In February 2022, Bucaramanga beat Nacional 3-1 in the stadium that was still called Alfonso López. Aldaír Quintana was the visitor’s goalkeeper. A failure in that match caused the coach at the time, Alejandro Restrepo, to take him off at halftime.
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Life has given Quintana several opportunities to take revenge. First, with Restrepo, with whom he arrived at Deportivo Pereira and managed to reach the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores last year. And now, with Atlético Bucaramanga, with whom he was instrumental in obtaining the club’s first star in 75 years of history. On the same field where they took him out, he received thousands and thousands of signs of affection.
“What we saw in Bucaramanga, I, personally, had not seen: the entire happy city, united by that achievement, all the people giving thanks, which was the greatest joy they had had in their lives. Many older people told me that they could die in peace now. That never goes away,” Quintana said in an interview with EL TIEMPO.
Aldair Quintana
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Why did Aldaír Quintana take time to celebrate after stopping Julián Millán’s charge?
The image of Quintana is still latent after stopping Julián Millán’s charge in the final against Santa Fe. He had already stopped Agustín Rodríguez’s shot. He didn’t celebrate immediately: he stayed looking at the linesman, waiting for the green light to vent his joy.
“When I save it, I look at the linesman, I ask him if it was saved correctly: for him, yes, but they were confirming it in the VAR; While he was waiting for that, I had to hold back a little, one must keep one’s foot on the line. When they later told me that it was confirmed, I did celebrate there,” he recalled.
The starting goalkeeper of the new champion recognizes the great contribution that the presence of Venezuelan coach Rafael Dudamel had for his life. “He is a very qualified person, very studied. He has the experience of having played too. Now, as a coach, he has great group management, he motivates the player, fills him with confidence, when he has to demand strongly he also does it, with a scolding, sometimes also with strong words, but taking it well. That combination of giving affection, but also demanding, is what led us to the title,” he insisted.
He also highlighted the help that Dudamel had also been a goalkeeper for his position. “The teacher, knowing his position, gives us his experience. Suddenly, in certain plays after games, he tells you ‘you could have gone out, you could have held on, you were suddenly on one side’. For you as a player it is important to have a coach who played in the same position as you,” he expressed.
Rafael Dudamel
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Quintana was one of the 18 players who arrived in Bucaramanga this semester and had to fight for the position with Luis Erney Vásquez, another goalkeeper who was part of that list. The competition was good, and the help between them was even better.
“I had the opportunity to meet Luis a long time ago, we shared in the minor divisions of Medellín. That’s where the dispute for the position began. Teacher Rafa always wanted to count on me, he gave me that confidence, game by game I earned that place. Luis also has great merit, he always demanded of me, and when it was his turn to save, he did it very well,” recalled Quintana, who, at 29 years old, is ready to play in the Copa Libertadores again.
The difficult moment with Nacional is behind us. His partner, Emiliana Peña, who also had to go through complicated things, was his great support. But that situation left him lessons.
“I think that my time at Nacional was a great learning experience for me. I also experienced beautiful moments, but in the end it was a bit complex, it was difficult to assimilate. As time goes by you can have a different way of seeing things: today I thank God for having lived that.”he insisted.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Deputy Editor
@josasc
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