Watching on Portuguese TV as Villareal broke away to score late at the Allianz Arena and knock out Bayern Munich, it was notable that the commentators were focused not on Gerard Moreno’s composed cross or Samuel Chukwueze’s finish, but instead on Dani Parejo’s touches just before.
The midfielder turned in his own half between three Bayern players and then slid the ball between two of them for Giovanni Lo Celso to pick up. Lo Celso in turn slid in Moreno, and the rest was history.
Um golo que ficará para sempre na história do Villarreal e da UCL, autoria de Chukwueze. pic.twitter.com/SscUc5I9rn
— B24 🇺🇦 (@B24PT) April 12, 2022
The Portuguese pundits like nothing more than an intelligent and technically capable player, and Parejo is the model for that. Hardly a physical monster or a goal machine, his quality comes almost entirely from his brain and his feet, and after a career largely spent trying to carry a wounded Valencia on his shoulders, seeing him thrive at the very top level feels entirely deserved and just.
