Remembering Tito Vilanova

Tito Vilanova was first known in August 2011, when Jose Mourinho in a El Clásico match against Real Madrid poked the Barcelona Assistant Manager in the eye unprovoked. But he already had spend 3 years helping the club to become one of the best teams ever.

In march 2011 the club announced that one of their players, Eric Abidal, was diagnosed for life threatening disease, and eight months later, Tito was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Pepe Guardiola was worried, questioning if all the tension, stress, wins, trophies, the challenge of being the best, … was worth it, especially when two people in your team are fighting for their lives.

The club used all their resources to ensure the best medical treatment for both of them. Abidal survived and was able to lift a Champions League trophy, in an emotive gesture from the team, and played for the best clubs in France and Greece.

But Tito wasn’t so lucky, he went through surgery twice to get tumors removed; but it kept relapsing. He said in his las speech before resigning that he knew he was fighting a long battle, but he was not alone in this match, he formed part of a Club that was helping him to go through this process.

Tito finally died on April 25th 2014; one day before a shocked and unconvincing Barcelona team beat Villareal 0-2.

During his funeral with many of the Barcelona players and officials, Tito’s teen daughter Carlota read out a speech that brought tears in everyone when she was remembering his father and his love for the Club.