience in person,” said Capdevila via Zoom from Spain during a media event organised by the LaLiga office in South Africa.
“And that really helps, it makes it easier when you spend time in a [foreign] country, but obviously you can imagine what I remember from the tournament that I won … you know, the taste was much better. I felt that I would never have that opportunity due to my age at the time, but I was able to enjoy the whole experience.
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“We played in the Confederation Cup a year before in South Africa and that helped a lot. It allowed us to adapt, to deal with the playing times and a new way of life. I have wonderful memories of South Africa.
“In fact, I have the World Cup [trophy] tattooed with ‘Johannesburg’ on my leg. It was a wonderful feeling when I look back at the World Cup. It was an incredible experience. Sometimes, I try to explain this to my children, but it is very difficult to put in words those amazing experiences and feelings I had.”
Apart from the World Cup, South Africans with great memories will also remember Capdevila playing alongside the great Marcos Senna in the Villarreal CF side that reached the quarterfinals of the Uefa Champions League in the 2008/09 season.
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“I had the great privilege to play for 15 years in LaLiga and it wasn’t easy. It’s a very demanding and tough league. It’s considered to be one of the best in the world.
“There are players like [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo who have managed to stay on top of their game in LaLiga, which was not easy to do.
“My dad won the league with Espanyol when I was very young, and the hardest thing is to stay in the league.
For Capdevila, as he once told Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, a World Cup winners’ medal doesn’t compare with any other prize in football: “You can win LaLiga titles or Uefa Champions Leagues, but to win the World Cup is the biggest thing. If you were to ask Messi, I am convinced that he would swap all his Ballon d’Or trophies to win the World Cup.”
The now retired player has renewed his links with South Africa by virtue of being the ambassador for his boyhood club Espanyol.
For now, Capdevila and Espanyol are looking at ways of contributing to the development of youth and grassroots football in South Africa through the club’s academy, which was launched in South Africa in April.
