A Portuguese foreigner, with a warm temperament, arrives at Hapoel Be’er Sheva, becomes a leader on the field and carries the team and the crowd with him to win titles. We already know this story from the past, don’t we? It started with Miguel Vitor (who is still here), continued with Josua (who just said goodbye to Legia Warsaw) and now, just before the cup final, at the Bonim Club Helder Lopez which will lead him to a third win in five years in the cup and fourth in total.
Lopez arrived in Israel three years ago from A.K. Athens and immediately became a significant screw in the club. Last summer he already left Israel and it seemed that he would not continue, but the club was surprised when he decided to sign for another season. Although he is 35 years old, it seems that every season he only gets better. If last season he scored only 4 goals in the league and in the cup, this season he jumped to 9 goals and 5 assists, crazy numbers for a defense player.
Beyond the numbers, he also excels when it matters, especially in the cup. He scored the winning goal against Hapoel Petah Tikva in the quarter-finals and added another goal in the 2:3 victory over Maccabi Netanya in the semi-finals. Despite his age, he leads the team in minutes in the league by a margin (2912 minutes for Lopez compared to 2755 for second place), first in street balls, second only to Miguel Vitor in accurate passing and third in successful tackles.
“Don’t look at his age, look at how much he runs, and he runs the most in the team,” his teammate said about him, Miguel Vitor, and indeed Lopez’s GSP figures are among the best in B.S. Another player added: “He has sick physical fitness. He has no lungs. But he has passing qualities, he knows how to score and he is very experienced. A real winner.”
Alongside this, there is another statistic in which Lopez is at the top – an accumulation of yellows and reds. His tremendous motivation sometimes leads him to provocations with opposing players and benches and also to absorb two reds that damaged the club. His teammates know where it comes from: “He will do everything to win. If he needs to scratch, get mad, fight, he will do everything for the team. True, sometimes it doesn’t look good, but you need a player like that in the team. Lopez upgrades and adds character” Q. In the dressing room, by the way, they talk about a funny, comfortable, dominant player and a good friend. One you can trust.
In the summer, Lopez ends his contract again, and it seems that it will be difficult to give up the connection with BS, beyond the fact that there is a shortage of left defenders at a high level. The big question is what are the plans of Lopez himself, especially after a difficult year and dealing with a precarious security situation. We will know the answers soon , maybe already after the cup final.
ظهرت في الأصل على www.sport5.co.il