In the duel of infinite interest, UD Las Palmas-UD Almería tomorrow (15:15, Movistar LaLiga), a duel under the sun of standards: Viera versus Kirian. Series motivators. The creator of ‘I see a lot of party here’ and ‘they come to steal the food from our families’ against the creator of ‘our mother gets unnecessarily criticized’. The one from the old regime chirp chirp, Jonathan Viera Ramos (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 34 years old), who sports the indálica elastic, against Kirian Rodríguez Concepción(Candelaria, Tenerife, 28 years old).
The player from Tenerife, with 133 appearances in yellow, inherited the armband after the departure of the Messiah (265 matches). A farewell staged as a soap opera, which symbolized the change of guard on December 14. Now Kirian Koraje rules in the locker room, with six goals and just missing the De la Fuente’s 26-man squad – for the friendly matches against Colombia and Brazil, crucial preparation for the Eurocopa de Alemania.
Viera steps onto the Gran Canaria pitch as a rival for the first time, 167 days after his last appearance with UD against Celta (2-1). He scored a penalty and provided an assist to Marc Cardona (94’). He came off the bench and won an impossible match. Six days after the feat, which boosted Pimienta’s credibility, he made his final yellow appearance at La Cerámica. The epitaph of an irreplaceable player, pivotal in two promotions to Primera (2015 and 2023), the latter with Kirian as a supporting act – returning to the pitch after overcoming Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Already without the international midfielder (one match in 2017 under Lopetegui due to Iniesta’s injury), the ‘20’ immediately took on the role of a leader. He was even giving motivational talks during the critical phase of the Viera-Pimienta conflict. With six goals in his debut season in the top flight, he captivates with his intelligence.
Conversation with the Ultras
The player from Tenerife scored his first goal against Granada (24th of September) with Kirianazo in the 93rd minute in the first victory under the pimientista era in the caviar kingdom. In the nick of time and at Siete Palmas to dispel any doubts. He then scored against Atlético (1), Alavés (1), Villarreal (2), and Osasuna (1). His brace against the Yellow Submarine earned him the title of Best Player of January in LaLiga.
“I’m at the peak of my career,” he affirmed. Motivational speeches, pep talks, and the same ritual as Viera – he jumps onto the warm-up pitch first with Sergi Cardona and touches the ball placed at the edge of the goal area to the tune of Eye Of The Tiger. Kirian became viral for his conversation with the most radical sector of Ultra Naciente. A rebuke to the fans for the backlash received at Heliodoro after the Copa elimination (2-0). UD players were challenged on January 4 for their lack of bite. After beating Villarreal (3-0), with a fantastic performance from the player from Tenerife, he took the microphone.
‘We have a great bond (…) We all suffer, we all leave upset. It’s okay to criticize what happened the other day, but the guys didn’t deserve the insults, because it hurts them (…) Don’t think that I arrive in the locker room and they’re all smiles. Everyone cries, it hurts us that they insult us. Let’s maintain unity (…) When we suffer is when we need them the most. It was time to stand up.’
The Steamroller
On May 27, before facing Alavés, on the date of the last promotion, Viera fired up the locker room. ‘They come to steal the food from our families, damn it! We’re going to crush them.’ On November 26, before crushing Tenerife (3-1), the legendary ‘21’ used his oratory skills. ‘It’s going to be an incredible match. Looking at their faces, they stand no chance. The result is going to be a steamroller’.
When asked last Thursday if he expected more from Kirian, in that phase of total divorce with Pimienta, Viera responded, “Kiri, in his own way, did what he could. I wasn’t going to demand more from him (…) They didn’t pay any attention to him. I have nothing to blame him for”. Benito, on the other hand, praised the captain’s leadership abilities. “He has a special personality. Those who know him know what I’m talking about. The squad is behind him. He’s really good at taking the lead,” detailed the rocket from La Aldea.
Marquises of adrenaline. Leaders of two successful eras. Viera, crowned by history, and Kirian as his successor. The leadership transition flight. Just as the genius from La Feria inherited the armband from Valerón (2016), the player from Tenerife did so from ‘21’. They face each other tomorrow in the eternal duel of intrigue. Inflated by pressure and responsibility, they save the most harmonious rallying cry for 15:15.
