Maximiliano Moralez
will never grow up.
His 159 centimeters, so striking for elite football, are no longer going to change when the footballer born in Granadero Baigorria is about to turn 36.
But
the body does not lie and warns
, the temples and the beard silvered by the snows of time denote that the only thing that
Frasquito
has as a boy is the container.
On his return to Racing he was the figure in the final against Boca and after almost 18 years since his debut, he won his first title at La Academia.
"The truth is that it is something dreamed of"
, he confesses with a smile in the chat with
Clarín
in the corridors of the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates.
What grew is Moralez's game.
Because he is no longer that explosive and confrontational striker that he saw in his first stage at the club or in his successful stint at Vélez.
He is now he who leads the team.
"The bigger you get, the further back they are pulling you. I don't think he plays central because of his height, but who tells you now that football is very dynamic,"
he joked.
Facundo Roncaglia fights for the ball with Maximiliano Moralez.
Photo: REUTERS/Satish Kumar
Moralito
showed in Al Ain that he is a player of hierarchy.
When the night was adverse for Racing due to Facundo Roncaglia's goal,
Frasquito
rubbed the lamp and left Johan Carbonero one on one for 1-1.
It was quick, Gago's team was at a disadvantage for just a few minutes and that gave him poise to later control the game and be able to define it with Gonzalo Piovi's penalty at the end.
But when the game subsided or Racing couldn't find the way, it was always Moralez who broke the monotony and pulled his team out of the hole.
A pass, a dribble to show the way.
"We got the result we wanted in a game that was well played at times, fought at times. We controlled it well. We reacted quickly after their goal,"
he analyzed.
"I have felt good and I have tried to contribute to the team what the coach has asked of me. I am happy.
I think I turned around for that
"
.
Moralez's return began in 2005 with his debut at the hands of Guillermo el
Tiburón
Rivarola, although his most remembered moment at the club is the goal he scored against Belgrano de Córdoba in 2008, for the Promotion, to leave Racing in First Division. Division.
Later, Vélez, five seasons at Atalanta in Italy, León in Mexico and New York City in the United States MLS.
Moralez highlights his years in Italy to train as a tactical footballer.
And he analyzes that in current football the figure of the hook -his natural position of him- of him no longer exists.
That he had to adapt to becoming an intern with a goal pass (like the one he gave to Carbonero), a double five or also a winger.
What became clear in Al Ain is that he knows how to play and read the game
, he is quick to make decisions (almost always correct) and understands when to slow down and when to speed up.
Moralez looked very active during the 95-minute match in Al Ain.
Photo: AFP
Fernando Gago, the team's coach, thinks along the same lines:
"Maxi's game was very good. He's been working with us for a short time. I think the quality he has and the experience will give us that plus for this style of matches. He knows how to handle the rhythm of the game very well",
he explained before the
Clarín
consultation .
And he added: "He is a boy who has a lot of desire, he returned with great enthusiasm and that in his first game in the second leg he has managed to win a title is very important to him," said the DT who is barely 10 months older than the soccer player that he chose to reinforce a team that needed a driver.
Moralez also looked good physically, he endured the 95 minutes with a good pace and high intensity
.
The experience also allows you to be smart to regulate when necessary and recover the air;
or burn the muscles to find the spaces when the rival was vulnerable.
The truth is that Racing's best moments in the Super Cup final against Boca were seen when Frasquito was carrying the ball.
All this after just a week of work with the team.
Pure hierarchy to arrive, put on the shirt, play, be a figure and achieve his first title with the club that formed him.
Moralez's celebration on the field of play is measured.
He celebrates and smiles with his companions, kisses the glass and enjoys.
His wife walks onto the field with her son and her two daughters.
He embraces his partner, who is two heads taller than him;
she can make upa to her son, who is curious about the medal and together they inspect it.
Seeing him with his family also shows that he is no longer a kid and that a lot of water passed under that bridge.
Racing added a figure to Argentine soccer
.
"Enjoy this, it's always nice to win. Add a star to the club. I think this confirms what the boys did last year, that they have had an incredible year and that is why it is enjoyed now," Moralez closes the dialogue with this newspaper before to watch TV and leave quickly for the hotel.
What comes now is dinner, the return flight and return to work to put Racing at the top.
Moralez returned after almost a decade to Argentine soccer, and
in his first function he showed that he is enormous.
Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Special
envoy
look also
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