Waste story (last tango)

Inferior technicians often say that ability is five percent of the conditions to reach success. First division and be a figure in professional football. The rest is training, discipline, work, perseverance, will, care… And passion. Without passion there is no chance of success.

In no order of life, except in the lottery. One can buy a ticket dispassionately and win the first prize. He turned 31 on Thursday. Juan Fernando Quintero. Rarely is there a player so luxurious, so remarkably gifted, so full of possibilities.

He brought from the cradle the only thing that cannot be bought or learned: quality. One such pearl is found among millions. His left foot is only comparable to that of César Cueto, that of Maradona, that of Messi. A delight to see him carry the ball as if sliding on the grass with skates, superior in that aspect to James Rodriguez, just in case.

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In elegance, it doubles it. The dribbling technique, the subtle, beautiful punch. But he was losing his career Juan fer –it's been 15 years now First division– and he did not reach the minimum goals that one expects from a star of that size.

It is not a criticism, it is a regret, a shame, a waste. Watch him take the ball to Juan fer It's fascinating, that's why one asks more from this type of footballer. The true football fan is happy when a phenomenon appears, in any club or country. He enjoys it. Hence the disappointment. The least he could expect from Juan fer It was for him to play for twelve or fifteen years in Europe, to be an idol of some big club, to win many titles, to help the National Team win a trophy.

But no, they were isolated drops of brilliance, sparks, or sparks. His has been a wandering through teams and countries without settling in any, being a substitute for most of his career, because he did not have the attitude or the physique or because the coaches have not seen him to start as a starter.

Transfermarkt He has 335 club games and 17,249 minutes on the court. This means 191.6 complete games. Very little in fifteen years of filming. Many bits of matches. The final fifteen minutes, the final 30… In goals, the same, 56, at an average of 3.7 goals per year.

“And the great goal he scored against Mouth in the final of the Liberators…?”, asks a tweeter. Wonderful, decisive. But due to capacity there must have been dozens of those, he stayed at one. And pay attention, he is still at an age to give football, to achieve things. It's in the. The same thing happens with titles. Yes, he won one Colombia Cup with Atlético Nacionala Super Cup with Porto…And of course, the Libertadores with Rivera very special one, that of the final in Madrid.

“And why did you expect anything from him? Surely he fulfilled his own goals: playing in two World Cups, winning a Copa Libertadores (with a dream goal in an epic final), going to Europe, being loved by his own and other fans… Stop imagining careers for footballers… .” Writes Fernando, irascible like a good Twitter user. “And do you know what his goals were? Everyone has their own roof. And that makes him happy. That others think about your roof is idiotic,” adds Roberto. “Juan Fernando hoped to be happy playing and perhaps he has been. You can't judge a footballer by what you expect from him,” Manuel supports.

Mistake. Nobody intends to interfere in the life or happiness of a footballer. Nor demand success, but the journalist is here to give his opinion, he can do it. And he believes that with so many virtues, greater performance could be expected. The curious thing is that many of those who maintain that he is fine like this, that he plays when he wants, that he lives his life, that he is happy and focuses on music, are the same ones who praise Cristiano Ronaldo “because he was born without many conditions, but with mentality, tenacity and effort he reached what he reached.”

“But Juan fer He is a millionaire and has secured the future of his family,” some write. The same thing happens with James' fans, at the slightest criticism they show off the millions he has earned, as if being a footballer were an accumulation of wealth. Indeed, Quintero He is already a rich man and one is happy about it, but the chronicler does not analyze bank accounts, he talks about football.

There are the social media players, there are the players without passion, there are the party animals and there are the conformists, who by signing good contracts take it for granted. The latter go from club to club because there is a very profitable business: signing a contract, collecting a good portion at the beginning and then leaving after six months or a year with any excuse. The amount that was charged is generally not returned. Another bond is then signed, an appropriate speech is prepared and the formula is repeated. They end up millionaires, but they are not loved by any fans nor are they identified with any club.

The former fix the lack of good performances with an appropriate post and nice words. And the players without passion are those who are asked: do you watch a lot of football…? “No, I don't like watching football, I prefer to play it.” When a player from your club says something like that, it's disastrous, he ruins your morale. For the four categories there are very understanding journalists who support them, surely to make them look good. The question is: why does a journalist want to look good with a protagonist…? It is not his purpose.

There were many stars who were lost for one of those reasons. Perhaps the biggest waste in history is Neymar. What happened with ney…? Only he could answer it. Little by little he became an ordinary player. Good, but average, voidable. A true dribbling monster (this is indisputable) unable to beat a mark, they overtake him and take it away. A crack of the pass barely manages to score a filtered ball to leave a teammate alone. As fast as he was, he accelerates and cannot overtake his rival. And fewer and fewer goals. An attacker who reached 43, 42, 31 scores in other seasons, in the last ones he added 19, 17… 13. And many of these from penalties. With assists, the same: he had cycles of 27, 25, 22 assists for his teammates; That figure dropped dramatically to 13, 12, 11.

And the same with the number of games: he plays less and less. In his first years he played 60, 51, 49, 47 matches, now he records 30, 28, 27… he was going to be a collector of Ballon d'Or, he didn't win any. And she won't do it anymore. It will not be easy for a footballer with such rare virtues to repeat himself: supreme technique, frontal dribble, speed, courage, excellent right-footed shot, offensive vocation, fantasy, goal, joy to play and combine. But it is written that with aptitudes alone he does not reach the top.

There were others. Rene Houseman. Decidedly great. She could dribble a town. And everything forward, to win. The best Houseman maybe the line was equal to Maradona, Messi, Bochini. He became a champion with Huracán in 1973 with a stellar role and was part of Argentina in the 1978 world title. Unfortunately, it lasted as long as the light of a match. It will have been five years of splendor, maybe six. The excesses finished him off soon. And Mágico González, a legend, an enlightenment, a peak talent who barely dazzled in Cádiz. The night was stronger.

But the important thing is that they are happy. Neymar it is. I hope Juanfer does too.

Jorge Barraza
Pair TIME
@JorgeBarrazaOK

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