On this day, 26th July 1999, a man from Candás completed the Tour de France “with Team Polti, Richard Virenque and Ivan Gotti” he tells MCFTV. During Málaga’s legendary concentration in Biescas, with Peiró at the helm when the team returned to the elite, Marcelino Torrontegui Duarte began his journey with the Club: “They called me to lend a hand, I got on a plane, and although I had a contract with the Italian cycling team, I stayed here and am still here today”.
Considered in cycling as one of the best masseurs in the world, if not the best of his time, his incorporation within Málaga CF didn’t mean he left the bike behind. He was present with the Spanish team in countless Olympics and world championships with numerous successes. Legends such as Miguel Indurain, Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde, amongst many more, have passed through his hands, with his ‘Swiss brother’ Tony Rominger being one of his best friends.
“I’m from Málaga now. After so many years, so many experiences, so many things lived… Málaga has given me two children, many experiences, and I am now one more”, he says with a smile, as always. From cycling to football, to his Málaga CF, with an unmistakable charisma that provides those essential tangibles within a team.
A key personality in the dressing room, who over the past 20 years has lived through the best stage in Málaga’s history, under all names, as an entity. Marcelino Torrontegui, Malaguista by devotion and Malagueño by adoption, he’s one of ours in his own right.
We love you Marce! Here’s to many more!
