The paradigm has certainly
changed
.
At least according to what is seen on the beaches of Mar del Plata, where in each picadito or penalty shootout, the one who is commemorated first is Dibu Martínez.
Believe it or not,
the position of goalkeeper, unfairly stigmatized
, to which only the least skilled would go before, was claimed by the Mar del Plata idol of the National Team, who defends the goal of English Aston Villa.
Both on the beaches of the North and the South -above all-, boys and girls -now- dispute the fence and before each save they recount the play that ends with a "cover, cover Dibu, cover Dibu, the hero of Qatar ".
"They fight to go to the goal," say adult witnesses of the chopped that are assembled in Spa 12. Photo: Marcelo Carroll
Would Dibumanía be the correct term?
"Hundreds of kids come here every day to pose under the sign and do some flying even though we are on a sidewalk, surrounded by traffic," says Aníbal, a
ganapán
who saw the opportunity to design a homemade version of the World Cup. and offer it to the cap to the families that make a stopover in Corrientes street and Diagonal Alberdi.
"Let's kick Dibu," the boys ask their parents.
It is almost mandatory
to stop under the gigantography
that, at the height of the La Perla spa, has been posing since before the end of the year holidays.
"This is filled with boys and teenagers who pose and automatically shout 'Look what I'm eating
'
before clicking on the cell phone photo," reports Aníbal, who says that "in the morning and in the evening, before going or coming back from the beach,
the scene is set
up, which is good for me to collect a few pesos".
The gigantography of Dibu Martínez, at the height of La Perla, is a must for adults and children.
Photo: Marcelo Carroll
Afternoon falls in the well-known Spa 12, in Punta Mogotes, where a penalty shootout is being played between boys aged 10 and 14.
It is not surprising that
there are two and even three goalkeepers in the goal to tackle.
Bautista (12), with a frown, tries to outrun his competitors.
"I got out, I'm Dibu, I got out of here stupid", he tries to emulate Messi, achieving his mission.
Meanwhile, Tommy (11), a spicy left-handed man, crossed it at half height but Bauti's left glove changed that gesture for another of gibberish.
Burly, Bautista has red and white gloves.
She is a fan of River but "
I'm no longer Armani, now I feel like Dibu Martínez
, even if I'm not from River. I love it, he's the best of the National Team," he comments to this chronicler as if he were referring to a superhero.
But he runs back to rally him and
wants to take over the goal and the limelight.
"El Dibu, El Dibu, the hero, like that impressive cover to the French Muani!".
From Buenos Aires, the boy fervently recounts the heart-stopping move after another hit by a ball that he covered with his legs.
Bautista gets involved with his idol from La Scaloneta.
"I'm from River, I loved Armani, but now I want to be Dibu".
Photo: Marcelo Carroll
Tommy continues kicking and this chronicler joins in due to the lack of kickers.
Curiously, or not so much,
the queue is to go to the arch.
Renzo reluctantly gives up his place and grumpily lends his gloves to Milton (14), from Tucumán, and with a good height.
He puts on his gloves, slaps his hands together, and talks to the veteran kicker.
"I know you, you like to watch"
, reproducing famous phrases that the goalkeeper uttered in the 2021 Copa América semifinal. Intimidating, Milton covered the bitten shot and immediately celebrated with another of the gestures that went viral.
An organizer appears to bring some order to a certain fun mess.
Now
the one who goes to the goal, but without gloves, is Lola (7)
, a Dibu fan, who was crying on the side of the sand court for not getting a vacancy in the dreamed place: under the three sticks.
Augusto, a reference from B12, with a whistle accommodated two boys on the sides of the immense goal defended by the petite Lola, who borrows some movements.
Tommy kicked again, soft and to the middle, and Lola started to jump with excitement.
While they fight to save, the boys recount the play crowning it with a unanimous exclamation: "El Dibu, El Dibu, the hero of Qatar".
Photo: Marcelo Carroll
"I am the Dibu, I am the Dibu", he exchanged tears for happiness.
Before the query, the girl was surprised: "Why do I like it?
Because it tackles well, because it saved Argentina and because of the way it is
. "
The look of her mother, on one side of her transmitted smiles.
"Here games are set up every day and
the kids evoke Martínez more than Messi
, something that never ceases to surprise us, but not because Dibu doesn't deserve it, but because the position of goalkeeper has been revalued," says Juan Pablo, spa teacher.
In a tour towards the wide beaches of the south, in addition to the shuffleboard and soccer tennis challenges, matches, heads and hand in hand are put together, where there is no shortage of stories, which always start from the goalkeeper's cover
and not the one who carries the ball and dribbles.
"I want to save a goal, not do it
," says Rodri, while he throws the ball off his friend.
"Go on, go look for her inside, Little Drawing," the kicker replies.
"With his left leg, as in the final against France, Rodri denies him the goal", and he describes it with his story after flying towards the sea.
Camilo jumps and stretches out his arm, deflecting the ball.
Next to him, his friend also wants to save and disputes the sand goal.
Photo: Marcelo Carroll
Written in red fiber, "23" and the word "Dibu" are scrawled on Camilo's (8) shirt.
"Do you like it? I made it," he takes off his shirt and shows the shirt with the smeared ink.
"Go on, dad, go on, kick and I'll eat you,"
the boy repeats at the grimace of his father, who impales the ball and causes the boy to show off.
"Yes, yes, champion, champion, Dibu, Dibu, the greatest," he yells as he runs to celebrate splashing on the shore.
"I bought him Messi's shirt and he doesn't want it, he asked me for Dibu's red jumpsuit
," says Ever, Camilo's father, amazed.
"He always liked to play forward, he kicks well, quite strong for his size, but
since the World Cup he has become a fan of the goalkeeper.
He asks me for Dibu's gloves, I have no idea what they are," he shares while not taking his eyes off him off his son.
"I can't believe what Dibu generated, I guess because it was unknown to most," Ever tries to understand the boom.
Tonio and his transformation.
From not liking playing soccer and being shy, to wanting to cut corners everywhere and repeat the phrase "Look what I'm eating."
Photo: Marcelo Carroll
In spa 6 there is a two against two;
father-mother vs son-daughter.
Analía is the mother of Tonio, a 9-year-old boy who did not go crazy with soccer.
"It was always more than watching it on TV, but the World Cup discovered another boy, a little barrabrava -smiles-.
From shyness to constantly playing 'Look what I eat you', the favorite phrase".
Tonio is in the goal, following the play attentively and his sister is waiting for the ball to score the goal.
"It's all from Dibu, this has happened to many boys who not only choose to go to the goal, but also
imitate their personality
," says Ulises, Tonio's father, who does not dare to speak.
Hundreds of meters further on, in Spa 2, Amilcar (12) set up a chest with sticks made from a beach chair and an umbrella that he buried with effort.
"Can I kick a penalty?" This chronicler asks Darío, his friend who is about to be executed.
"Yes, yes, come on, you won't be able to, you'll see"
, Amilcar enthuses with character, believing he is more demanding.
The low shot, with direction and strength, cuts him off by flying to his right.
"Dibu, monumental Dibu", he exclaims and immediately reproduces the gesture with his pelvis.
Flight and steady hands, covered by Amilcar.
On the beaches of Mar del Plata, the kids want to be Dibu Martínez.
Photo: Marcelo Carroll
Undoubtedly, Dibu's memorable covers added to his impetuous personality claimed a position that was always punished.
"It's all from Dibu,
all the kids, no matter what teams they are from, dream of being him.
They see him as a Superman, a Spiderman
, you saw, they even ignore the goalkeepers of their own clubs," analyzes Cecilio, Alan's father , while waiting to have a photo taken under the gigantography in La Perla.
"Not a day goes by that my son doesn't watch on YouTube the penalties
against Colombia (of the Copa América) and the definitions against the Netherlands and France," says Liliana, Fausto's (12) mother, who is stumped looking at the photos that they took of the side of the face with a gesture of effort of the Dibu, under the poster.
"They imitate his saves, but what seduces them the most is Dibu's way of being, that security that he transmits."
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