River Plate found talisman in Marcelo Gallardo
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The relationship of Marcelo Gallardo and the Copa Libertadores feels like the union of two different poles in a magnet: they’ll attract to each other, no matter the circumstances.
After walking through the empty halls of relegation, River Plate found a talisman in Marcelo Gallardo. And it made sense, a player who conquered continental trophies, who used to be an idol, returned in 2014 as a very young coach with fresh ideas.
In one year, Gallardo evolved the identity of River Plate. It woke up a South American giant that saw, during a decade, the success of Boca Juniors, the eternal rival. However, not only did Gallardo transform River’s football, it challenged the era of Boca Juniors.
In the last five editions of the Copa Libertadores, Gallardo reached the final three times. And his team eliminated Boca Juniors in 2015 (round of 16) and 2019 (semifinals). In 2018, River Plate defeated Boca Juniors in the last Libertadores final played in Madrid playing like the symphony of an orchestra: flowing with candor and complexity.
Although, the third final was the unlucky charm to River, losing in the last two minutes against Flamengo. However, the Brazilian team from Rio de Janeiro invested $56.8 million in the last year.
Fla added Rafinha (Bayern Munich) and Filipe Luis (Atletico de Madrid) as free agents, and Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, a multi-awarded coach with experience in Champions League and Europa League. Jesus currently earns $4 million and Flamengo wants to raise his wages to $5.5 million. Jesus earned the same amount of money in Benfica when he appeared in Forbes’ top 10 coaches salaries.
Flamengo succumbed to money football, something that River Plate can’t do at all. Gallardo’s team spent $14 million from August 2018 to December 2019. Even when multiple Argentinean clubs have worldwide popularity, the Superliga Argentina doesn’t have the money flow that the Brazilian Serie A and the Liga MX have.
The factor that River Plate can’t compete economically with Brazilian squads adds significant value to Gallardo’s work and the momentum that the community of River Plate is living. The stats show that in the last 10 editions of the Copa Libertadores, six different Brazilian teams won the tournament, although none of them played two or more finals in the same amount of time.
The phenomenon of “El Muñeco” Gallardo grew massively, earning praise from coaches like Pep Guardiola.
“What Gallardo has done in River Plate is incredible,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. “It seems that Europe is the only place in the world. I can’t believe how Gallardo isn’t nominated as one of the best coaches in the world.”
Gallardo’s contract ends in 2021, but it seems that there might be soon a new adventure. And who can’t blame his aspirations? Ten titles in five years with River Plate, Gallardo triumphed in South America. He gave more than any other manager in River Plate’s history.
Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.
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