He considered walking away from football after the shock death of his wife but Ulises Davila decided to stay in the game and the reason? Macarthur FC.
After winning the Australia Cup on Saturday, Macarthur captain Davila thanked his team-mates for supporting his return to football following the death of his wife, Lily Pacheco, in May.
Davila was awarded the Mark Viduka medal as man of the match in the 2-0 victory over Sydney United at CommBank Stadium, having played a starring role for the Bulls, who earned their first piece of silverware.
The Mexican star said he weighed up whether to walk away from the sport when his world was turned upside down following the passing of his wife and the mother of his son.
“I just tried to give something back to the club,” Davila said, wearing a celebratory Macarthur jersey with his late wife’s name on the back.
“That’s why I say (the reason I decided to keep playing) was because of this group, all these people around – they make me feel like I have a family here.
“Maybe if it was in another team, or I didn’t feel that, I wouldn’t come back.
“I thought a lot of things: do I stop, do I go home? I had many things going through my head.
“That’s why I’m very grateful. I wanted to come back because they’ve been amazing for me.”
New Macarthur boss Dwight Yorke had given Davila an extended break over the off-season following his loss, while team-mate Daniel Arzani said the Mexican hadn’t let his bereavement impact him.
“He mentioned to us before the game that this game had a special meaning for him,” Arzani said.
“All the boys got a little bit emotional. Personally, I got goosebumps because he’s such an incredible guy (and) he never lets it come to the surface.
“To know that it meant so much for him and that we could do that for him, it was a really special feeling.”
The trophy is Macarthur’s first and also that of Yorke’s managerial career.
The former Trinidad and Tobago international said he hoped Macarthur’s cup run would be a good springboard for the forthcoming A-League Men season.
“We’ve been unbeaten (in the cup) and we scored 19 goals and conceded two so that’s one hell of a return,” he said.
“You can build on that. I hope the players will embrace the challenge ahead.
“We don’t expect it to be easy. We become a target now, and the players have to live up to that.”
