Erik Lamela's step forward at Sevilla

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"Lamela is orderly and very professional, less chaotic than some of his Argentine teammates," Sevilla sources point out about Erik Lamela, the most fit footballer in this Sevilla who faces Madrid (9:00 p.m., Movistar) today at the Bernabéu .

At the age of 30, the striker has a long career in European football.

The shadow of being an eternal

has not stopped accompanying him since he played a tournament in Spain at the age of 12 in the ranks of River Plate.

After leaving numerous injuries behind, he scores and shines at Sevilla under the command of Jorge Sampaoli.

Lamela dazzled in that tournament held curiously in Galicia, where her grandparents were born.

This

now

then received the proposal from Sevilla to take over his services.

He was 12 years old.

At that same age he ruled out another proposal from Barcelona, ​​which offered him a contract and the possibility of training at La Masia.

His parents decided that it was better to stay in Argentina.

"School first," they said.

After 36 games at River Plate, Lamela was transferred to Roma.

Two years at a high level in the Italian team opened the doors of Tottenham, who paid 30 million euros.

In the capital of Italy they came to compare him with Totti.

In London, a hip injury hampered his performance, quite irregular in the Premier.

The career of the eternal promise of Argentine soccer stopped again.

Lamela was an old aspiration of Monchi, the sports director of Sevilla, who did not hesitate to accept Tottenham's proposal to include him in the sale of Bryan Gil in the summer of 2021 (30 million and the Argentine in exchange for the youth squad).

“In England he suffered the consequences of a millionaire transfer.

I was surprised by his desire to succeed at Sevilla, ”said the sports director at the beginning of last season.

Lamela became the league's top scorer at the start of a highly promising season, in which he scored three goals in the first two matchdays, against Rayo Vallecano and Getafe.

In the first 13 games, which he played consecutively, Sevilla won eight games, drew three and lost just one.

Until a shoulder cracked.

Lamela was injured in November and returned to the team in March.

He lost almost the whole year.

But he didn't fall apart.

The Argentine faced the preseason like a rocket after spending the holidays with Acuña, his best friend in the squad.

He has reaped the fruits of his great work.

“He is the most fit footballer we have”, they emphasize in Sevilla.

Sampaoli has been seduced by his versatility.

He uses him in any attacking position, even as a center forward, as in Mallorca (0-1 for Sevilla), due to his lack of confidence in the three team leaders: Mir, En-Nesyri and Dolberg.

Against Valencia, Lamela came out in the second half and scored a goal of pure nine.

He already has two in this campaign after the one he did to Espanyol in the other Andalusian victory of the season (2-3).

Sampaoli has understood: Lamela is the only one who generates superiority in the center and the ability to go deep.

The midfielder is the second outfield player who has played the most games (12), only surpassed by Telles and Isco.

Also, he is the second scorer with two goals.

“Squeeze

, without fear”, Sampaoli usually shouts at him.

Basic player for Casilda's coach, he was also for Julen Lopetegui before his shoulder was fractured and the Basque was dismissed.

Against Madrid, against whom he has only played one game, last year with a defeat and a goal (2-3), he will have the opportunity to be important for Sevilla again and dream of playing in the World Cup with Argentina.

With 25 caps and three goals scored, he has not been called up by the Albiceleste team for three years.

Lamela has become the most important weapon of a Sevilla that arrives in Madrid with the casualties of Acuña, Corona, Salas, Nianzou, Rekik and Fernando.

The Andalusian team is the 12th classified, with 10 points.

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