On Sunday, Sevilla legend, Jesús Navas will make one final appearance for his boyhood club…
39-year-old Navas announced his decision to retire in September due to hip inflammation. Today's away game against Real Madrid will be the last game of his 23-year career.
After 704 games and 8 trophies for Sevilla, this is his story:
Originally from the small town of Los Palacios y Villafranca Navas joins the academy aged 15.
He progresses through the academy and makes his reserve team debut in Segunda División B aged 17.
At 18 years old he makes his first team debut coming on for the final 12 minutes against RCD Espanyol at Montjuïc on 23 November 2003 wearing the number 31 shirt.
His breakthrough comes during the 2004/05 season establishing himself in the first team under Joaquín Caparrós and then Juande Ramos. He scores his first goal against Athletic Club at San Mamés.
In 2005/06 in the UEFA Cup semi-final he gets the crucial assist in extra time in the second leg against Schalke at the Sánchez-Pizjuán for Antonio Puerta to send the club into a European final for the first time ever.
In the final in Eindhoven Navas wins his first-ever trophy with a 4-0 win against Middlesbrough.
In the UEFA Super Cup in August against Champions League winners Barcelona Navas starts as we sweep the Catalans aside 3-0. He gets an assist for the second goal as his flick-on finds Frédéric Kanouté who heads in the second on a memorable night in Monaco.
In 2007 Navas repeats the feat again as he once again wins the UEFA Cup in May. Once again, he assists Kanoute in a European final as we beat RCD Espanyol on penalties in Glasgow to make it back-to-back UEFA Cups triumphs.
In one of the best seasons in the club’s history, Navas picks up his first Copa del Rey trophy after a 1-0 win against Getafe in June at the Bernabéu in front of the biggest-ever travelling support for a match in Spain with more than 85,000 Sevillistas in the Spanish capital.
It becomes a hat-trick of titles in three months as the Spanish Super Cup is added following a 6-3 win over two legs against Real Madrid.
After suffering win anxiety issues, with support he is able to overcome his fears and makes his long-awaited debut for the Spanish national team in November 2009, coming on as a substitute for Andrés Iniesta in a 2-1 friendly win against Argentina.
In May 2010, he adds a second Copa del Rey title to his collection. With 91 minutes on the clock and leading 1-0 against Atlético Madrid at the Camp Nou, Navas breaks away from the halfway line and then rounds the goalkeeper to score the second and seal the win.
In a golden summer, Navas is part of the Spain squad that wins the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In the final against the Netherlands, he dribbles away from three players starting the move that leads to Andres Iniesta’s dramatic extra-time winner.
In 2012 he wins the Euros in Poland/Ukraine with Spain playing 3 games and scoring once, his goal against Croatia in the crucial final group stage match sealing Spain’s progression through to the quarter-finals.
In June 2013 he says goodbye to Nervión as he signs for Manchester City. In four seasons in England, he wins the Premier League and two League Cup titles.
In 2017 aged 31 he returns for his second spell with his boyhood club.
He takes the number 16 in tribute to his late friend and teammate Antonio Puerta.
In December 2017 he makes his 416th appearance for the club, overtaking Pablo Blanco and becoming the highest appearance maker in the club’s history.
Ahead of the 2018/19 season, he is made club captain and in October the stadium at the training ground in renamed the Estadio Jesús Navas in his honour.
For the for 2019/20 season after former teammate José Antonio Reyes passed away in a car accident in the summer he wears an armband with tributes to both Reyes and Puerta.
In the 2019/20 season we reach the Europa League final. On the morning of the final in Cologne, his godfather passes away. An emotional Navas goes on to deliver the cross that Luuk de Jong heads in for our opening goal as we go on to beat Inter Milan 3-2.
Navas dedicates the win to Puerta, Reyes, Marcelo Campanal and his godfather.
In 2023 we reach yet another Europa League final with Navas in the side. He plays an important role in the final in Budapest as his cross from the right flank forces an own goal as we go on to beat AS Roma on penalties - a fourth UEFA Cup/Europa League win for Navas.
Later in the same summer with Spain he wins the UEFA Nations League after a penalty shootout win against Croatia in Rotterdam.
In 2024 in the twilight of his career and in his final major tournament he helps guide Spain to yet another international success winning Euro 2024. He becomes the most decorated player in the history of the Spanish national team.
In September five and a half years on from his last goal against Barcelona, he scores against Getafe – his last goal in a Sevilla shirt.
In October he becomes the all-time leading appearance maker in El Gran Derbi with his 28th appearance. After a 1-0 win he is lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates for one final post-derby celebration.
Last weekend he starts against Celta Vigo in his final home game at the Ramón Sánchez–Pizjuán. On an emotional night in Nervión marked by a number of tributes, he is given a guard of honour before kick-off and then a standing ovation when he is substituted off and post-match.
Today after 704 games for the club, 7701 days on from that first appearance at Montjuïc he will make one final appearance…
Farewell, legend.