Gallardo's leadership, in first person
Beyond the incident, the former River player dedicated words of deep recognition to Marcelo Gallardo. "I learned a lot from him because he taught me the reality of what he expects from a player," he stated.
The Uruguayan midfielder recalled one of the most tense moments of the feat from 10 years ago, spoke about his relationship with 'El Muñeco,' and predicted an institutional future for him
Beyond the incident, the former River player dedicated words of deep recognition to Marcelo Gallardo. "I learned a lot from him because he taught me the reality of what he expects from a player," he stated.
Ten years after the historic 2015 Copa Libertadores that River won under the leadership of Marcelo Gallardo, Carlos "Pato" Sánchez, one of the protagonists of that campaign, shared his memories and emotions about that feat that remains in the memory of the Millonario fans.
The midfielder not only recalled the joy of the victory but also the dramatic pepper spray incident at La Bombonera, which occurred during the round of 16 Superclásico against Boca.
"The pepper spray incident was something unforgettable because of the situation we experienced. I'm never going to forget it. Those things leave a mark on you in a bad way," he said in an interview with TyC Sports, lamenting that "nobody remembers what we all suffered."
The incident occurred after halftime of the second leg, when several Millonario players were affected by the gas thrown from the home stands. Núñez's team arrived with the 1-0 advantage achieved in the first leg (goal by Sánchez himself) and, after the suspension of the match and CONMEBOL's sanction against Boca, advanced directly to the quarterfinals.
Sánchez was critical of his rivals' reaction at that moment: "We had almost no interaction with Boca's players. What they wanted was to play. They never asked: "Are you all right? Do you need anything?""
Meanwhile, Sánchez highlighted the more approachable side of Muñeco: "He would call you, you would have a mate with him, and it wasn't just about soccer, there was the human side that mattered to him more than anything. He would ask you, "How is your family?""
He also recalled his demands and clarity from the very first contact: "He pushed us because he already knew every characteristic of each player. He told me: "I want the player you were before you went out on loan. If you achieve that... I'm going to count on you""
In statements to the fan program Guardia Alta, Sánchez was emphatic when speaking about Gallardo's future: "Gallardo is going to be River's president in many years. From now to 20 more years, I don't know if he will still be in soccer"
This way, Sánchez, who knows Muñeco firsthand, left the door open to an institutional future, predicting that, sooner or later, he could lead River's destiny from the presidency.