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Off-the-radar: The saddening story of Betis' Eder Vilarchao

In the buildup to El Clásico a story momentarily flashed in the Spanish news and was forgotten just as quickly.

Eder Vilarchao had retired.

You may not have heard of him or seen him play. You may not have known anything about him and yet he warrants this article. In fact, he warrants more than just this article.

A Baskonia graduate - the farm team to Athletic Bilbao - he was once a third division player courted by first division teams. In January 2012, Sestao River Club fought the losing battle of rejecting lucrative offers for the talented 21-year-old midfielder from the likes of Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Villarreal and Real Valladolid.