In an emotional ceremony at the Centro Multimeios de Espinho, the biggest name in Portuguese volleyball and a unique example of longevity in top sport explained his decision to his family, colleagues in the sport, friends, the media and dozens of admirers.
“This is my farewell. At the age of 52, I am ending my career as a volleyball player. I have devoted my life to this sport and will continue to do so, now with other functions. I cannot say how I feel. It is a mixture of pride and longing. I never thought I’d end it and I’ve never wanted to do it all this time, but the time has come.a”, the player condemned.
During its long journey, in addition to its Olympic achievements, the pavilion has won 15 first division championships, 10 Portuguese cups, six national super cups and the remarkable conquest of the now-extinct Top Teams Cup, a European competition that it won with the Sporting de Espinho , in 2001/2002, among many other awards that exceed 80, between individual and collective.
Despite the accolades and fame he has brought to Portuguese Volleyball, Miguel Maia feels he still owes something to the sport, which he insists on continuing to serve in the future regardless of the roles he fills.
“I will end these days as a player, but this will not end. I will continue to serve the modality that has helped me so much. I can assure you that I will do it with the same passion. You can count on me as a coach, manager or other role in which I can still be a value”, insured.
In this sense, the player who ended up at Académica de Espinho is also where he started his journey, and who has stood out in particular at Sporting de Espinho and Sporting, having also taken up a brief stint at Reima Crema’s Italian side in 2003. 2004, made a major revelation, with the distributor taking on a future candidacy for the presidency of the Portuguese Volleyball Federation.
“I have already done it personally, I will do it again publicly here. Your Excellency, President, Professor Vicente Araújo, I hereby pledge that after deciding to continue the excellent work you have been doing for decades, left, and I hope for much longer I, Miguel Barbosa Maia, will be available to take up the candidacy for the presidency of the Portuguese Volleyball Federation,” he revealed.
Towards the end of the speech, Miguel Maia took the opportunity to give a symbolic testimony and his son, Guilherme Maia, with whom he shared the dressing room of Académica de Espinho for the past two seasons, wore the emblematic shirt number 8, the song that made him famous..
Without a farewell “with pomp and circumstance,” as his legacy could predict, the player said he preferred to leave in the same manner, in a humble manner, with no prior plans.
“I left through the door I entered, mixed with humility and many dreams. I could have done it in many ways, even with a farewell match, in a win, with a title, at a less tired age. But everything was fluid as it started: without too much planning. Even in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined that I would play for so long,” he concludes.
Source: DN
