The Temple of Plottier thundered for the last time when it sounded “olé, olé, olé, Mario, Mario”, but there is a pact for life. He stated so Sepúlveda, the Lord of Ascents, who had his farewell as a professional basketball player. Surrounded by friends, former teammates and the closest ones, Nata, Juana and Charo, Mario shot his last three-pointers and, true to his style, had high percentages.
“As it is a night of surprises, I also have one: I am going to play another year”, Mario launched at the start of the farewell speech. The laughter multiplied, more than one believed it and then came the seriousness.
Despite starting his career in Pacífico and reaching an impressive 18 clubs in his campaign, Centro Español became his second home. And Mario explained why: “I went through a lot of obstacles, but one was tough. I had a heart problem and almost without knowing me, a group of people from Spanish got together and paid me for the operation. There was born the pact for life”, he detailed and again The Temple exploded.
Mario Sepúlveda’s guests
Before, there was everything. Colleagues from his promotions, from the last team of El Torito, rivals and a quartet of technicians who marked him: Daniel Aráoz, Mario Spada, Mauricio Santangelo and Dante Centeno.
Fernando Gutman, Mariano Castets, Gastón Luchino, Federico Sureda, Pedro Franco and Juan Manuel Ruiz traveled many kilometers to say present, Leo Ansaloni arrived from Roca, like Spada and Gustavo Maranguello; Agustín Llanán and Alejo Abadía put on the Spanish shirt again and Bruno Gelsi also joined with his son Benicio, Paolo Casale and Pancho Hoffmann.
The last partners could not be missing and that is why he threw fantasy with his brother Charly, Cusita Oviedo, Leandro Tapia, Piero Vega and the brothers Franco and Marcos Leal. His daughters Charo and Juana put on their tank tops and raised the public with their conversions, while China Lara and Guada Soto were turned on when it came to showing their category, the one that led them to be National League players. All of them with the 8 on their backs, the number that marked Mario’s career.
Mario Sepúlveda’s No. 8, forever in El Templo
His life partner, Natalia, together with Matías Resa and Patricio Denegri, president and head of the Torito basketball, were at the forefront of the movement. the temple was fulleach one took a souvenir sticker and some lucky ones, the shirts they wore for the farewell party: there were three models and, of course, Sepúlveda used them all.
Just as Mario launched that false surprise of playing one more year, he took a real one: in the best NBA style, the No. 8 jersey was discovered, which will hang forever in the stadium. Resa took the microphone and said: “In the first team, number 8 is no longer used”. Eternal, like the covenant for life. Like the last triple.