He managed Messi and Di Maria, he enjoys the present of both and says: “I’m waiting for some to ask for forgiveness”

Claudio Gugnali He was an aide-de-camp for Alejandro Sabella and knows perfectly Lionel Messi and Angel Di Mariatwo key players in the construction of the team that reached the final of the 2014 World Cup and was unfairly defeated by Germany at the legendary Maracaná stadium.

In dialogue with the radio program Bring the RoundGugnali spoke about the Copa América final, in which the Argentine national team recently won against Colombia in the United States to become two-time champions of the continent.

“I watched the final very calmly.. Many said ‘what a way to suffer’ but I didn’t suffer at all“It was a predictable match. Colombia was a great rival, with a lot of dynamics, but Argentina’s character, which it has had for a long time, prevailed,” he began by saying.

“It’s difficult to maintain that desire and hunger after being world champion. This group never relaxes.”, he explained to praise this group of players who keep the bar high.

Asked if he felt like a bit of a champion for having started this cycle of finals and titles, Gugnali was very clear. “Messi and Di Maria say that when you ask them. This current cycle far exceeds expectations and what we have done, which was very good.”.

And I add: “This technical team, which we all had doubts about and was a great unknown, demonstrated with facts that it has both the big and the small entertained.. Di María doesn’t play and suddenly he comes in and is a star. And the youngsters like (Cristian) Cuti Romero who is elite.”

Messi’s crying

Gugnali also spoke about what the image of that final was like. No goal, no dubious play and not even Di María’s departure in his last match with the Argentine national team. The captain was injured and his inconsolable tears travelled around the world. That seemed to further ignite the team that did not stop until they gave it another victory.

“Luckily now they realize what it represents Messi for all. The image of Messi crying, for those of us who work in football, breaks your heart“You see him crying like a child as if he hadn’t won anything,” said the current coach of the under-20 team in the promotion.

“Did you see when they said they have money and they don’t care about anything? Or that they play for their club and here they don’t care. They saw that they care. I’m waiting for some to apologize for the barbarities they said. But here nobody takes responsibility for anything. Luckily the players know very well who is who.”he continued.

And then he remembered: “When we arrived, the team was very distant from the press because they had been severely punished. There was a group of players who left the national team very sad for not having won a title. But they gave their all.”.

What would you say to Di Maria?

Gugnali He only had words of praise for From Maria. “To get to this point, Ángel has suffered a lot. He was heavily criticised. He was injured at crucial moments and he couldn’t handle it. As he says, he had to knock down a wall and he did. He enjoyed it and scored key goals. Why wait for him to get worse? Even so, if I could talk to him, I would say: ‘Stop, Ángel, wait a little longer, don’t rush.'”.

“But these are personal decisions that must be respected. He gave us his heart. I was always moved,” he concluded.