In Ancient Rome, gladiators who had achieved great success used an honorary gate to enter, while in bullfighting the biggest gates are reserved for the victors. From today, two gates at the Tartiere are even greater, as they carry the name of two footballing giants: Herrerita and Tensi.
Gates 5 and 10 of the Carlos Tartiere stadium were christened with the names of the two great former Real Oviedo players today. The numbers match those which the players wore on their match shirts for many years at the club. Both Tensi and Herrerita were Real Oviedo captains and left an indelible stamp on the club's history. The act, which formed part of the club's 95th Anniversary celebrations, was attended by representatives of different local political groups, club directors, representatives for Fondo Norte 1926, Asociación de Peñas Azules del Real Oviedo (APARO), relatives of the players being honoured, and members of the Real Oviedo Veterans' Association (AVRO).
Ahead of inaugurating the gates' new names, Club Vice-President and Acting President Manuel Paredes, praised Tensi, who was a Real Oviedo first-team player between 1966 and 1978. "For a lot of Oviedistas of a certain age, the sight of a number 5 on a Real Oviedo shirt is an unmistakable image of Tensi."
Paredes added that the Asturian defender "wore the Real Oviedo shirt for a lot of years, as well as the captain's armband too. Few people have represented the role of Real Oviedo captain better than he did. He was, for his teammates and the whole fanbase, the clearest example of the team's values: pride, courage and determination."
Club Director Fernando Corral highlighted that Herrerita, who played for Real Oviedo from 1933 to 1950, "is the second top scorer in the club's history, behind only Lángara. He played a total of 276 competitive matches and his name is written in the club's history in golden letters."
Corral also highlighted the fact that at the time Herrerita "was considered one of the best players in the country. Proof of that is in the fact that he played 6 matches for the Spanish national team, which is a large amount given that very few international matches were played at that time."
Following the words of both board members, the blue curtains covering the plaques bearing Tensi's name on Gate 5 and Herrerita's name on Gate 10 were removed.
Tensi's widow Gloria García and the couple's children, Verónica and Vanesa, were given the responsibility of unveiling the plaque on Gate 5. Herrerita's daughter Merche Herrera, grandson Iñaki Herrera, and great grandson Marcos Herrera meanwhile revealed the plaque on Gate 10.
Following the emotional act to rename the two gates at the Carlos Tartiere, eyes turned to the planting of the 95th 'carbayu' tree in the Bosque Oviedista (Oviedista Forest), located close to the stadium. The tree was planted by Luis Antuña, Head of the Accident and Emergency Department at the HUCA Hospital and President of the Official School of Doctors in Asturias. He did so on behalf of Asturian health workers, to highlight their work during the pandemic which has been affecting us all for over a year now.
