On Sunday, Seville legend Jesús Navas will perform for his boyhood club for the last time…
The 39-year-old Navas announced his decision to retire in September due to a hip infection. Today's away match against Real Madrid will be the last game of his 23-year career.
After 704 games and 8 trophies for Sevilla, this is his story:
Originally from the small town of Los Palacios y Villafranca, Navas joins the academy at the age of 15.
He progressed through the academy and made his debut in the reserve team in Segunda División B at the age of 17.
At the age of 18, he made his first-team debut in the last 12 minutes against RCD Espanyol at Montjuïc on 23 November 2003, wearing the number 31 shirt.
His breakthrough came during the 2004/05 season and established himself in the first team under Joaquín Caparrós and then Juande Ramos. He scores his first goal against Athletic Club in San Mamés.
In 2005/06, he got the crucial extra-time assist in the second leg against Schalke at the Sánchez-Pizjuán for Antonio Puerta in the UEFA Cup semi-final, sending the club to a European final for the first time ever.
In the final in Eindhoven, Navas won his first ever trophy with a 4-0 win over Middlesbrough.
In the UEFA Super Cup in August against Champions League winner Barcelona Navas starts as we brush aside the Catalans 3-0. He gets an assist for the second goal when his strike finds Frédéric Kanouté who heads in the second goal on a memorable night in Monaco.
In 2007, Navas repeated this feat again, as he won the UEFA Cup again in May. Once again he assisted Kanoute in a European final as we beat RCD Espanyol on penalties in Glasgow to complete back-to-back UEFA Cup victories.
In one of the best seasons in the club's history, Navas lifted his first Copa del Rey trophy after a 1-0 win against Getafe at the Bernabéu in June, for the largest ever traveling support for a match in Spain with more than 85,000 Sevillistas in the Spanish capital.
It will be a hat-trick of titles in three months when the Spanish Super Cup is added after a 6-3 win over two games against Real Madrid.
After suffering from fear of winning problems, he was able to overcome his fears with support and made his long-awaited debut for the Spanish national team in November 2009, coming on as a substitute for Andrés Iniesta in a 2-1 friendly win against Argentina.
In May 2010 he added a second Copa del Rey title to his collection. With 91 minutes left on the clock and a 1-0 lead against Atlético Madrid at Camp Nou, Navas breaks free from the halfway line and then circles the goalkeeper to score the second and seal the victory.
In a golden summer, Navas is part of the Spanish team that wins the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In the final against the Netherlands, he dribbles away from three players who start the move that leads to Andres Iniesta's dramatic extra-time winner.
In 2012 he won the European Championship in Poland/Ukraine, with Spain playing three games and scoring once. His goal against Croatia in the crucial final group stage match seals Spain's progress to the quarter-finals.
In June 2013, he parted ways with Nervión as he signed for Manchester City. In four seasons in England he won the Premier League and two League Cup titles.
In 2017, at the age of 31, he returned for his second spell at his youth club.
He takes the number 16 with him as a tribute to his late friend and teammate Antonio Puerta.
In December 2017, he makes his 416th appearance for the club, overtaking Pablo Blanco to become the creator of the highest appearance in the club's history.
He is appointed club captain ahead of the 2018/19 season and in October the training ground stadium will be renamed Estadio Jesús Navas in his honour.
For the 2019/20 season, after former teammate José Antonio Reyes died in a car accident in the summer, he will wear a bracelet paying tribute to both Reyes and Puerta.
We will reach the Europa League final in the 2019/20 season. On the morning of the final in Cologne, his godfather dies. An emotional Navas then provides the cross with which Luuk de Jong heads in for our opening goal as we beat Inter Milan 3-2.
Navas dedicates the victory to Puerta, Reyes, Marcelo Campanal and his godfather.
In 2023 we will reach another Europa League final with Navas in the team. He played a key role in the final in Budapest, where his cross from the right flank forced an own goal as we beat AS Roma on penalties – a fourth UEFA Cup/Europa League victory for Navas.
Later that same summer, he won the UEFA Nations League with Spain after a penalty shootout against Croatia in Rotterdam.
In 2024, in the twilight of his career and in his last major tournament, he helps lead Spain to another international success by winning the 2024 European Championship. He becomes the most decorated player in the history of the Spanish national team.
In September, five and a half years after his last goal against Barcelona, he scored against Getafe – his last goal in a Sevilla shirt.
In October he will become the most important appearance maker of all time in El Gran Derbi with his 28th appearance. After a 1-0 win, he is lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates for a final post-derby celebration.
Last weekend he starts his last home game against Celta Vigo at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. On an emotional evening in Nervión, marked by a number of tributes, he is given a guard of honor before kick-off and then a standing ovation when he is substituted outside and after the match.
Today, after 704 appearances for the club, 7701 days after his first appearance at Montjuïc, he will make one last appearance…
Goodbye, legend.
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