Rafa Leba, with the enthusiasm of a young man

“As long as I continue with motivation and enthusiasm, I don’t think about retiring.” This is Rafa Leba. The legendary goalkeeper has joined the Gabba’s ranks. At 44 years old, Leva seems to have a lot of energy for a while.

With a very long career in naval football, Rafa Leba has seen football in all its colours. He trained in the best Spanish academies (Barcelona, ​​Espanyol, Dam, Mallorca), from there he went to Ferrioense (Mallorca’s second subsidiary at the time), Ospitalet, Recreativo, Egea, Constantia, Manresa, Europa, Masnou and above all Zamboia, where he spent 11 years in two stages, during which he also served as technical secretary. He ended his activities with the Vermilion Club at the age of 39. But instead of leaving football, he signed with Jupiter at the age of 40. He was then joined by the teams of Lloreda, Molins de Rei and Rubi, but it was with this team that he had his most special moments, as in addition to being promoted to La Liga, he also featured in the Copa del Rey match against Athletic Club. After that, they passed through the Kings League. “I enjoyed playing for the Kings last season, but I was already missing Green,” Reba explains. So this course is back. He joins Barbera from Segunda Catalana, coached by Juan Carlos Torres. But just two days ago he signed with the Gabba. “The possibility of playing for Gabá, where Jose Alcaraz, who I played with at Zamboia, came up, and I was bitten by the bug of playing again for a team with such history. I was very excited, remembering the good times in Gabá, where I used to play against them. There was also the possibility that I could help the team get back into the category it deserves.”

No expiry date

“Even at 44, I look great. I haven’t changed much from when I was younger. I’m very excited and want to train and learn. As always, I remain humble and learn from everyone around me. As long as I have everything and respect injuries, there are no limits for me,” says the in-form goalkeeper. “I wouldn’t rule out reaching 50 games.” Because at the moment, I’m not thinking about anything other than playing. “Do I focus on training? No, I don’t want to go to the dark side,” he says with a laugh. Although he acknowledges that he has changed with age, “I’m a lot calmer. As you get older, the pressure goes away. You know you’re there to enjoy the moment and have a good time. So everything goes a lot better.”

Locker room for 10 people

The two games in which Gaba played with Rafa Leba in goal ended in wins (3-1 against FA L’Hospitalet and 0-1 against Guinehueta). The goalkeeper couldn’t be happier with the start of a new stage, but most of all he realized that “There are 10 people in the locker room. It’s full of people who are passionate about growth and competition.And I think at least the goal of promotion is more than enough.”