For Reyes, this was not just any match. Like every Sevillista, the derby was that match that gave you butterflies in your stomach, a match that doesn't last just 90 minutes. Four years ago today, 24th April 2016, Sevilla FC beat Real Betis at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in the 35th league match of the season.
A happy day to look back on for Sevilla fans, but at the time this wasn't a particularly extraordinary day for a fanbase who are very accustomed to derby wins. However, as time passed, this would become an extraordinary day. As the referee blew for full time, with the Nervionenses leading 2-0 and a European semi final on the horizon, José Antonio Reyes wore the Sevilla shirt for the final time in his career.
He did not score against the old enemy that day, as he had done earlier on in the season in the home cup derby, one of his six goals against them, five with Sevilla and one with Espanyol. But he was able to enjoy one last derby in front of a raucous home crowd. He left the field to a standing ovation in the 75th minute, when he made way for Coke and gave him the armband, with the score at 2-0.
He did not score that day, as he had done in the cup that season
A few days after that win, and the bragging rights that come with a derby win, the club announced that the man from Utrera had an emergency operation after suffering from appendicitis, which meant that he was unable to feature in the semi final against Shakhtar and the next league match, which was a trip to Espanyol. However, he was unable to return to action as a Sevilla player, missing the Europa League final against Liverpool in Basel, and the Copa del Rey Final at the Calderón a few days later, a defeat against Barcelona.
Reyes left Sevilla that summer by joining Espanyol, but he did have the opportunity to say farewell, which came in the build-up to the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. He would also go on to play one final match in Nervión, which, coincidentally, was the first league match of the following season, coming off the bench in Sevilla's remarkable 6-4 win against Espanyol. His final time at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, which was just under a year ago, is the one that nobody wanted to happen, when the player had become a legend.
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