The national football team coach, Luis de la Fuente, offered the World Cup to the Virgin of the Pillar last Monday, October 19, at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza. According to Iglesia en Aragón, De la Fuente carried the trophy for much of the visit and placed it at the feet of the patroness of the Hispanic world and of Aragon.
The event was attended by the Archbishop of Zaragoza, Carlos Escribano, and the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter, Juan Sebastián Teruel, as well as the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Rafael Louzán, and other representatives of Spanish football. Hundreds of people followed the ceremony inside and outside the church, according to EWTN News.
“An enormous emotion. You know of my devotion to the Virgin of the Pillar and I felt very happy, proud to be here with all of you,” the coach expressed after the offering. Regarding the experience, he added that he takes away “emotion and an unforgettable memory” that, he said, he will always keep.
An institutional reception visit
Before going to the Pillar, the delegation participated in an institutional reception at the Zaragoza City Hall, attended by the mayor, Natalia Chueca; the president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón; Louzán and De la Fuente himself, according to the Zaragoza City Council.
The trophy is part of the federation’s traveling exhibition “Kings of the World,” and the previous Sunday more than 2,500 people had visited City Hall to see it.
Chueca described the presence of the Cup as the “perfect golden touch” to close the Fiestas del Pilar. The visit came three months after more than 32,000 fans celebrated Spain’s World Cup victory in the Plaza del Pilar.
In his statements to the media, De la Fuente said that Zaragoza would be “a wonderful venue” for the national team to play, in reference to the 2030 World Cup, for which the city aspires to be one of the host cities.
A gesture of faith and gratitude
The offering to the Virgin of the Pillar was organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. During the ceremony, its president, Rafael Louzán, recited a prayer before the image of the Virgin, presenting the trophy to her as an expression of gratitude and humility. He also prayed that football would continue to be a school of camaraderie, effort, and solidarity.
The Archbishop of Zaragoza, Carlos Escribano, highlighted the values that had accompanied the national team on its journey, including teamwork, conviction, faith, and leadership.
Luis de la Fuente’s devotion to the Virgin of the Pillar is public, and the coach himself wanted to recall it during a visit that, according to the chronicle of Iglesia en Aragón, he experienced visibly moved.
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The offering of trophies and victories to the Virgin of the Pillar is part of a deeply rooted tradition in Spanish popular devotion. During the institutional reception, the president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, requested that all the national team players be given the traditional measures of the Virgin of the Pillar, the ribbons that reproduce the height of the image and that the faithful keep as a sign of protection and closeness to the patroness.