Green Bay Packers retire number 4 of Brett Favre and include him in their Hall of Fame

The Green Bay Packers proved to be one of the most classy sports organizations in the world and yesterday they consummated the most awaited reconciliation in recent NFL history: they retired Brett Favre's number 4 and included the quarterback in their Hall of Fame.

The ceremony was the quintessence of the packer spirit. More than 70,000 tickets were sold; Lambeau Field, Green Bay's stadium, looked like a game day afternoon; fans fulfilled the ritual of match days: pre-party, barbecues in the parking lot hours before the event, beer by the liters and ovations galore for the return of the prodigal son. Favre's teammates were present at the celebrations. And the protagonist could barely hold back his tears.

It seems the same as other retirements of legendary athletes' numbers, but the truth is that this time everything was different. We have to look back to understand why this was something else.

Brett Favre left Green Bay throwing things out the window and with his lawyers and the Packers' lawyers fighting over who would keep custody of the children, the car, the beach house and the record player. A divorce in every way. In his umpteenth summer of "now I retire, now I'll play", in 2008, the team got tired and gave the keys of the offense to Aaron Rodgers, closing the door to the old Brett's return. Angry like a monkey, he said he was going to play for the Minnesota Vikings.

It's not just any team. It is, along with the Bears and, to a lesser extent, the Lions, the Packers' great rival. There is a lot of bad blood there. Favre's choice was a declaration of war not only against the franchise but also against fans who adored him. No one paved that road for him and he ended up playing for the Jets. But, after a year in purgatory and with freedom in his pocket, he fulfilled his wish of wearing the purple of Minnesota where, on top of that, he would play the NFC final in a game against the New Orleans Saints that would end up being the cornerstone of the Bountygate scandal.

On November 1, 2009, Brett Favre jumped onto Lambeau Field wearing the Vikings jersey. The boos could be heard even from Cangas del Narcea (Asturias, Spain). The hero became the great villain.

It's not that we lack similar examples in European sports, specifically in football, so I'll spare you. You all have several in mind, with varying degrees of sentimental severity. But what we usually don't have is this second part, the one experienced yesterday.

And it is that the Packers, with their fans (who are also the owners of the franchise) as their standard bearers, forgave the offense and welcomed into their midst the one who gave them so many glorious afternoons, including a Super Bowl and three MVPs of the NFL. And Brett Favre, with his tears easily flowing, responded with all his soul scattered across Lambeau, unable to articulate two consecutive sentences that said anything more than "there is no place like this in the world", "I have come out of the tunnel of the visiting locker room and, believe me, it's very frightening" or "there is nothing like playing for you guys".

They say in my land that all's well that ends well and, certainly, this story has ended as it should. Horns after a disagreement are not a reason to throw away a lifetime together. At least when it comes to sports. And the Packers and Favre have shown it with great class, dignity, and spirituality. The quarterback who marked an entire generation is now eternal on the field where he gave us everything: no one else will wear the number four of Green Bay at Lambeau Field and Brett can be considered, once again, a legend of the Packers. As it should be.