Rose Garden keeper Andrés Perales dies

Since arriving at the defunct Malaga Sporting Club in 1966, he worked as a driver, gardener, concierge, site manager, security guard and even masseuse until his retirement in 2010. In a house next to the racing gate of La Rosaleda Park, next door also in the annexe, next to the IES Guadalmedina, he raised his family with his wife Antonia and raised their seven children: Paco, Koki, Conchi, Kike, Lola, Monica and Andy. He was born in Marmolejo (Jaén) and arrived in Martyricos in 1966. Playing for the blue and white team for a long time has given him countless life moments. He joined Malaga as a driver when Migli and Benitez were young, and he left as a legend.

In the first phase as driver, Andrés Perales was accident-free, but his bus was on the way to Córdoba, Linares, Granada or Almeria, from the window of the car. Received stones on glass. At times, he had to drive across clearings under a blanket to keep out the cold. He spent unforgettable days driving the mysterious “Blue Arrow”, which has become the symbol of Malaga for many years, almost all over the country.

Although perhaps the trip that holds his fondest memories is the one he took Santos de Bailey to Lisbon after winning the Costa del Sol trophy. “Malaga’s coach, Salaga, called me to take them to Madrid to catch a flight at 11:00. I told them there was no time and I suggested going to Lisbon to get a better combination. They were Tosto and Bailey, they sat on the engine, which was next to the steering wheel at the time. They traveled together with a couple of bottles of mulled wine that were given to them, and they were happy… One leader had five million pesetas in cash to go to the race. From From then on, they paid me two thousand dollars, when my salary was twenty thousand dollars,” he recalled in an interview with SUR the year he retired.

When he got tired of driving, the club offered him a job at La Rosaleda. In charge of the facilities, the maintenance of the pitch (Johan Cruyff himself once praised his fitness) and the cleaners. First, in the old dungeon of the stadium, next to the Gore Grandstand, and then, after the stadium’s latest makeover, at the other end, next to Fondo. He succeeds Juan Cruz, 84. The 1982 World Cup had just been held, and one of the worst moments after that was when the Málaga Sporting Club disappeared, the club was confiscated, all its assets were confiscated. But the judge authorized him to continue in his role, along with his inseparable bicycle and his dog.

Andrés succeeds Miguelito Alba, who underwent cataract surgery, as masseur in Malagueño, Tercera. Additionally, almost all of his family members are linked to the club. The last time his story as custodian of the Rose Garden was covered in the media, all activity was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Perales family took on other additional functions. Media from around the world were interested in a family confined to a stadium, even though it was just their home for them.