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An extraordinary person has left us: Geratd Escoda i Nogués (1972-2023). Son, husband, father, friend, honorable person, soccer player and sports director, but above all: someone honest.

Gerard Escoda has left this world very young but he does so leaving an indelible mark both from a human point of view and from a sporting point of view. Since his last year as a professional footballer (2005/06) he was in full contact with me and I was able to learn a lot about the life of an athlete from him. When we are immersed in the frenetic and absurd life on earth, sometimes we do not have time for small details like sharing quality time with a friend. Gerard got sick in October 2021 and in January 2023 he left us. During those months Gerard had time to leave Lleida soccer to sign for CE Sabadell, several surgeries, continue making good signings for CE Sabadell, and fight, along with his wife, two daughters, mother, and relatives. In September 2021 we created the FARLAWSPORTS basketball club and Gerard came to a training session given by Roger Esteller (it would already be in November 2021). The image we provide is from that magnificent training session carried out by "El Tigre de Sants". Geri's absolute intelligence was latent both in his stage as a player and in the stage of Sports Director, and hence the large number of successful signings and sporting success achieved first as a player and later as Sports Director.

As a player he went through all the divisions and every year he was able to improve: from 3rd with Reus Deportiu, to 2nd B with Nástic, and then in 2nd A with Lleida, and later in 1st with Villa-real. Almost nothing. As Sports Director, he was able to unite a block of players from the province of Tarragona to get Reus Deportiu promoted from 3rd Division to 2nd B to be one of the most powerful teams in 2nd B. Joan Laporta and Joan Oliver's mafiosi did not They wanted Escoda and Escoda was not a lover of bad arts either and he went to Girona in 2a A in January 2014, also helping UE Llagostera to be promoted from 2a B to 2a and two more years in 2a A with the Llagostera team. Again, little joke with success. Indeed, signings like Sergio León are his work. Sergio was one more player from the Betic academy lost in the world, and thanks to Gerard he became a professional, since he brought him to Reus Deportiu and then they met again in Llagostera at the express request of Geri. This example and others like Moussa Sidibe, Isaac Cuenca and many others demonstrate his skill in managing athletes.


Authentic inept by nature inhabit the world of sports -Rubiales is now a clear example-, and Geri ran into in Lleida between 2020 and 2022 with the TOP of inept, clumsy and scruffy managers that we can imagine. In addition to not listening to the Sports Director, the economic management was typical of those businessmen who have not seen an operating account in their lives, and the numbers are always by the eye of a good cuber and what is sadder: contracts downloaded from the internet with the jurisdiction delimited in some invented court. Sad, but true. Geri's clever humor is second to none. Indeed, the amount of laughter shared based on our human condition and based on shared experiences was magnificent and unrepeatable. When you have a partner and friend like that, their loss is remarkable and very hard. If there is heaven, there is, Geri is there. I do not have doubts. An honest guy, to whom he will always be in debt. Geri, we will see each other again.

I'm sorry if on some occasion I was not up to you.

 . DAVID PEÑA I NOFUENTES