Luis Ángel Maté & Marbella mayor, Ángeles Muñoz
Credit: Ayuntamiento de Marbella
Three sports stars that made Marbella proud this year have been awarded the Medal of the City.
Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, presented the last jersey and a medal in recognition of retiring Luis Ángel Maté’s last 17 cycling seasons. In 2024, the Medal of the City has also been awarded to Olympic boxer Ayoud Ghadfa, and retired Olympic taekwondo athlete Elena Benítez.
‘It is a joy that our city can have people with such extensive experience and, above all, that way of being that makes them so wonderful’, said Muñoz at the latest presentation. She wished him all the best in this new stage in his life and stressed that ‘for the City Council there would be nothing better than being able to count on his advice and I hope that there will be many sports projects that we can work together on in the future.’
‘I have always carried it as my Marbella flag’
Luis Ángel Maté was, ‘very happy and satisfied to receive this recognition.’ ‘When this happens in your city, it fills you with even more pride,’ he said. He also confirmed that ‘I am no longer a professional cyclist, but I will never stop being an ambassador for my hometown, because I have always carried it as my flag and because Marbella has tremendous possibilities in terms of professional cycling and, above all, in cycle tourism.’
Marbella has produced some of the cream of Spanish sporting champions in recent years, including Luis Ángel Maté (cycling), Sarah Almagro (surfer), Jesús Ríos (Motor GP rider), Carla Viegas (basketball player), Juanan Gómez (footballer), Ayoud Ghadf (boxer), and Elena Benítez (taekwondist).
