Snak

Halløjsa drenge !

Samba & Mr. Gremio

Jaeh det forsvar er suspekt - kan se/læse Mano er ude og kritisere primært Juan og Marcelo for deres defensive arbejde. Vil nu også gerne have set Lucas Moura på banen også. Det ærger mig lidt at de ikke er mere professionelle/disciplineret i deres forsvararbejde - ikke at der skal gå Dunga idet - de kan jo spille samtlige hold ud af banen - de gjorde det mod Storbritannien og deres "fantastiske" premier league talenter - men det øjeblik hvor de møder et hold der kender den brasilianske spillestil og dens svagheder så bliver det forsvar et problem - jeg taler ikke om Spanien - men Uruguay - de la´ sig ikke imponerer af hverken Neymar, Lucas Moura, Damião, Oscar, Ganso - de ved jo godt hvordan Brasilien skal knækkes jvf Sambas reference til Moacir Barbosa. Talentmæssigt syntes jeg godt man kan se en hvis sammenligning med 1982 holdet - bevares Oscar er ingen Falcao eller Socrates - der mangler også en Zico, Eder og junior men tegningen er der da - de mangler dog nok en spille a la Toninho Cerezo - på den midtbane der - og hvilket fører mig videre til Artletico Mineiro..... de havde jo et forrygende hold der i start/midt 80´erne sammen med Flamengo - Reinaldo, netop Toninho Cerezo, Eder, luisinho, Paulo Isidro - selvom jeg mest husker ham som angrebspartner med Serginho i Santos. Mener iøvrigt at Minierão havde en stadionkapacitet på over de 100.000 den gang ?

Anyways - som sagt så er jeg lidt nervøs for det forsvar der....

Hr. Gremio - har du ikke mulighed for at komme i praktik i Porto Alegre hos Gremio ?

Ajooba

Yes my man du har helt ret det sådan jeg har forstået det også, ved dog ikke hvordan de har tænkt sig at uddele pladser til de regionale turneringer ? -

Riquelme , har været på tale i Belo Horizonte ikke hos Atletico Mineiro , men hos Cruzeiro og hos Flamengo - men Rosario Central er vist favoritten pt :-)



Viola

velkommen til godt art se dig på tråden.


Andib:

Velkommen tilbage unge mand - det ser ud til at Herediano har fået en fornuftig start på sæsonen - de spiller iøvrigt tirsdag i Champions League hjemme kan jeg se.

Mht. det brasilianske OL-hold så har en af spekulationerne gået på om man har spillerne til andet end kontraspil. De offensive spillere har masser af fart og teknik, men overblikket mangler med masser af boldtab og omstillinger til følge. At slippe Lucas på banen vil ikke løse meget. Han er dygtig og har masser af fart, men han har ikke sindsygt meget overblik. Jeg tror, at Mano Menezes på søndag mod Hviderusland kører samme opstilling som mod Ægypten. Så må vi håbe, at Mano kan arbejde organistionen på plads på træningsbanen. Skal der skiftes, bliver det nok Uvini ind i stedet for Juan.

@Viola
Det lyder som Neto helt sikkert bliver sorteper hos Fiorentina. Når man snakker om Viola og keepere, så kommer jeg altid til at tænke på Francesco Toldo. Ved EM i 2000 fik Toldo chancen i det italienske bur som følge af Buffons sidste-øjebliks-skade. Den lange keeper tog over og stod en meget flot turnering, men han og italienerne blev snydt i finalen mod Frankrig på nogle meget sene mål af Wiltord og Trezegue.

@Deportivo

"Heldigvis" skal jeg ikke arbejde i den kommende tid, så der bliver mulighed for at se en masse fodbold fra Syd- og Mellemamerika. Jeg skal dog have læst lidt op på costaricansk fodbold. Denne tråd er stort set det eneste jeg har fulgt med i fra Vietnam

@ Andib - fedt - men husk nu tranquilo muchacho...no stress :-) - du har også lige et jetlag at komme over... - men har da også på fornemmelse at det er TRÅDEN på bold.dk ....det virker ihvertfald til den er meget viewed også...

Apropos sydamerikanske talenter vi har berørt de brasilianske, og nævnt et par af de argentinske - Ocampos, Cirigliano, Lanzini fra River så er der Tagliafico (Banfield), Magallan som lige er skiftet til Boca - men ham her skulle være arvetager for Roman Riquelme - heraf hans kælenavn "El nuevo Román" - han har allerede debuteret for Boca og diverse argentinske ungdomslandshold - så husk navnet Leandro Paredes

Mirando las inferiores: Leandro Paredes, ¿Un futuro Román?

Hoy les presentamos a una de las mayores promesas de la cantera xeneize. Se trata de Leandro Paredes el enganche de la octava división de Boca Juniors, equipo que marcha primero con rumbo triunfal en su categoría.

Este joven oriundo de la localidad de San Justo, localidad del oeste del conurbano bonaerense, tiene características notables que hicieron que desde muy pequeño Ramón Maddoni se fijara en él para incorporarlo a Parque y al futbol infantil de Boca. Es un típico enganche que se destaca por su depurada técnica, control de pelota, panorama y una pegada formidable.

Es considerado por muchos como el mejor jugador de las categorías juveniles de AFA y actualmente es también el enganche titular del Seleccionado Sub-15 que se prepara para jugar el Mundial de la categoría. Jugador espigado de 1,80 de estatura maneja la pelota y gambetea de una forma elegante e imprevisible a la vez, similar a la de grandes jugadores como Riquelme, Kaka o el mismo Zidane. Una de sus mayores virtudes es el preciso y potente remate de media distancia habiendo convertido varias veces ya sea en tiros con pelota detenida o en movimiento.

Por sus características de juego es quizás el jugador de inferiores que mas se asemeja al estilo de Román. Es frecuente ver en los partidos donde juega este pequeño crack la manera en que habilita a sus compañeros con lujosos pases milimétricos, precisos tacos y hasta con centros de rabona como en el partido contra Newells donde desbordó por izquierda y tiró un centro de rabona que cruzó toda el área para que aparezca por el segundo palo su compañero Padilla y empujando la pelota transformara en gol esa maravilla de Leo.

En 2006 participó representando a Boca, del prestigioso torneo español llamado “Arousa Futbol 7”, obteniendo el título y siendo considerado hasta el día de hoy como uno de los mejores jugadores que hayan pasado por esas canchas, integrando el equipo ideal histórico del “Arousa Futbol 7” junto a jugadores como Bojan del Barcelona o Sneijder de Real Madrid. Inclusive Ricardo Almada, descubridor de talentos xeneizes, comentó que luego de ese torneo empresarios japoneses ofrecieron sumas millonarias por el pase de Leo.

Ojala siga evolucionando sin quemar etapas y llegue a convertirse en el gran jugador que todos deseamos, y aunque seguramente las comparaciones puedan resultar exageradas, están motivadas en la ilusión y las esperanzas que nos despierta este notable jugador y además para que quienes no lo han visto se puedan dar una idea del estilo de Leo Paredes. Desde MuyBoca le deseamos lo mejor y que sigan los éxitos.

Så skulle den være god nok Guillermo Burdisso skifter til River Plate - Man United rygtes at være interesseret i Rivers Midtbanemand Ezequiel Cirigliano - Man U har budt 7 millioner Euro og River vil have 15.

Fandt den her artikel primært om de nye lovende spillere fra Chile...def værd at kigge igennem for dem som finder chilensk fodbold interessant.

FUTURE KINGS OF CHILEAN FOOTBALL

by Joel Sked

South America is a haven for football scouts from all across Europe and further afield. Cast your gaze across European football’s landscape and most clubs posses a South American playing a prominent role in their team. Barcelona and Lionel Messi, Manchester City and Sergio Agüero, Napoli and Edison Cavani AC Milan and Thiago Silva to name but a few.

And one South American nation, more than most, are making extra room for scouts as interest in their players increase. But it is not the traditional giants of Brazil and Argentina or even Uruguay who have achieved so much with such a sparse population. It is Chile. The land of Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamarano, the Andes and Atacama, Colo Colo and Universidad de Chile.

It is a breeding ground of talented – and temperamental – footballers. The success of the Chilean national team in the last few years and more recently Universidad de Chile has brought attention to the world’s longest country. And within it there are a number of talented footballers waiting to break-out and join Mauricio Isla, Mauricio Pinilla, Alexis Sánchez, Arturo Vidal, Jean Beausejour, Sebastián Pinto and more in the epicentre of football.

And already this summer one player with little playing time in the Primera División has been whisked away to La Liga by his representatives and the lure of European football. Despite reported interest from Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, Colo Colo’s supremely gifted forward Bryan Rabello opted to sign for Sevilla after his contract expired at the end of June, on the recommendation from his representatives who did not want the player to suffer at the hands of Colo Colo’s instability.

Even though Rabello has only played 20 first team games for Los Albos Sevilla have emerged with a significant coup considering they will pay around £400,000 for the 18-year-old; a prototype modern-day attacking midfielder. Standing at meagre 5ft 4in he has the low centre of gravity that is sought in playmaking midfielders.

He became the second youngest player to appear for Los Albos at the age of 16 and could be seen causing havoc to opposition defences with the Chile under-17s who he captained.

Despite his slender frame he is incredibly strong and with a rapid acceleration – with and without the ball – helping him dodge legal and illegal challenges. Playing for Chile’s youth teams he found himself positioned as a number 10 with freedom to roam the pitch, taking advantage of that pace, crossing ability and vision. But it is not just pace that helps him beat a defender he can throw them with a shake of the shoulders and shuffle of the hips.

Stationed on the left for his El Cacique Rabello is happy to take the ball surrounded by opposition players or with his back to goal. He is clearly not fazed by pressure as shown by his performances in the first-team since being reintroduced by former interim boss Luis Perez and rewarded with a recent call-up to Chile’s senior squad.

There have been comparisons to ex-Colo Colo creator and South American player of the year Matías Fernández. But Perez claims he is more dynamic and could be even better. An astounding thought.

Even with Rabello gone from the league there are still players with the talent to excite and light up the Primera Divisón Clausura. Two of which are Bryan Carrasco and the wonderfully named Kevin Harbottle.

The latter is the oldest player mentioned at 22 but arguably the most captivating to watch. Universidad Católica are Harbottle’s fifth side in four years and the player, who is similar to Rabello, was tipped to be one of the stars of the Apertura; 2012 being the year he finally illuminated the Primera División on a consistent basis rather than flickering sporadically. Yet it did not quite turn out as forecasted.

A fine showing in the opening game against Palestino where he was devastating, appearing in a number of attacking positions hinted at what was to come. But the wining goal was the only one he would score as Universidad Católica began to slowly but surely underachieve in the Copa Libertadores and Apertura with coach Mario Lepe criticised for negativity.

Harbottle would drift in and out the team whether it was due to poor performances, Lepe’s questionable selections or injuries as players such as 19-year-old striker Nicolás Castillo jumped ahead of him. A far cry from the player that exploded onto this writer’s radar with electrifying performances towards the end of the 2011 Clausura as Católica attempted to stop the Universidad de Chile juggernaut.

A diminutive figure – with British ancestry – and the most skilful on the list, he is of a similar stature to Rabello with a low centre of gravity and the ability to play in a number of attacking positions. His dribbling with his left-foot is Messi-esuqe, acting as a magnet to keep the ball close allowing him to weave in and out of challenges.

A goal apiece in the Clausura semi-final play-offs against rivals La U emphasised the different sides to his talent. One a ferocious shot from an acute angle the other a finesse pass guided into the corner.

If he can rediscover his promise and ingenuity under new Católica boss he can propel himself into the thoughts of European scouts and adding to his single Chile cap.

While Harbottle attempts to write his name into European scouts’ notepads the name of Bryan Carrasco will most likely have already featured. Destined to join Udinese in 2013, the Serie A side pulled out of the deal concluding a disappointing first half of 2012 for the 21-year-old Audax Italiano winger.

Football fans with a penchant for wacky YouTube videos may have come across Carrasco before; witnessing/laughing/cringing at this video. Playing for Chile’s under-20 team against Ecuador Carrasco grabs a hand of an opposition player and inexplicably punches himself in the face. An appealing ‘por favor Carrasco’ and the ensuing laughter from the commentators highlights the ridiculousness of the moment.

Yet away from the self-harm there is a raw and talented winger in Chile’s ranks. One who is fast and positive, when in full flow he resembles an old-fashioned winger; collecting the ball on the touchline before heading of on a direct run putting the opposition full-back on the back foot in an attempt to get to the by-line and swing a cross in with pace and added treachery.

Los Tanos often set-up in a 3-4-1-2, Carrasco playing on the right of the ‘4’ meaning he has greater defensive duties than a normal winger which has an effect on his attacking qualities. It is not to say he cannot play as a wing-back as he has the pace and stamina to cover a flank akin to Mauricio Isla and Matías Rodríguez. But he is at his best on the front foot as seen with the Chile under-20 side. If taking the full-back down the line is not an option he is comfortable going on the inside of the full-backs using his pace to avoid challenges as he keeps the ball firmly on his right-foot.

He is likely to stay in Chile for the rest of the year. But if he can find the form that accelerated him into the hands of Udinese there’ll be no short of offers from teams looking to freshen their side up in January.

Igor Lichnovsky is proving that it is not all about exciting, precocious attacking talents in Chile. Like Carrasco the 18-year-old defender has played his way into the interests of Serie A sides with Juventus and Inter Milan scouts impressed with his fleeting but solid displays in defence for Universidad de Chile.

‘The Pole’ – he is of Polish heritage – is a classy yet understated defender - the latter a feature that should be eminent in centre-backs. He has neither the background nor chutzpah of the others but what he does harness is a calmness which suggests there is an older head on his young shoulders.

He may not have played as many minutes as the other four players but he has excelled in many of the games he has featured – La U have won all nine Apertura games in which he has started.

In terms of his attributes he holds his position in the back three of La U very well while knowing exactly what is expected of him in terms of the team’s dynamic. He’s comfortable in possession, springing from defence and initiating attacks while never looking in awe when presented with difficulties, whether it is a strong forward or a quick and nimble one.

A future corner stone of the national team’s defence and sooner or later he could be joining the league that has served two of his favourite players – Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini – so well.

However most excitement in the Andean nation is reserved for 18-year-old striker Ángelo Henríquez. After all not every player has a first option clause in their contract with Manchester United; a deal worth £2.4m to La U and lasts until the end of 2013.

Having only turned 18 in April it would be reasonable to think that Henríquez would be used intermittently by La U coach Jorge Sampaoli as La U juggled domestic and continental competition. However with his talent it would be redundant. He is that good.

With Gustavo Canales and Eduardo Vargas leaving for pastures new in the winter transfer window La U needed someone to fill the void. Soon there was no need to worry as at 17 years of age Henríquez appeared from the bench in the Copa Libertadores against Argentines Godoy Cruz and thundered in his first goal for the club.

From that point onwards Ángelo would go on to show on a weekly basis exactly why there has been such interest in the player, scoring 14 goals in 24 starts.

In the last five months he has showed maturity and intelligence beyond his years. He is adept at dropping deep and involving himself in the team’s build-up which is essential in La U’s high tempo football and when out of possession he helps with the defensive side by closing down and pressurising the opposition. His eagerness can be taken too far as he tracks back further than is necessary.

But he is at his best in and around the box with his instinctive and expert movement. Superb at getting in front his marker in the box and also peeling off opposition defenders to get himself into a prime position to receive a ball played through the centre from the advanced or deep-lying playmaker.

A true bearing of his quality is the way he has not been overawed when playing in the Copa Libertadores. Instead, excelling in certain games and scoring four goals in the tournament.

Charles Aránguiz may be the Prince but Ángelo Henríquez will soon be the King of Chilean football.

Rigtig godt med de artikler du kommer med. Det er lige meget om det er på spansk eller engelsk. Der kan enten bruges google translate eller folk kan lade være med at læse dem, hvis de ikke har lyst. For os der har interesse i det, der synes jeg det er rigtig godt.

Jeg prøver ihvertfald at finde lidt artikler med lidt forskelligt perspektiv på sydamerikansk fodbold - her er en fra BBC om Uruguys U-23/olympiske hold.....

Can Uruguay roll back the years at London 2012?

Tim Vickery


The Paris Olympics of 1924 are best remembered in Britain for providing the backdrop to ´Chariots of Fire.´ But for all the heroism of Messrs Liddell and Abrahams, something happened there with far greater consequences - the birth of modern football.

No one knew much about Uruguay as they sailed their way across the Atlantic to take part in the football tournament. But they strolled to the gold medal, and did it with a balletic, artistic style of play which captivated spectators and set off a fever for the game.

Four years later, to prove it was no fluke, Uruguay won the gold medal at the Amsterdam Olympics. Argentina came across as well, and they took the silver.

The South Americans, who had been playing a continental competition almost annually since 1916, had taken the game to new heights. But could they beat the English professionals? A new competition was needed, one which was not restricted to amateurs. And so the World Cup was born, its first edition staged - and won - by Uruguay in 1930.

Montevideo´s giant Centenario stadium was hurriedly built for the tournament, and remains one of football´s great venues. Behind one of its goals is the Colombes stand - named after the Paris stadium where Uruguay won gold in 1924. Behind the other goal is the Amsterdam stand, named after 1928. And the main stand at the side is the Tribuna Olimpica.

The triumphs of almost 90 years ago live on in the collective imagination of the Uruguayan game. ´Other countries have their history,´ goes the saying, ´Uruguay has its football.´

To this day, in all sports, Uruguay have only ever won two Olympic golds. But they are now dreaming of a third. For the first time since 1928, the sky blues have qualified for the football tournament so there is a lovely historical resonance about their participation in the 2012 Games. But even with all his enormous respect for his country´s footballing past, Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez goes into the tournament with a firm eye on the future

Since his second spell in charge of the national team began some six years ago, things have gone very well for Uruguay on two fronts. The senior side reached the World Cup semi finals in 2010 and won last year´s Copa America. And the junior teams have also shown promise in World Cups at Under-17 and Under-20 levels. The London Olympics are where these two strands come together.

It is a very necessary meeting. Uruguay have made a good start to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, standing a point behind leaders Chile with a game in hand. But it is an ageing side and some of its components are starting to creak. Options need to present themselves over the next two years.

So far, though, only two Olympic-age (under-23) players have featured in the five matches of the World Cup qualification campaign - Liverpool centre-back Sebastian Coates and Bologna playmaker Gaston Ramirez. Both have played bit-part roles. Neither has looked entirely convincing.

The Olympics, then, have a key role to play as Uruguay seek to prepare a transition to a new generation.

The choice of over-age players shows clearly that Tabarez sees the Olympic side in the same mould as the seniors. Back in 2006 he made a great fanfare about Uruguay´s national teams at all levels going with a 4-3-3 formation. It lasted exactly one competitive game - defeat to Peru in the opener of the 2007 Copa America. "Reality was too strong for us," he confessed later.

Since then pragmatism has been the order of the day. With the same starting line up, the senior side can operate in a number of different formations, but the spirit remains the same. Tabarez points out that in every game of the last World Cup the opposition had more possession, but Uruguay had more shots.

They have a deadly front line, full of individual talents happy to work together - represented in the Olympic squad by Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. And behind them lies a workmanlike midfield, which includes the third over-age name in the squad - Egidio Arevalo Rios.

With these three providing the structure, the youngsters will be looking to shine. Coates, for example, will hope to show that he be a long-term replacement for senior captain Diego Lugano. Alongside him Alexis Rolin looks a very interesting centre-back, a late developer but one who has already earned comparisons with Brazil´s Thiago Silva.

Or there is Diego Polenta. Stocky, classy and able to play at left-back or in midfield as well as in the centre. Son of a former international, Matias Aguirregaray is an aggressive, attacking right-back.

Places are up for grabs in central midfield. Arevalo Rios might be past his best in 2014. His senior partner Diego Perez certainly will be. High hopes surround the Olympic duo of Maxi Calzada and Diego Rodriguez - the latter, especially, has the combative spirit of Perez and offers more in possession. There are interesting wide attacking options, too, in the gnat-like Tabare Vuidez and the strong Jonathan Urretaviscaya. Abel Hernandez is a jet-heeled left footed striker.

The playmaker position is perhaps the most interesting of all. In the World Cup Diego Forlan dropped a few metres deeper to become the brains of the attack, and was chosen as player of the tournament. But injuries are staring to strike, and he will be 35 in 2014. Can Gaston Ramirez step up? He is elegant and talented, with an excellent left foot. But he has looked off the pace when called up to the senior side. In the Olympics the pressure is on him to make the bullets for the likes of Suarez and Cavani to fire.

Another option is Nicolas Lodeiro, the star of the 2009 Under-20 side who was so impressive in the play-off against Costa Rica when Uruguay qualified for the last World Cup.

Since then, not much has gone right for the little left-footed attacking midfielder. He has been hit by injuries and a move to Ajax was not a success - indeed, he has just joined Botafogo in Brazil. He needs a good tournament to recapture the momentum of three years ago.

Uruguay would clearly love to leave London with the long-awaited third gold medal in their luggage. Even more important, though, is feeding players into their team for 2014, where they will aim for a long-awaited third World Cup win. Pulling that off really would be a cinematic achievement, well worthy of a soundtrack by Chariots of Fire composer Vangelis.

un juego de dos mitades

Cubillas and Peru’s Golden Generation of the ’70s

The 1970s were a cataclysmic decade for South American football. World Cup triumphs for Brazil and Argentina went some way to masking the huge stylistic changes that were enforced upon the continent’s national teams by tactical development in Europe.

Brazil’s seminal class of ‘70 are often eulogised as the best side to ever step onto a football field whilst Menotti’s high-tempo version of the traditional Argentine passing game saw the host nation (literally) brought up to speed with developments in the European game.

Between these two triumphs came a transitional for the traditional powers, with the most notable lesson coming at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany where the pace and fluidity of Total Football made even Brazil realise that fundamental change was necessary. The decade also saw an unlikely golden period for one of the continent’s perennial also-rans.

For most, the Peruvian side of the 1970s conjures up memories of its alleged collusion with the Argentine military junta at the 1978 World Cup (they capitulated 6-0 to Argentina in a game Argentina needed to win by 4 clear goals). Another abiding memory (particularly for Scottish fans) was the sublime outside of the boot free-kick by Teófilo Cubillas. The Peruvian’s moment of inspiration set the tone for another uphill struggle for the Tartan Army and left Ally MacLeod’s infamous boast that his team would win the World Cup then retain it look rather hollow. The rest of the Scottish campaign would pan out in familiar fashion, from the downright dreadful 1-1 draw with Iran, to the traditional glorious failure overcoming an excellent Holland side 3-2 with Archie Gemmill’s solo strike (immortalised in Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting) proving decisive.

Our collective memory of old games, of course is often limited to major moments in games or to what we want to remember: a few seconds of genius, like the Cubillas free-kick, or the Gemmill wonder-strike, and failing that it tends to be distorted by petty nationalism, personal bias or bombastic media exaggeration of events.

The Peruvian side of the 70s, perhaps owing to their lack of success before and after, are subject to the latter tendency. Media hyperbole in their homeland has contributed to making them untouchables, elevated to legend status as an example of how the game should be played thus extrapolating fact from myth becomes increasingly difficult.

Fortunately for them, they left irrefutable evidence of their calibre in the 1975 Copa America triumph, defeating Brazil in Belo Horizonte along the way before finally despatching Colombia in the final at the 3rd attempt in a play-off game, bizarrely played in the then football backwater of Caracas, Venezuela.

The exploits of the 1970s Peruvian national team at the World Cup and in the Copa America both came at difficult moments for the impoverished Peruvian people.

Just days before the 1970 World Cup Peru suffered a devastating earthquake that left some 70,000 people dead and over a million homeless. Cubillas, in an interview years later, spoke of how he felt that, though trivial by comparison to the 1970 tragedy, he and his team-mates felt that they had, at least, done something to raise the spirits of his people in their darkest hour.

The Peruvian side qualified for Mexico ’70 by eliminating the Argentines in their own backyard and after cruising through the group stage went down 4-2 in an exhilarating showdown with neighbours Brazil. They proved it was no fluke in Argentina ’78 gaining a hugely creditable draw with finalists Holland on the way to the qualification for the second group phase, where they strangely capitulated against the hosts. On each occasion they reached the last eight and even the notoriously cynical Peruvian media had to concede that the team’s performance had been a success.

In the year of the 1975 Copa America triumph Peru played against the backdrop of a right-wing military coup known as El Tacnazo (so named as it occurred in the Southern City of Tacna) with human rights looking more fragile by the day and spiralling political instability that would wind up in the emergence of a hugely contentious Maoist Guerrilla insurgency, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) by the end of the decade. The Peruvian side gave the nation something to be proud of on the international stage, and provided a much needed distraction from events in their homeland.

In the 1970s Peru had a collection of players genuinely capable of not only beating anyone on their day, but matching anyone in the style stakes too, with their eye-catching, imaginative one-touch football. Indeed the 3-1 victory over Brazil in the 1975 Copa America was achieved not with the negative style many have employed to neutralise the Verde-Amarelo, but ‘fighting fire with fire’ taking the game to the world’s most emblematic football nation.

Peru’s midfield was touted as being the best in the world at the time with Hugo Sotil, who won a La Liga title in the same team as Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, Teofilo Cubillas, the country’s all-time leading goalscorer and most loved player, Juan Carlos Oblitas and finally César Cueto, known as el poeta de la zurda, which literally translated would be the left-footed poet, but perhaps more idiomatically in equally nonsensical English footballing parlance might be something like ‘he of the cultured left-foot’ (an expression we often use in English, presumably to acknowledge that the foot was fully versed in all seven volumes of Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu).

Allied to this assortmentof flair players, the back line was ably marshalled by the man unpromisingly nicknamed el ciego (the blind man) so named on account of his acute myopia, (he wore contacts on the pitch, he was actually rather good), Rubén Toribio Díaz and El Capitán de America (America’s Captain, not to be confused with this Captain) Héctor Chumpitaz.

By the 1982 World Cup, held in Spain, the powers of the golden generation were beginning to dwindle. After a disappointing stalemate with Cameroon and a creditable 1-1 draw with eventual winners Italy, Peru were torn apart by the stylish and incisive Polish duo of Lato and Boniek losing 5-1 and sadly haven’t been seen at the tournament since. Cubillas remains to this day one of only two players who have scored 5 goals at two World Cups, the other being Miroslav Klose.

The fleeting nature of Peru’s success, one fears, can be linked to the desperate state of the country’s club game. It is no coincidence that none of Peru’s club sides has ever won the Copa Libertadores, and the country has only one Copa Sudamericana, won by provincial Cienciano as late as 2003.

The Peruvian League has been won three times in recent years by a university team that only formed in 2004. Universidad San Martin de Porres have recently pulled out of the Peruvian League in protest at the ineptitude of the Peruvian FA and the unchecked amassing of debts by the traditional big clubs like Alianza Lima.

The current travails in the financial administration of Peruvian club football go some way to explaining why youth development and Peru’s national team have been in stagnation for so long.

Cubillas, an increasingly influential figure in the Peruvian game, speaks highly of the technical level of the current Peruvian players, arguing that players like Farfan, Pizarro and Guerrero are every bit as good as their predecessors. However, surely the more pressing problem is the administration of the clubs, which has seen de-motivated players go unpaid for months and as an inevitable consequence the country’s clubs have become less competitive in continental competition.

Despite the complex panorama of Peruvian Football, Cubillas continues to repeat the comment he made the day he retired from the game, leaving no doubt about his national pride and summarising the spirit of his team: ‘Si volviera a nacer volvería a jugar a la pelota, empezaría en el Alianza Lima y volvería a nacer en el Perú (If I could be live my life again I wouldn’t change anything, I’d be a footballer, I’d be Peruvian, and I’d start at Alianza Lima)’. Peru’s golden generation more than merit their place in Latin American Football folklore.

Cabeza Mágica – The King of Ecuador

When one talks about the rich history of Latin American football, it can quite safely be assumed than one is normally speaking of the disproportionate amount of influence a country as small as Uruguay has had, the speed with which the beautiful game took off in the early part of the 20th century in Argentina or of course the way Brazilian football has mesmerised us in the later part. In the northern part of the continent, particularly in Venezuela and Ecuador, the game has never really taken off to the same extent.

Indeed as Ecuador’s debut World Cup appearance came as recently as the first competition of the 21st century in Japan and South Korea, and their record at the Copa America is largely dismal, one could be forgiven for taking 2002 as a kind of year X for the quintessential banana republic.

It also follows logically to assume that Ecuador’s finest footballer would be a product of the country’s footballing emergence, most likely Antonio Valencia, whose meteoric rise from playing barefoot in the humble surroundings of his dusty hometown Nueva Loja on the border with Colombia to the glitz of gracing a Champions League final against Barcelona in a Manchester United shirt has captured the imagination of his countrymen. Valencia seemingly personifies the rapid rise of Ecuadorian Football, with his tough no-nonsense style, his indefatigable work-rate and his pinpoint crosses.

Ecuadorian Football as a serious entity is indeed largely a recent phenomenon and alongside Venezuela their evolution from perennial minnows to realistic World Cup contenders in a short space of time is as admirable as it is difficult to account for.

Amazingly though, a hugely influential Ecuadorian player, not only in his own country, but throughout Latin America, began his rise to fame some half a century ago. The curious hybrid name inscribed on the Municipal Guayaquil stadium on Avenida de las Américas leaves a lasting reminder of a phenomenal athlete: Alberto Spencer.

Spencer’s mother was Ecuadorian, but his father was a Jamaican of British origin who worked in Ecuador on behalf of the Anglo-Ecuadorian Oil Company, a subsidiary of what is now known as BP, a company whose presence in the region continues to cause consternation, particularly among environmentalists to this day.

The fact that many fans in the English speaking world have never heard of Spencer can be explained by a couple of important factors. Firstly, unlike Pelé, Spencer never graced a World Cup, which of course is the greatest stage for any footballer to be seen. Secondly, like many of the great South American players of his day, he never made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean to play for Europe’s top sides. Players like Di Stefano, who starred for Real Madrid, were the exception and not the rule.

The production line of South American players has always been prolific, the fundamental difference in Spencer’s era was that holding onto the players was possible, thus creating something akin to a level playing field between the two continents. Indeed, in the 60s, the South American teams could quite easily go toe-to-toe with their European counterparts and on many occasions came out on top in the annual Intercontinental Cup games.

Spencer was born in Ancón on the Santa Elena peninsula. He began playing football as a small kid with his older brother Marcos, who years later would bring him along to Guayaquil club Everest. Everest saw Spencer’s potential and immediately gave him his debut. Spencer quickly racked up a century of goals for Everest, and was spotted by Peñarol staff while the Uruguayan club were playing on tour in Ecuador. They immediately signed him, and he became a hugely important player in Peñarol’s all-conquering sides of the 60s.

He won an amazing seven league titles with Los Carboneros (the coalmen), along with three Copa Libertadores and two memorable Intercontinental Cup victories.

He scored both at home and away as the Uruguayans dismantled Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup final of 1966. This feat didn’t go unnoticed with Europe’s top clubs, and Peñarol soon found themselves resisting the entreaties of Inter Milan. Whilst playing for Los Carboneros, Spencer went on to score an amazing 326 goals, justifying Peñarol’s stubborn refusal to sell him. Spencer holds the incredible record of being the all-time leading goalscorer in the Copa Libertadores. Spencer’s haul of 54 goals is not insurmountable, but surely to be beaten it would require an outstanding South American player to ignore the lure of Europe, with all it entails financially and in terms of prestige, to concentrate on achieving in his own continent. At this juncture that seems unlikely, though maybe in the future this may change, particularly with the emerging Brazilian economy.

A great number of fellow professionals from his era regarded him highly, with Pelé in particular alluding Spencer’s heading ability being the finest that he had ever seen. Curious then, that in the latter days of Spencer’s life (in 2004), when Pelé came to draw up (or put his name to) a list of the greatest living 100 players, Spencer was shunned in favour of a bizarre mishmash of manifestly PC selections aimed at including each of the World’s continents like El Hadji Diouf of Senegal, Hidetoshi Nakata of Japan, Hong Myong Bo of South Korea and Mia Hamm of the United States ladies team.

In time honoured gentlemanly Spencer style, when questioned about the matter, he declined to criticise the selections. This dignified response lies in stark contrast to Brazilian Gerson, who ripped up the list on Brazilian television and launched into an extraordinary rant about his exclusion.

Spencer was the first Ecuadorian player to score against England at Wembley in 1964. No mean feat considering that Ecuador’s national side have never played at Wembley. He scored the goal whilst representing Uruguay as a guest, something he did on a number of occasions in friendlies, whilst stating clearly that he would never abandon the country of his birth. He made 11 appearances for his homeland Ecuador, and continues to be revered there.

Indeed as a labour of love to his homeland, Spencer returned in 1970 to finish his career at Ecuador’s most emblematic club Barcelona of Guayaquil, where he added an Ecuadorian title to his illustrious list of honours before finally hanging up his boots. Such was the esteem in which he was held back in Montevideo, he was sent by the Ecuadorian government to remain there as honorary vice-consul at the embassy. He brought up his children in the Uruguayan capital and held the place in great affection.

A pervasive Eurocentric view (of the football world at least) is ever more difficult to resist as the economic gulf between the clubs of the two dominant football continents is more apparent than ever. Despite Neymar’s recent commitment to remain at Santos until the Brazil World Cup, realistically it is more a case of ‘when’ than ‘if’ he will one day play in Europe.

Equally it is sad in many ways that a player like Messi, who so clearly continues a distinguished tradition of Latin American No.10s, was uprooted and taken away from his own continent at such a young age, never representing his hometown club at senior level.

Spencer too, of course, was uprooted from his beloved homeland the moment his talent was discovered by the giants of Peñarol, but Spencer belongs in an era of more idealistic era of Latin American Football, when (Southern Cone) clubs aspired to keep their best players in order to prove their supremacy against their ex-colonial masters, rather than aspiring to supply Europe with players to ensure their own survival.

Peñarol indeed twice proved their supremacy against Real Madrid and Benfica in the 1960s, with Spencer’s goals playing a pivotal role. Little wonder then, that some four decades on, supporters of Las Manyas still hold banners and chant the name of Alberto Spencer, beyond any reasonable doubt Ecuador’s greatest ever player.