Club President Explains CD Guijuelo's Ham-dsome Jerseys

CD Guijuelo is a Spanish third tier soccer club located in the small town—population approximately 5,600—of Guijuelo, Spain. Last season, the club finished in fifth place, good enough for entry into the Copa del Rey, but not good for promotion. See, soccer is not really what Guijuelo does best. The region produces some of the finest hams in the world. In fact, the most famous ham producer in Guijuelo, a company called Beher, has won multiple "Best Ham In The World" championships with its "Bellota Oro" ham.

Coincidentally, the club president of CD Guijuelo, Jorge Hernandez, is also the director comercial of Beher. And to merge those positions and hopefully turn ham excellence into soccer excellence, CD Guijuelo will be wearing extravagantly ham-themed away kits this season that make the players look delicious, but also sort of uncomfortably like the skinned corpses that the Predator hung from trees in the Central American jungle.

VICE Sports spoke with Hernandez over the phone to discuss ham, the ham kits, and how making an elite ham translates to making an elite soccer club. (The interview was conducted in Spanish)

What's your opinion on the new jersey?

Well, it was an idea of mine actually. It all began one day while we were cutting some ham; we placed the ham in the shape of a jersey and we thought about the possibility of designing a real one. We spoke to the manufacturer and we did it!

Did you expect such a great response?

Not at all. We had spoken with some local media and newspapers, but we never thought it would become such a hit, with even media from the U.S. calling us. We're really happy!

What does ham mean for the Guijuelo region?

We produce about 70 percent of the Serrano ham of Spain and the whole world here. Guijuelo is a small town with only about 6,000 inhabitants and almost all of them have been working in this industry for many generations. We raise the black pigs here with great care. Ham is part of our identity.

What are the qualities that define an elite ham?

The ham we produce is sweet, it has no salt points and it's really smooth when eaten. It has the precise chemical balance and its properties are really healthy. Our ham's fatty acids properties are quite similar to those of olive oil and they're highly recommendable for any diet.

Are these qualities are also seen in an elite soccer club?

If I had to establish a link between football and our ham, I'd say it's the green fields of our dehesas, the grasslands where pigs are raised. Also, football requires patience and a careful method. Without patience there's no ham. And without patience there's no results!

If you were to equate CD Guijuelo with a ham, what kind of ham would it be?

¡Pata negra! [laughs]

(NOTE: Pata negra, 'black leg', is the best kind of Serrano ham and it's as good as it is expensive. Its name comes from the kind of pigs from which this ham is produced.)