Jose Sand realized he was different.
So he stopped, let the brake pass him, and then went out for a mighty sprint at the end of which he slipped into the ball and rolled it inside.
The result was 1: 3 and the clock had already closed 90 minutes, but the Lanus striker was determined to continue his great season opener and also conquer against Godoy Cross.
The excited Sand got down on his knees and hugged the cook Matthias Escibel, with the broadcast shouting in the background "How not, it's always Sand" - five words that distill the man and the phenomenon.
It was the seventh goal in six games for the Argentine league's king, the 150th in Lanus' uniform, all two and a half weeks after celebrating his 41st birthday.
The name Jose Gustavo Sand does not mean much to European football fans, which is fine.
His resume in the continent’s major leagues includes five goalless appearances in La Coruna about a decade ago, but on the continent of South America and Argentina it is a living legend.
Born in the 1980s in the Corrientes, he was a fan of Boca, started in River's youth and rose to adulthood in Cologne from Santa Fe.
Over the years he has played for 12 Argentine teams, teams from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, but the only one he returned to each time was a rape.
He had three different terms in the team from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, in the media he was a partner in four of the six titles throughout history, and she broke records upon records.
Photo: Getty Images,
With 150 goals in 230 games, Sand is the greatest scorer in the club's history, and on his 41st birthday he also became the oldest scorer in the history of Argentine football when he pushed Angel LeBrone, one of the greatest River Plate players ever, from the top.
"It's an important record because LeBron is a great player from a great club," Sand said after doing so;
"But it doesn't really interest me. I just want to play."
Anyone who has seen Sand score a goal, no matter which of his first in 1999 and the last to be scored in August 2021, understands that Lanus' striker is telling the truth.
His passion for the game is unique, intoxicating, and is the main reason why at the age when many become coaches - he extended his contract until 2022.
"Scola gave me motivation"
"Every kid in Argentina needs to be shown how Sand celebrates exiles," said his 40-year-old coach Luis Subladia, and he was right.
At the beginning of the Corona plague, when they returned to play without a crowd, Sand would run to the empty stands and celebrate as if there were tens of thousands calling his name.
In losses he is no less total, and I especially remember the case where he wept bitterly last year, when Lanus lost in the final to Defensa E Justicia.
When once asked what motivates him to play at this age, he replied: "When two games go by and I don't score a goal, I feel like I'm going crazy."
Photo: Getty Images,
So to stay sane at his age, Sand adopted a very sporty life routine.
He exercises twice a day, every day, making sure he does not lose 84 pounds.
One of his mentors is Luis Scola, the Argentine basketball star his age, who retired from the team at the Olympics and in recent years has avoided food with flour.
"Scola gives me motivation," admitted Sand, who continues to look great even after age 41. He added: "He improves me in everything. In how to score goals and what to eat before games."
The big question for Sand is how long?
This is a question that has accompanied him for years and the answer stretches like chewing gum.
In 2019 he said 2020, in 2020 he said six months, then he announced 2021 and recently extended his contract until 2022. "We have Sand for another 365 days," the group said in a statement, and it is clear to everyone what will happen in those 365 days.
What will happen after them?
Only he knows that.
Sand in Madness, Photo: Getty Images,