One of Gallardo's discarded players, who is no longer at the club, has broken his silence.

Amid Marcelo Gallardo's sweeping changes at River, one of the players who was not going to be considered and who is already at his new club has spoken out. This is Gonzalo Tapia, who, after his debut wearing the São Paulo jersey in the 2-0 victory over Corinthians, broke his silence and spoke for the first time about his departure from the Millonario.

In a press conference, the 22-year-old forward not only valued his brief time at the Núñez club, but also revealed that Giuliano Galoppo was essential in his decision to move to Brazilian soccer.

"Although I didn't play much, I learned a great deal. I took away a lot of positive things from the club, from the day-to-day. All that I learned will help me put it to the test here," Tapia said as he recalled his experience at River.

The former Universidad Católica player said that Galoppo's recommendation, who had a good spell at São Paulo and has now returned to Argentina to play for River, was decisive. "He spoke very highly of the club. He was very happy here, he told me about the fans, the city, what the club is like. He spoke wonders about what São Paulo is. There was no need to even ask about São Paulo because it's one of the biggest in Brazil, you know where you're coming," he stated.

Tapia also highlighted the support of Hernán Crespo, current coach of the São Paulo team: "He sees something very positive in me. I think I also feel that I can take that step to help with what he wants. We'll go game by game."

How much did River receive for him and how was his performance

Gonzalo Tapia went to São Paulo on loan until December 2026. The loan includes a fee of 100,000 dollars and a mandatory purchase option of 2 million dollars if certain sporting objectives are met.

Regarding his performance, during his time at the Millonario, the Chilean played seven matches between the Professional League and the Argentine Cup, totaling just 200 minutes on the field. He did not score goals or provide assists, and he received a yellow card.