Although Real Betis’ 1-0 victory over Athletic Club at San Mames in matchday 33 was a brilliant result for the club, it was a rather sombre moment for Joaquin.
The 41-year-old announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season, and in order to beat Andoni Zubizarreta’s La Liga appearance record, he had to feature in Betis’ last six matches. However, he failed to play in Bilbao due to a knee injury suffered against Barcelona five days prior.
However, Joaquin still has a chance to match Zubizarreta’s record, which sits at 622 matches, as he has been named in Betis’ squad for Monday’s fixture against Rayo Vallecano.
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¡Nuestra convocatoria para el #RealBetisRayo! pic.twitter.com/MnCqzc05EK
— Real Betis Balompié 🌴💚 (@RealBetis) May 14, 2023
The match is a crucial one in the race for European qualification, as both sides harbour hopes of playing in either the Europa League or Europa Conference League next season.
Joaquin will hope that he can feature against Rayo Vallecano, as well as in Real Betis’ final four matches after that, as he aims to finish his incredible career with a flourish.
