Juan Fernando Quintero is already playing again with River Plate and is one of the hopes of his team to recover the title of the Copa Libertadores, which you haven’t gotten since 2018.
In the midst of this panorama, Conmebol interviewed him and in that talk, the Colombian player praised José Pékerman, coach of the Colombian National Team between 2012 and 2018, and also his current coach at River, Marcelo Gallardo, two key people in his football career.
(Also read: Tolima asks for the points of the first game of the final with Nacional: why?)
Quintero’s praise for José Pékerman
About Pékerman, Quintero opined: “He has been like a father to me since I was 19 years old when he took me to the National Team.” The Argentine made River’s ’10’ debut on October 16, 2012, in a friendly against Cameroon, and included him on the payroll of the two World Cups he led, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018. And in both, he scored a goal.
Quintero recalled the episode he experienced before the match against Poland, in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which is four years old this Friday.
“The day before that game I hadn’t trained and I wasn’t going to play. It’s not that I was rebellious, I just told him things I felt and what I could do for the team. The next day he tells me that I am going to play and I would say that this was the best match in the history of Colombia in a World Cup. We beat Poland 3-0 with a lot of prominence. That talk we had served to show character, for me personally in that game it went very well,” Quintero said.
(Also: Anthony Zambrano will decide in a few hours if he competes in Bolivarianos)
Quintero’s praise for Marcelo Gallardo
The Colombian player also spoke wonders about Gallardo, who helped him win the 2018 Copa Libertadores, with a goal in the final against Boca in Madrid, and who gave him confidence in River again after passing through China.
“Marcelo is a friend, regardless of everything at work he doesn’t give you anything, It has marked me in my career, I found my place in the world as they say and it exploited many of my qualities, it made me a better player. Always based on what is best for the team and that is reflected in his history at the club.”
Juan Fernando described as “surprising” what Gallardo does and the way he lives this game. “The players get stronger and leave. His history and his titles are not a coincidence, the way he lives football is surprising. The intensity that he lives football transmits to you, and also how he trains”.
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