Everyone is repeating the official speech of Millionaires for the new League that began this weekend, the League for the title defense. There are basically three sayings: 1. As it is the champion team, well with the same team it can be repeated. 2. The reinforcements will be more stripped from the quarry. 3. That this second semester will be rehearsals, readjustments, confirmations and discards to supposedly fight the Libertadores the other year.
(You may be interested in: Millionaires premiere their title with a tie visit to Pasto)
Let’s go in parts. The first point is supported in simple logic. Agree: with that team you can fight for the League again, but without being cancheros. That in Millionaires they do not forget that they won the title deservedly, but flush with barely and, according to all the soccer intelligentsia on radio and networks, they say a lousy Nacional.
Simple logic also reveals that the differences in our daily soccer rosters are not so many and that the championship system also equalizes. Pasto and Águilas may well be finalists three weeks ago. Pereira was champion in December 2022. Santa Fe rearmed with DT and 12 reinforcements to an Alianza Petrolera type cast, which could also be a finalist. I insist, I feel that in Millonarios they are very cancheros: that they do not forget that they have the obligation to revalidate the title and reach Nacional.
(Read also: Alberto Gamero regretted that Millonarios had not scored a goal after drawing with Pasto)
As I said in the column I wrote on the day of the blue title, a phrase from Guardiola when he finally won the Champions League does not come out of my head: “The real merit is always being on top, there, in the fight, close of the finals. So, finally you will have to win because you are closer. The greats must be on top, fighting to win and win again. I go back to the championship system: only Nacional won both Leagues in the same year, twice (2007 and 2013). Junior (2019) and Tolima (2021) were champions and runners-up.
Now, just betting on the quarry has its pluses and minuses and it seems more like a business policy of those that repeat that mission and vision thing in Power Point. Betting on youngsters from the seedbed is not bad, nor was it missing, but it cannot be absolute. Discovering talent is natural and essential in this industry. But I repeat: it cannot be absolute, because it is not in football, with exceptions that confirm the rule. Not even the mythical Barcelona that brought out several of the greatest jewels in its history from the quarry did, but it always reinforced them, to mention just a few, with Eto’o, Henry, Ibrahimovich, Alves, Touré, Umtiti, Abidal Villa, Neymar, Suarez…
Millos is missing at least one winger, another winger and another creator. Diego Abadía (24 years old), who painted so much to be an artilleryman when He was a youth scorer, he returns, hopefully, with his feet more on the ground.
And finally, the Libertadores is a dream for Millos in the medium or long term. It’s like asking Colombia to be world champion.
First you have to win here again. That the title of the final over Nacional does not make them cancheros…
P.S. It is unpresentable, for simple semiotics, that three teams play with the same uniform. Millos, Junior and DIM defended the colors of a brand. Team colors were desecrated by the industry years ago. The dollar sign is worth more than any symbol.
MELUK TELLS HIM…
GABRIEL MELUK
SPORTS editor
@MelukLeCuenta
More sports news
-Colombia vs. video comes to light. Ireland: this was the foul that sparked the controversy
-Messi and Beckham: this was the emotional meeting of the two stars in Miami
-Moving expulsion: young player from America breaks down in tears when he sees a red card