Ramón Pérez Mesa 'Espejín': from Betis to Levante, a story that comes back to life 67 years later

Next weekend, the Ciutat de València Stadium will open its doors to host the match between Levante UD and Real Betis. Beyond the battle for victory, the spotlight will be on Ramón Pérez Mesa, known in the football ecosystem as Espejín. The Canarian midfielder will be the protagonist of the exhibition accompanying the match in the VIP box of the blue and red coliseum.

The 1958 signing

And what is the reason for this tribute? We must go back to October 1958. Levante set its sights on Espejín, then a player affiliated with Real Betis. The agreement between the two entities was absolute, and the Canarian footballer moved from the Andalusian city to Valencia to commit to Levante.

We dusted off official documents sent by the secretary of the Seville club that established the terms of the agreement. One of the writings, dated October 14, 1958, was addressed to the president of Levante, Antonio Román, and specified that the player arrived free of charge. Espejín joined Levante without depleting the club's coffers. This fact was significant for the financially constrained blaugrana. The excellent relationship between the institutions made this agreement possible, which resulted in Espejín joining the team coached by Álvaro.

Legacy at Levante

Levante retains records related to his time at the club during the 1958-1959 and 1959-1960 seasons. The documentation includes contracts signed by the midfielder, his professional file, medical tests, and even a repeated request from Levante's management for him to leave the hotel where he was staying and move into a house to enjoy greater tranquility. These are glimpses that portray not only the footballer but also the man who became part of the Levante family.

The dream of promotion

Espejín joined Levante in the 1958-1959 season. In that team, the great reference was Wilkes, in a squad that dreamed of the long-awaited promotion to the First Division. The Canarian footballer had already tasted that experience the previous season as a player for Betis, which, after fifteen years in the lower tiers of football, managed to return to the elite.

He was not a minor player during his time with the verdiblancos. Espejín seemed to have deciphered the secrets of the coveted promotions. As a player for Algeciras, he experienced the leap from the Third to the Second Division, and at Martos, on loan from Jaén, he achieved promotion to the Third Division.

In one of his first interviews as a Levante player, for the newspaper Deportes, he emphasized that experience and assured that he was joining a team “with the makings of a First Division side.” In his predictions, he pointed to Elche as the strongest rival in Group II of the Second Division. He was not wrong in his forecasts. The team from Elche was directly promoted as champions, and Levante faced UD Las Palmas in a playoff with adverse luck.

Epilogue of his career

In the summer of 1960, Espejín ended his contractual relationship with Levante. From then on, he defended the colors of teams such as Rayo Vallecano, Castellón, Fuengirola, or Linares, completing a long and varied career in Spanish football.