Farewell, Tito...

...may you rest in peace.

Today is a day shrouded with black for FC Barcelona fans everywhere in the world as it brings the sad news of Tito Vilanova's passing.  He was 45 years old.  Yesterday, I went to bed with the alarming news of Tito's emergency surgery as his condition reached a critical level after suffering a relapse from his bout with throat cancer.  This morning, I woke up to the news of Tito's passing.  It was heartbreaking.

The former manager of FCB, who had to step down as his throat cancer recurred, succumbed to the killer disease today after two and a half years of fierce battle.  He was diagnosed with the deadly disease in the last quarter of 2011 while effectively filling-in the big shoes of Barça's Assistant Manager.  He was the personal choice of the then Manager, Pep Guardiola, to be the second in command in the FCB Coaching Team.  He was also Pep's

Terrific coaching duo:  Pep (left) and Tito (right).
(Photo credit: AP)

first choice for an Assistant Manager when the latter was called to coach Barcelona B prior to their "terrific-duo" days in the Primera Division of the Spanish La Liga.  Yes, Tito was an integral part of those glorious years - historically, the most successful years of FCB's first team - when Barça was winning trophies left and right, including the treble in 2008-2009 season. Whatever the competition was, they were the Team to beat, with the expressively passionate Pep as Manager, and Tito as his cool-headed right man.  


Tito took over the daunting task of manning the Barça helm after Pep finished his tenure as Manager and went on sabbatical in 2012.  Tito was supposed to have defeated the disease, and therefore, was welcomed by the battalion of culés around the world as Barça's new chief strategist.  Being a 'true blue' Barcelona man himself with authentic blaugrana heart, culés around the world had high hopes that the glory days will continue.  Indeed, they did, albeit less stellar as the Pep-Tito days. 

And then, Summer of last year, Tito stepped down from the Barça helm as he reportedly suffered a relapse. Of course, most culés missed him as soon as the first FCB kick on the pitch was made without him.  However, there is hope in the notion that he might just be recovering... after all, he's done it before, fought the same battle before... and won it.  These days, there is no telling as to how the reality of Tito's now permanent absence in the coaching team would do to Barça.  With Pep in another country - another League, another Club - and with Tito gone, the Barça that we knew for the past how many years is gone, too.  

But we go on, with our blaugrana hearts ablazed with the passion for the beautiful game... it's the best and the most fitting way of honoring Tito's memory.

Thanks, Tito, for the great journey in that beautiful pitch of green that we all love.  Sadly, that journey has come to an end, and we send you home now.  We shall always remember you with great fondness for as long as the beauty of the game that we all love endures.  Rest in peace.

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Top photo credit:  Thanks, Getty image.

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