Quinta de Joaquin--Soccernet Article

Got this from the Phil Ball article on Soccernet. Chopped off the beginning and just forwarded the part that refers to Betis and the "Quinta de Joaquin".

Saludos y Viva Er Eurobeti Manque Alfonso y Lopera!

Pichi




Barcelona were certainly sweating down in Huelva's new stadium, to which Betis had been temporarily exiled because of crowd-trouble at the Seville derby last season.

The 'Quinta de Joaquín' ran Van Gaal's lot ragged, and darkened the skies that had been brightening over the Camp Nou after the excellent win at Galatasaray in midweek.

Betis, traditionally Seville's working-class club, formed in 1909 by renegade members of Sevilla who were incensed by that club's refusal to sanction the signing of a working-class player from the Triana district, are the new season's talking-point, the new darlings of the press.


Emilio Butragueno: Leader of the fabled Quinta del Buitre.
(Pics/Empics)

Even before they took Barça apart, several members of the press had been using the sacred phrase 'La Quinta de Joaquín', a complex expression understood by all Spanish football followers, but one slightly more opaque for foreign watchers. The 'quinta' has nothing to do with the number 5, but comes from military parlance, meaning 'call-up' or 'draft'.

In Spanish culture it refers to the group of buddies that you made during your year of National Service, the guys you peeled your spuds with. The phrase reached its apotheosis in the 'Quinta del Buitre' (The Vulture's Gang), a magical expression in the annals of this country's football, referring to the five players who emerged from Real Madrid's youth teams of the early 1980's, one of whom was Emilio Butragueño, 'The Vulture' - so named for his habit of feeding off the scraps caused by the actions of others, chiefly the other members of his 'quinta'.

These players, particularly Michel, Martin Vásquez and Sanchís, went on to form one of the capital's best ever sides, and the phrase is not to be used lightly. The other fact to note of the phrase is that it means that the players are local, or that they have been brought up through the nursery sides.

For Real Madrid, famous for their big-name signings from the 1930's onwards, the historical importance of the 'quinta' resided in the fact that the players were local, apart from Miguel Pardeza, from Huelva. But he had also come through the ranks, so no matter.

Nowadays, with the ranks of foreigners swelling the league, a local 'quinta' is indeed something to celebrate. Hence the significance of the fact that the young Betis winger Joaquín has been christened with a 'quinta' all of his own, surrounded by five players who were either born in Seville or who came up through Betis B.


Joaquin: A Spanish cross between Scots John Robertson and Willie Morgan.
(Pic/Empics)

The players in question are the defenders Varela (just called up by the national side), Juanito, David Rivas, midfielder 'Arzu' (Arturo García) and 'Capi' (Jesus Capitán), also called up this week after earning rave reviews. Last but not least is Joaquín, actually born in Cádiz, but a product of the 'cantera' (literally the 'quarry', the youth-team).

Since breaking into the public consciousness in Korea, the likeable, slightly tubby young winger has been almost permanently in the public eye, but the fuss, for a change, is more than justified.

Like a cross between Willie Morgan and John Robertson (if you're old enough to remember), Joaquín is sticking to the right touchline and re-igniting the dying art of the 'right-winger'.

For those who love their dribblers, Seville is the place to be this season. Barça simply couldn't handle him, and his goal, Betis' second, was like something out of a schoolboy's comic-book. Great stuff.

But to sound a word of caution, and to return to the theme of the first half of this article, it may be only so long before the hatchet-men hunt him down.