Very much in his style, without noise or fuss, Rudy Fernández has announced that he will retire at the end of this season. At 39 years old, only his taste and respect for the game, together with his ability to withstand the rigors of top competition with a fairly battered body and be able to continue adding value to both Madrid and the national team, has kept him in career. Once his departure is official, the recognition will be unanimous, without ifs or buts. It has not always been like this, and he has needed extreme longevity for his figure to have reached the place he deserves. Surely sharing the Hispanic Olympus with names of the stature of Gasol, Navarro or Calde put him on the back foot a bit. Nor has his character at times been ideal to win the affection of the staff, although I have the feeling that this never worried him. Be that as it may, it is no longer debatable that the successful story written by Spanish basketball in the last 20 years has Rudy Fernández as one of its main protagonists.
His legacy is twofold. In the selection she always knew how to understand her role, that she was never a prima donna. From his beginnings, back in 2004, in which he became an unbeatable complement to the gold juniors to his recent role as a veteran captain carrying the values that must be transmitted to new generations. As for Madrid, just remember that he was the first big signing of the Laso era. After his arrival, the section took a radical turn and went from a time of darkness to a bright, almost blinding one, which lasts to this day.
Rudy has been a total player, since his impact reaches both sides of the court. Offensively, nature and training gave him a very well-calibrated wrist, which, together with his great athletic ability and a good reading of the game, made him a threat. On the other side of the court, his good offensive grade turned into an outstanding defensive one despite the brown teams he had to face. A thousand times we have seen him in supposed inferiorities fighting against opponents who were a hand’s breadth taller or 10 kilos in tonnage. A thousand times we witnessed in admiration how these disadvantages were not reflected and the warrior Fernández emerged victorious.
Which brings us to his best virtue, that infinite competitive capacity, close to ferocity, which has accompanied him even in some moments where his physique was not enough. The more demanding the challenge, individual or collective, the greater effort and performance he was able to offer. He cared little or nothing about leaving his health or reputation behind. For an extreme competitor, that is the least of it.
Perhaps as a reward for what he has given to this game, life has written him a closure that can be glorious. In addition to seeking his last two major titles with Madrid, Rudy can, pre-Olympic through, become the first basketball player to play in six Olympic Games. A culmination at the height of a brilliant career.
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