As the final whistle blows on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu, it will mark the end of an era. Sevilla FC captain and local legend Jesús Navas, after 20 years, over 700 appearances, and a trophy cabinet brimming with silverware, will hang up his boots for the last time. The 39-year-old winger turned fullback leaves behind a legacy that will endure in the annals of Spanish football history.
From Prodigy to World Champion
Navas burst onto the scene as a precocious teenager, making his first team debut for Sevilla just days after his 18th birthday in 2003. His searing pace, direct running, and pinpoint delivery quickly marked him out as a special talent. By 2006, he was a key part of the Sevilla side that claimed back-to-back UEFA Cup (now Europa League) titles.
But it was on the international stage where Navas would truly make his mark. After overcoming anxiety issues that had previously hindered his ability to be away from home, he became a mainstay of the Spanish national team. His crowning moment came in the 2010 World Cup final, where his lung-busting run in extra time kickstarted the move that led to Andrés Iniesta’s winning goal.
Being a world champion is what you dream of as a kid. It’s the greatest thing, it’s the best, for a footballer.
– Jesús Navas
Premier League Champion
In 2013, Navas embarked on a new challenge, joining Manchester City in the Premier League. He hit the ground running, playing a key role as City lifted the title in his debut season. Though he found playing time harder to come by in subsequent campaigns, his stint in England saw him add a Premier League winner’s medal to his collection and prepared him for the next phase of his career.
Sevilla Homecoming
Navas returned to his boyhood club in 2017, and it was like he had never been away. Now deployed as an attacking right back, his experience and leadership proved invaluable as Sevilla navigated some turbulent times. His crowning moment came in 2020, when as captain he lifted the Europa League trophy once again, after a nail-biting 3-2 win over Inter Milan.
Even as injuries began to take their toll in recent seasons, Navas remained a talismanic presence. He broke the club’s all-time appearance record in 2022, surpassing the mark of 544 set by club icon Juan Araujo. Fittingly, he was chaired off the pitch by his teammates after the historic occasion.
An Enduring Legacy
As the tributes flood in ahead of his farewell match, Navas’ place in Sevilla folklore is already secure. The club’s training ground already bears his name, while his trophy haul – including three UEFA Cups/Europa Leagues, a European Super Cup, two Copas del Rey, and a Spanish Super Cup – may never be matched by a Sevilla player again.
Jesús Navas is exactly the same. He has the same face. He’s the same boy who started out. And that says a lot about the human quality of Jesús Navas.
– Joaquín Caparrós, former Sevilla manager
But perhaps his most enduring quality, as highlighted by former coach Joaquín Caparrós, is his humility and grounded nature. Despite all the accolades, the trophies, the fanfare, Navas remains the same unassuming, dedicated professional he was when he first stepped onto the pitch at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán all those years ago.
As the final chapter closes on a storied career this Sunday, Spanish football bids farewell to one of its favorite sons. For Sevilla supporters, there will be tears, and rightly so. But above all, there will be a sense of gratitude, for the memories, the magic moments, and the legacy that Jesús Navas leaves behind. The legend of the kid from Los Palacios who went on to conquer the footballing world.
Gracias por todo, Capitán.
