No.19

Searching For Sugar-Mago

Written by: Simon Rix
Artwork by: Eamonn Dalton
A close up of Pablo Hernandez's face, he's looking askance as usual, decoloured and set against a desert yellow background

I’m here in Castellon with Kaiser Chiefs for one day only. Time to take a trip to the home of Pablo Hernandez. But this isn’t a romantic tale with a game to watch, Pablo scoring the winner before inviting us for a full tour of the town. It’s just me, on my own, in 39 degree heat on a Friday lunchtime. I don’t know this, but later today Pablo will announce his retirement from football. Maybe he was waiting for me to finally turn up.

Football is a funny thing. I meet our singer Ricky on my way out, he asks me what I’m up to, and I tell him. Obviously it’s up there with one of the last things he’d be doing on this hot summer day, but I catch a glimpse that maybe he gets it. It’s your thing, he says. That’s it really. Much as it sounds like a weird way to spend an hour or so in the off season, trailing up through town to the stadium looking at it for a bit. Then coming back. There’s absolutely zero chance I’m going to give it a miss.

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