The Palacio Municipal Castillo de Luna de Rota hosted, in the last hours of last Tuesday, the ceremony to present Conan Ledesma with the XXI Camaleón Trophy, organised by the Peña 'El Camaleón', originally from the town of Rota. The event, hosted by 7TV presenter Juan Montes, began with a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the tragic accident which took place in Cádiz the previous day.
Afterwards, Montes reminded the audience of the prestige and tradition of the Rotaño peña award before reviewing the football career of the honoured player, Conan Ledesma, who was accompanied at all times by the president of Cádiz CF, Manuel Vizcaíno; the vice-president, Rafael Contreras; and the manager of the Cádiz CF Foundation and assistant to the presidency, José Mata. In addition, the captain of the first team, José Mari, also attended the event, which was also attended by numerous members of the supporters' club itself.
The president of the Peña 'El Camaleón', Miguel Ángel García, then took the floor to thank everyone for attending the presentation of the XXI Camaleón Trophy, highlighting that "Conan's performances in his participation in the team have made him worthy of a trophy that has been won by such important goalkeepers at Cádiz CF as Cifuentes, Aulestia and Armando". "With the trophy we symbolise the values of the Peña, which are to make Cadismo from this corner of the Villa," he said, before adding that "the work of Cádiz CF to make the province we embrace and spread it here in very good ways".
The yellow goalkeeper himself, Ledesma, spoke with the trophy in his hand to thank him for it and to recall that, although he has received "several this season", in all of them he emphasises that it is something "of the team beyond having a good individual performance". "It wouldn't have been possible without my teammates and the club", he assured and, just after, he explained that "when players, fans and the institution go hand in hand, good things are achieved. It's something important for me, anyone who had won it would have been fine. I've noticed something special about this award, and that is that I see a lot of families with a lot of children, and I like that a lot".
Manuel Vizcaino then took the microphone and looked back on his arrival when he recalled that "there were around 20 supporters' clubs, and now there are close to 100". "Unfortunately we can't go to all the events, we have been able to attend special events such as anniversaries or those of special importance, except for the ones we have always been involved in," he said. "We are where we want to be and always with the ambition of wanting to take a step forward. So far the team has competed in every game. The squad is more than proving to be a great squad, and every player deserves the support of all the fans, because those in yellow are our own. We have a great squad and we will have a great season," he underlined.
Finally, the mayor of the city, Javier Ruiz Arana, highlighted the work of the Peña 'El Camaleón' "for the way it carries out its activity, not only for its sporting support of Cádiz CF in good times and bad, but also by promoting sporting and cultural activities throughout the year". He then congratulated Conan Ledesma "for the recognition, which is the result of teamwork, but there are also important moments in matches when a hand saves points, and it is appreciated and it is to be recognised that it is an award that is more than deserved". He also congratulated Cádiz CF, "who are consolidating their position in the top flight of Spanish football and it's not easy. It is in one of the best leagues in the world and that makes it worthy of being proud of the province of Cádiz. This is good for the province in terms of tourism and the economy" and, finally, he thanked "the work with grassroots and youth football", recalling the tour of China "in which people from Rota, who are also linked to the lower categories, have taken part". "Rota will continue to be proud of its supporters' club and the work that Cádiz CF does," he said.
