Maximiliano Uria
09/10/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 9/10/2021 6:01 AM
That central marker of Newcastle of England called Federico Fernández, who was born in Tres Algarrobos 32 years ago and who will be in the eyes of all football fans in the world because he will mark Cristiano Ronaldo on his return to Manchester United nothing more and nothing less than At the legendary
Old Trafford
, he
is a professional footballer on a hunch
.
Or perhaps it should be written by a stubborn or a dreamer.
And the story has Federico as a supporting actor and his father, Carlos Daniel, as the main protagonist.
"Did you never think of taking him to test the kid?"
Carlos was asked in General Villegas, after a
Sports
Tres Algarrobos match
in that city.
And something ignited at that moment.
Carlos Daniel investigated and reading the local newspaper he found a test that River would do in the area. He did not get over it. But the father did not stay with that. He remembered his days as a university student in La Plata and was encouraged to call the Estudiantes headquarters, located on Avenida 53.
"I have a 13-year-old son who plays central, is six-foot-five and heads very well. I want them to prove it. "he
asked vehemently.
"You can see that it sold me very well,"
Federico says now from a distance, emotionally and geographically, from England. And it expands:
"I remember that they asked us if I was doing well in school and if there could be a week before they tested me. I went in July 2003. I trained with the boys in my category and then I stayed with José Pascuttini, who was coordinator, heading or practicing closings. There they booked me and told me to come back in January 2004
".
But the story does not end there for El
Pájaro
, who had already made his debut in the Primera de
Sports
, at just 13 years old, in the Western League. "
I had to attend the test with Students on Monday and we went to La Plata on Saturday. We were walking in the Forest and my old man rented a little boat to get into the lake. 'Make legs that you have to get to the test with strength', He told me. So he made me pedal for about an hour,
"laughs the defender who
played 32 games for the Argentine National Team and scored 3 goals
. And he adds:
"In the summer or winter vacations I would go back to town and when I went to do the routines on the Sports court, my old man would drive the car, open the doors and play music for me to make training more fun
."
A young Federico with his father, in Tres Algarrobos and on horseback.
-From the little boat in the Forest to play at Old Trafford in the return of Cristiano Ronaldo ...
-The beautiful moments that football gives you.
It is when you think that all the effort was worth it.
As a team we have a nice pressure because not only are we going to play against Cristiano Ronaldo but United will be in front, who have a great team.
They are situations in which you want to be yes or yes, that motivate you.
-You are going to face Ronaldo for the first time. How is it marked?
-Yes, I never had to play against him, neither in clubs nor in the National Team.
It is clear that he is a barbarian player, who is 36 years old and looks 25. He is physically impeccable and plays 90 minutes after 90 minutes after 90 minutes.
It never stops and is always up.
It's going to be a nice challenge.
-Can you get a little bit in the Premier League?
-The central defenders like the friction, the melee;
we need it.
But football has been changing in recent years, much more with VAR: you feel like you are being watched all the time.
Before you could allow yourself some mischief, but now it would be irresponsible.
And I'm not talking about a flattering or something disqualifying.
In the Premier you play strong and with loyalty;
it is a very dynamic football.
Fede Fernández marking Sadio Mané.
Photo: Scott Heppell / PA Wire / dpa
-Is it the best league in the world?
-Yes.
The 20 teams have a very high level of competitiveness and there are huge players.
On top of that, this pass market was the best ever.
The arrival of Ronaldo and Lukaku gives him another plus.
But beyond football, what is surprising is the level of organization and the stadiums.
Luckily with the club I signed for two more seasons: my goal is to continue competing at this level.
Federico can no longer be seen by his father in the duel against Cristiano Ronaldo (he died in 2017), but he says that while he was there, he did not miss a match.
The same as his mother Claudia, a teacher by profession, who spends her days in the tranquility of Tres Algarrobos, from where she will be on the television this Saturday morning.
"Both my old men and my brothers have accompanied me at all times. They could see me play in the World Cup in Brazil, but they also went when I played in the Lower Student League. And they always accompanied me in silence. I remember a couple of games that I scored goals in Inferiors and in the celebration I tried to find my old man to dedicate the goal to him. But he was hiding because he did not want his figure to become a pressure for me "
, analyzes Federico.
The Bird marking Lukaku in 2018. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) /
-Is the World Cup the best for a player?
-Singing the national anthem at a World Cup is wonderful.
The same as walking through the corridors of the stadium before going out onto the field.
These are moments where a thousand emotions go through your head.
Then start the game and you forget.
But the before is very nice.
Much more if the stadium is full of Argentines, as happened to us in Brazil 2014.
-Does the final lost against Germany still hurt?
-It is a thorn that will remain forever.
Soccer is sometimes defined by a play and this time it was their turn.
But all of us who were there can look into each other's eyes because we know that we gave it our all.
Alejandro's (Sabella) planning and execution of the match was very good.
The detail was missing in our favor.
I think that people felt identified with the team, which went from less to more in the process, because of the values it transmitted.
-What made you that Lionel Messi is the champion of the Copa América?
Joy for him and for the rest of the boys who had to lose a couple of finals.
A
Leo
I sent a message to congratulate him
.
But beyond the triumph, the most important thing they left was the message.
They fell and got up many times, they kept trying until they succeeded.
That usually happens in life, not just in football.
The opportunities are there and you have to look for them without lowering your arms and with your forehead held high.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Federico Fernandez 🇦🇷 (@ federicofernandez89)
Fede
Fernández has lived in the United Kingdom for eight years: he played in Swansea from 2014 to 2018 and since then he has defended the Newcastle shirt; In the Premier League he has accumulated 195 games with 4 goals. El
Pájaro
shares his days with his life partner, Florencia, and his two daughters, Valentina (5) and Victoria (2).
He claims to be comfortable in the British country, but he always misses his little corner of the world, Tres Algarrobos (or Cuenca, for those in the area).
"Victoria was born in May 2019 and we have not yet gone to Argentina. Only my mother knows her, who came for the birth. Then the pandemic came and we prioritized health. The countries of South America have a red alert and if a family member comes, they have to do a 10-day quarantine. We can't complain, but it's hard. Let's hope that in a little while everything will return to normal so we can go to town, to see friends and the Sports Reds, "
closes El
Pájaro
.
Look also
Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Maradona: an Oxford mathematical formula reveals who is the best footballer in history
Cristiano Ronaldo reappeared at Old Trafford wearing the Manchester United jersey and his debut is already throbbing
