Pablo Fornals may have a few somewhat private complaints about how his time at West Ham United ended but, make no mistake, the Conference League winner retains a special place in the hearts of the supporters.
An affection he both appreciates and reciprocates.
One of the most popular West Ham United players over the last decade or so – and a key part of that Conference League-winning team of 2022/23 – Pablo Fornals has never been afraid to show plenty of love for the club who gave him many a ‘magical night’ and ‘opportunity of a lifetime’.
Fornals’ tear-jerking farewell to the Hammers fans was a monologue straight out of The Notebook.
Twenty months after the Spain international returned to La Liga – the former Villarreal playmaker joined Real Betis for a bargain £6.8 million after he slipped down the pecking order under David Moyes – he is now a footballer in the form of his life.
Pablo Fornals ranks above Bruno Fernandes, Harry Kane, Vinicius Jr, Jack Grealish and Michael Olise when it comes to ‘shot-creating passes’. Ironically, as Manuel Pellegrini transforms Fornals into an elite, box-to-box midfielder, he would probably waltz into the West Ham XI these days in his new-look, deeper role.
In quotes reported by Estadio Deportivo, Fornals is pleased to see that his efforts are being appreciated in Andalusia. Providing a goal or an assist in each of his last four La Liga matches, the all-action 29-year-old is well on his way to becoming a fan favourite once again.
Pablo Fornals hints at frustration over his West Ham United exit
In his five years in East London, meanwhile, Fornals saw West Ham go from relegation candidates to Conference League champions, via a run to the Europa League semi-finals and a couple of top-seven finishes domestically.
The downside, though, is that Fornals felt his importance diminish as the Hammers spent big fees on the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus in an attempt to secure a spot among the continental elite.
“It was a very intense four-and-a-half years in which we experienced everything,” Fornals reflects. “In the first [season], we were saved [from relegation] with two games to go.
“Then, we qualified for the Europa League, played in the semi-finals of the Europa League, won a Conference League. Little by little, the club grew so much that there was no room for players from before.
“[West Ham] appreciate that there will be better days, there will be worse days, days when I will be more successful or less. But I think that the Betis fans have already seen that, for me, playing football is competing, it’s running, it’s giving it my all.
“There will be days when it will be valued, other days when it won’t. Other days I’ll give an assist, other days I’ll score a goal, and other days when nothing will happen. But for my part I will always give it my all, and they appreciate that.”
West Ham helped Fornals transform into an ‘orthodox midfielder’
Speaking on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast after a masterful performance against Real Sociedad, Spanish football expert Terry Gibson remembers Fornals surprising West Ham with his ferocious work ethic.
This, clearly, was not merely another classically-Spanish number ten, but a footballer with a bit of British bulldog spirit too.
“He has become a different player to what I thought he was initially going to be. And that came from West Ham,” Gibson explains. “At Villarreal and Malaga, I thought; ‘Technically, really good. That’s his strength. A classic Spanish attacking midfield player’.
“Then he went to West Ham, and I spoke to a few people who worked at West Ham. They told me; ‘His work-rate is off the scale’.
“That is what took them by surprise. They knew about his other attributes but they didn’t know how hard he worked, what a good attitude he had. He’s just continued that now, to the extent that he’s now an orthodox central midfield player.”
Real Betis have forced their way into the Champions League positions following three successive La Liga victories. Suddenly, the pressure on former Hammers boss Pellegrini has eased, much to Fornals’ delight.
“[Pellegrini] has personally given me two of the best experiences of my life,” Fornals says of his 72-year-old manager. “He’s taken me to England, where I was very happy. He was sacked shortly after I arrived there, but he gave me that opportunity and gave me playing time from the very first moment to help me establish myself.
“He also accepted my coming to Betis. And it’s clear that, for me personally, it was a great decision and a great success.
“Let’s hope, that we haven’t seen it yet, that the best Pablo Fornals is yet to come, that will be good and that it will be here.”
