One day were footballers

It was this past weekend, by chance, one of those moments where you have the television on without loaning a careful attention, when I saw the press conferences of two current Major League coaches. First came Mauricio Pellegrino, after Miroslav Djukic. I did not pause in his words, not even listening, only heard. It was the prior of their respective parties and I guess that would be talking about what they expected to meet in the crash, the rival, and other casualties. But at that moment I saw two coaches: the remembered ten years younger when wearing short and under the command of a technician instead of being in charge of a group of players. I thought about how much I've seen coaches be footballers, how football looked before and how I see it now, and maybe (just maybe) I'm getting a little older.

I remember those first games where everything was unknown. It mattered little tactics of the contenders, if defended in the rear area, the ends down to help the side or front of the opponent pushed out. All that mattered was what each player can do, how each forged his legend. Gradually you'd know them all, some were in the prime of their careers, with some even have grown at roughly the same time, following his career step by step, the debut, every goal, every triumph, every difficult moment, as if someone close to you know the usual, like you've shared with them that time from afar. My case with Raul, Del Piero, Ronaldo ... No need to look anywhere his ways: we know by heart.

But out of the box, next, on the bench, stood other equally important characters we saw the hoarse in the band, giving instructions to his, often angry, sometimes happy. We did not know who they were, but next, your father told you once stood inside the box, and that was also a great player. From that moment every game start question time, who is? What team was that? What was playing? Was it good? Just knew who had been before Johan Cruyff, Jorge Valdano, Luis Aragonés, Jose Antonio Camacho, Javier Irureta, John Benjamin Toshack ... everyone wanted to know, but clear: it was not always possible. A team that I loved was then Ajax, but my father had no idea who was Louis Van Gaal, who found success as a coach.

And now I realize that I have no need to consult anywhere to meet a large number of coaches: and I saw on the pitch with my own eyes. How not remember Djukic and Pellegrino? Magnificent central at the time, one in Depor, one in Valencia, although later would coincide in Mestalla. Both have the thorn of a penalty that had the courage to fail, to cost him a league Deportivo and Valencia continue that fateful penalty shootout in the final of the Champions League. Pellegrino is repeated today in Valencia exploits off the bench, while Djukic rose last year to Valladolid that is keeping the guy on his return to first. And it seems that the plants like the trade: there have also Pochettino or Paco Jemez.

Another valiant defense of the nineties was Manolo Jimenez, left-Sevilla and Zaragoza coach today, but I saw him less. Much to Cholo Simeone saw, it was not defense but recovered balls as they come. Noted for his momentum, his drive, his winning character: nothing has changed, and now Atletico Madrid remembers who won the double with his Argentine midfield. In those days, Michel, Sevilla coach began its decline and migrate to Mexico soon after putting into the right flank of the Bernabéu innumerable centers in the head of the best strikers.

What about Guardiola? No longer in charge at Camp Nou, but if it was big as soccer has been more as a coach, building the best Barcelona in history. Many put their hands to their heads when Laporta announced in the post: how not to, if it seems like yesterday when he decided to leave to play Calcio. Another who is no longer on the bench of our league is Unai Emery, who remember that not so lucky in the Royal Society and had to fend for themselves in the second.

But not only in Spain are coaches who one day saw as footballers, but then there were so many ways to follow international football. There's Di Matteo, the finally chosen to European champion and team Abramovich who once was one of the members of that Chelsea Zola and Desailly. Also in England is now Mancini, irregular beat Sampdoria trequartista of Lazio and yet today Catenaccio advocates on the bench at City. Much better known in our country is one of my favorite players at the time: the great Michael Laudrup, Swansea coach today. For our league also passed Frank De Boer, champions league with Ajax, and Sá Pinto, good striker of the Royal Society that triumphs as a technician in your country into the ranks of Sporting Portugal.

He saw football differently. They say you start getting older when your idol is younger than you. For my part, now I'm more or less in the age in which players are blossoming. Like me, what the hell. Today you can have more preference for some players than others, but can hardly be idols in the same manner in which they were those. But they are close to retirement, if they are not already, and who knows if we'll see you soon on the bench. And someday I will explain who they were Raul and Del Piero.