In its August 2017 issue, the monthly periodical of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) published Jozef Banáš´ short story Messi´s Miracle (Messiho zázrak) in which the author pays tribute to the nurse Peggy at the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the Kramáre Hospital in Bratislava and to the football player Lionel Messi. The thrilling story is part of the collection Last Infidelity (Posledná nevera) of which nearly ten thousand copies have been sold. The director of the magazine Fútbol, Luis Arnáiz Arizmendi, personally expressed his gratitude to the Slovak author writing: “It is an honour for the Royal Spanish Football Federation as well as for me to read the short story about Messi, which you have written. No doubt it has enriched our magazine. I want to express my gratitude for your generous gesture. I hope that our federation and magazine, which I am responsible for, have been able to match its level. It has not been an easy task. Perhaps we will meet at a football event in a town or a stadium, in the meantime at least we know about each other. And it will be a pleasure for me to get to know each other better.”

The magazine devotes eight pages to the short story which is announced on the cover page as well. The story is introduced with the following words: “Today is our lucky day. We are happy to present to you one of the stories which we have chosen from the book called Last Infidelity, a collection of short stories written by the esteemed author Jozef Banáš, one of the most popular Slovak authors. Banáš´ contribution enriches the representative magazine of RFEF, as well as shows that football and writing can create a perfect and delicate liaison which makes the reading experience unforgettable.”

The story is followed by a brief introduction of the author´s curriculum vitae. The short story has been translated by Monica Sanchéz Presa.

Press Agency TASR

Daily Nový čas

Read the whole short story in Spanish here (pages 60-67)