Skinny Lopez It is an exceptional case. Elements like this striker, who stands 1.90 meters tall and has archaic, primal movements, are not usually found in the big letters of football brochures: talent is being worked on too.
No one wanted him, they spied him out of the corner of their eyes: he was used to being the fast striker. Suddenly everyone whispers in his ear. Palmeiras, millions, the national team Even the idea of qualifying for the next World Cup. However, life is a coin in the air: again, strike. “Back”criticizes him indescribably Abel Ferreiracoach of Palmeiras, who will decide on Saturday the Copa Libertadores against Flamengo in Lima.
El Flaco, certainly the initiator, crosses Its worst version. They know it well: this is the golden opportunity to secure a place in the World Cup. Lionel Scaloni Measure it from a distance.
He tells his story of how he was not appreciated independentHe was about to be free LanusHe even performed for a few minutes in the regional league at the club Schoolchildren of Tres Arroyos. He returned when the pandemic closed its doors since the youth hostel was closed. He made his first division debut without a representative and without a professional contract.
He usually speaks like a diligent student (he got 10 in most subjects). The son of a housewife and a committed fishing father, he would stay away for weeks, never putting down the books. “You have time, but it’s your head You must be prepared They told him: “I will face both.”
He was born in San Lorenzo, a town of 3,000 where everything arrives in a second, about 70 kilometers from the capital, Corrientes. “A small, modest town, there is only one primary and one secondary school,” he says. I was a kid playing El Progreso when Bucca went to see him, but he was not convinced. Later, Independiente took him in a suitcase. Lopez went and came back, the kind of sacrifice of kilometers between buses, trains and cars. Over time, the family settled in La Plata.
He almost quit in Section Six. “I faced a problem that almost made me quit football. He was injured in his waist and bones.which almost did not allow me to walk. “I thought about leaving for a while, but the desire was stronger.”
When the goals at Lanus became a reality, they were judged on social media. They told him that he didn’t know how to play with his feet, that he only knew how to jump. Then celebrate a goal Classic topo jiggio. “It got to me, because there were people criticizing me on the networks. So that there wouldn’t be much talk, so that they would calm down a little. They tricked me into that.” I didn’t know how to play with my feet and things like that.…But criticism does not affect me, it makes me laugh…” he warned.
Palmeiras bought the permit for $10 million for 70 percent of the global operation. a few days ago, It is estimated at 40 million: The double call-up to the national team on the usual FIFA dates caused an uproar. “It doesn’t surprise me, because we’ve been following it for a while. But it’s true In recent months, it has made a big leapIt is a belief in what it is. “He is a very good striker,” Scaloni said.
El Flaco returned the wall to him. “I started this year a little bit without knowing what I was going to do and, as Scaloni said, I started to enjoy football and Believe it a little more“, was defined. In the final part of the Libertadores, River twice retaliated against San Pablo and excelled in Dancing at Monumental (Lying 1-2, where Vitor assisted Roque), in the quarterfinals and then slowly faded away. It was his last cry On October 10, with a 5-1 victory over Bragantino.
Aside from some absences due to injury or the reserve (he did not appear in the 2-3 match against Gremio this week), his poor performance affected the decline of the Sao Paulo giants, who fell behind. Five points from Flamengo (And the default hero) In Brazil. His skills, which raised eyebrows in our environment (he became a flexible, skillful striker and comfortable even outside the box), have collided with the reality of recent weeks.
Nothing Exciting : Beyond that Leo Messi and Cristiano RonaldoThis happens to all football players. However, it affects the moment: when vital issues are identified. The seven goals and two assists were held up for the Libertadores. He’ll be a starter, albeit with a shadow on his back.
“Instead of running forward, run backward. And if you’re going to run back, you’d better put Mauricio or Facundo Torres. He is a centre-forward, not a goalkeeper. The coach has the tactics, but the decision is up to the player,” fortunately, warned the Portuguese Marcelo Gallardo in Palmeiras. Dear Sir, he has withstood some attacks some time ago and is once again one step away from the top. Never leave. The coach’s comment was intended to point out that he sometimes comes back too much in search of the ball and that he prefers the midfielders to receive the ball in front of the goal, so that they are closer to scoring.
They refer to Lopez as an individualist. Symphony player without orchestra. A deadly personal tactic for the Portuguese. According to Brazilian media reports, this situation emerged in the recent matches in which it was exposed Vitor Roque. Above all, in an irregular 0-0 match with Fluminense. “Mostly, He forgot what he was doing…Abel pointed out.
Flacco is Palmeiras’ top scorer this season with 23 goals. However, it takes Nine matches without scoring. He was ruled out of the match against Gremio (allegedly due to physical illness), but it is also true that the coach saved some key players for the match at the Monumental in Lima, “Banned Final” for Argentina. Only Brazilians have won the Libertadores, from 2019 to today, systematically. The river and Boca They have only appeared in two finals.
Lopez knows about the temporary fall into the void. Learn the taste of affection and the trap of excitement. It’s time to go again, with the World Cup as an irresistible platform.