Joaquin leading Real Betis to Copa del Rey glory was the perfect end to his career ... except it's not the end

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"I believe in faith, and when you are in this situation, you will pray to any new religions that have just come up," he said.

It was Sunday morning. William Carvalho was on his knees, head pressed against the turf, hands together. Please.

They crossed themselves three times up in the stands. Somewhere in this sea of green, Maria Dolores left her seat and paced, grasping images of the Virgin Mary, mini postcards of Christ.

She could not watch that boy. Juan Miranda had a photograph in his shirt that showed him with his family on the day he was presented as a Real Betis player. He was standing in his city, surrounded but alone, with the responsibility of taking the final penalty in the shootout at the end of the biggest game any of them had ever played in. Score and Betis would win their fourth trophy in 114 years. No pressure, kid.

The kid who had been there the last time they won anything was 17 years old. Miranda, a five-year-old fan, caught the train to Madrid with his family and headed to the Vicente Calderon to watch his team lift the cup.

Quien nos lo iba decir ! Ni imaginábamos que 17 años después ......No me lo creo .Disfruta 💚😍 pic.twitter.com/GHdNRwk7Xs

— Juan Jesús Miranda G (@juanmiri72) April 23, 2022

He was a footballer now and it depended on him to do it again. When he was a baby, his dad signed him up as a socio. He knew what member number 33,933 meant.

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Miranda said that he had to score one way or the other.

Miranda covered his face with his shirt after sending the ball into the net. The rest of them ran towards him as he cried. The corner flag was thrown in celebration by the man. Maria Dolores ran down the stairs and embraced Juan Jesus. The madness depicted perfectly was when the television cameras closed in on a crowd scene and a pair of feet were in the middle of a body upside down. The place was crazy.

The beauty of football is when Miranda scores a penalty. I went everywhere.

They all ran wild. Not really knowing where to go and not caring at all. The fans ran across the track towards the pitch.

Real Betis Balompie is a special team from a special city, very much of its place but also everywhere. This is a huge club with a huge fan base, the product of the diaspora of the 60s and 70s, putting beticos all over. Even though they lost, the slogan ran; now they had won. They had a major trophy for the fourth time.

The captain said there was something about the club that made him fall in love.

The king sent him to get the trophy. He had thought about it a lot. He admitted that it had been hard to sleep with so much going through his head.

With all the emotion, he forgot to tell the king that this was for his grandmother who was a fan of the team. He collected it, had a few words, and took it to his teammates, who were waiting on the grass.

He joked after the semifinal that he was a copas kind of man, usually in a long glass. He warned that he would be gone for days if they won. They left the stadium at 3.45 in the morning. The fans were going to Plaza Nueva. By the time you read this, you might have gotten over those feelings.

It was crazy, and why not? There is something uniquely emotional about Betis. Winning the cup was a huge moment, a moment that will last forever, and there were so many things that made them winning it this season and this way special, so many little and not-so-little stories.

This was the first trophy in Spain for the man at the age of 68 and after 34 years in coaching.

The cup was won by Sergio Canales, once the outstanding prospect of his generation. It was his second medal, but it felt like a first, since he hadn't played in the 2011 final with Real Madrid and he had been through three knee injuries.

The goals deserted Iglesias at first, because he was the most expensive player. He watched what was happening around him and knew that it would be amazing when he was. He had scored in the final and more than anyone else in the competition this year.

He admitted that he had consulted the data to decide where to go this season, but that it had also been about sentiment. This was a year on loan to enjoy and to make others enjoy, heading to the club his father supports, whose shirt he had been given to wear as a kid. He took great joy in calling his father and telling him he was going to Betis in exchange for a club keyring. Before the final, the family had eaten lunch together, talking about the game, or they would have done it if they had been able to eat.

He admitted that he had never been so nervous.

As the penalty shootout began, he decided that whatever is written for him will happen. His son was also grateful. When it came to the end of his post match interview, he looked at the camera and said: "I just want to say thanks to my dad for being a Betis fan."

This has been a season that I have really enjoyed and my family has really enjoyed, so for me it was more than football.

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He talks about his time with Real Betis and his personal connection.

It matters because it always is. Especially here. Miranda is going to become a legend right there. He insisted that he was not a legend.

There was no arguing with that and the bit about Joaquin.

If Miranda was there the last time the team won the trophy, so was Joaquin. The difference is that he was playing. As of Sunday, no player has ever won more titles with the same team. The same number has been on his shirt for 17 years. He was reminded at the end of the game that he is a part of the club's history. He had said that this was his final season, and that every game another stop on a farewell tour was universally popular.

The last dance was very good. He said it would be a reward for 20 years of love for football.

The closing of a circle with Miranda was beautiful. The closing of a circle for him as well.

📸: @BorjaIglesias9

¿Cuánto Betis hay en esta foto? pic.twitter.com/M2jbXLOjb7