I imagine that the ideal is for a nickname to arise naturally, without forcing it, such as the debate on whether Oier must sit Diego Lopez. I say this from personal experience. The year of Ruby, the one in which the Spanish danced to the sound of Melendo, I incorporated the word ‘refraction’ into my vocabulary. And one day, believing myself inspired and original, I wanted to nickname the youth squad: I called him ‘The goblin of refraction‘for its ability to change direction and speed the rhythm of a play in milliseconds. I wrote it down. Then we qualify for Europe and ecstatic, a colleague and I sneaked in where the players were celebrating. In the wee hours of the morning I ran into Melendo and wanted to explain his nickname. It was then, and only then, that I realized how far-fetched the nickname was. The conversation was a grotesque, of course. I fled in shame. And since that day Melendo has not refracted.
This says very little of my wits. Just as it says little about the ingenuity of parakeet fans and journalists who Nico Melamed don’t have a good nickname yet. It is the brightest pearl polished in Sant Adrià of the last times and we are still with that if Nico or Melamed. The player deserves a nickname worthy of what he can achieve. Not a big one, but a powerful one, with as much personality as hers. It also comes from Argentine parents, and that adds a certain pressure and responsibility because no one like the Argentines to nickname footballers.
Nico Melamed, at Espanyol-Castellón on Sunday.
GORKA LEIZA (DAILY AS)
Beyond the ‘Murri‘ Tamudo that was left thanks to the narration of Eudald Serra in the end of Cup Since 2000, few homegrown players have been accompanied by a good nickname. When Gerard Moreno came back was easy. He must have been the heir of Tamudo and was thus called: ‘The heir‘. All this makes me think that perhaps the blue and white environment is more creative in insult than in flattery. Sergio garcia he signed for Espanyol with an unsightly bow and something overweight and there he stayed ‘Falete‘. Over time it went from being an outburst to a choral singing and habitual in the stands of Cornellà. Now we will have to wait for Melamed to continue forging its own history and perhaps in time we will find the shoe for our Cinderella.
