This beast is insatiable. He must have lost count of the amount of kisses he gave her in his arms. Here, where he has his children’s names engraved in ink and blood. Luis seems to have no limits. It is strengthened in the face of difficulties. It sounds like a lie, but it’s been 16 years since that first goal of his career.
It happened in September 2005 in Central Park. Nacional hosted Paysandú FC. The tricolor coach, Martín Lasarte, sent him to the court with nine minutes left.
Luis had no idea that some of his rival’s players were working. That the defender who subtracted the ball that resulted in his goal had repaired windshield all week. He cared little. He came in and ended the malaria. Without imagining that goal would be the first in a long list that reached 500.
Throughout these 16 years, Luis Alberto Suárez has not stopped celebrating. Many times the perspective of the passage of time is lost. But one detail clearly marks the achievement of the Atletico Madrid striker: while he continues to score goals, those who were on the court that afternoon changed heading. Today, 500 goals after Suárez’s first cry, what about the lives of those who played that game?
Mauro Basualdo Paysandú FC was the defense. The week before the match against Nacional he fulfilled his daily task: to work in the windshield repair shop.
“That was the third year of Paysandú FC in professionalism and we were all players from the interior, more than anything from Paysandú, Salt and Tacuarembó. And they saw what the interior is like, if you don’t work you can’t live alone of football, “Basualdo said in a talk with ESPN.
the side Joaquín Burutaran, Emerged from the River Plate formations, he recalled ESPN the moment Suárez entered the playing field.
“They won 4-0 and put Luis who was half resisted because he was several games looking for his goal and he hadn’t been able to get it.”
Until, a minute after being on track, the 9 ended the malaria. “Sebastián Vázquez overflowed, threw the center and Suárez hit him with a Chilean half. I took it out on the line with his head. But he had the rebound left to Vázquez who shot, I took it out again, and here It was left to Suárez to score his first goal, “Basualdo said, recalling that afternoon of September 10, 2005.
The defense was marked by history. He says there is no family reunion where they don’t joke about him saying he gave Suarez assistance for his first goal. However, his children tell their friends that his father had the luxury of playing with the 9 of Atletico Madrid.
“PERXA”, THE PROFESSOR of Cavani
Christian González it was the 9th of Paysandú that afternoon. The Perch, as they knew him, revealed to ESPN that “Suárez was not known and the only thing I remember was that they beat us with a barbaric beating. Nacional was returning from a pre-season in Spain and they were coming at a high pace.”
From those times, Perxa González remembers the friendship he had established with the Cameroonian Valery I dreamed of. “He was stopping at a hotel and my family invited him over the weekend to eat roast at home because he was left alone. I lost track of Valery.”
But look at what the destination things are. Over the years, González, became a physical education teacher and ended up training Suárez’s partner in the offensive of the Uruguayan team: Edinson Cavani.
González, 41, settled in Salt and when Cavani ended his bond with Paris Saint Germain, he went to train alone in his homeland. There, the one in charge of its preparation was González, as documented by the photos that Cavani himself uploaded to his social networks.
Another player who settled in the land of Edi and Luis is Joaquín Burutaran. At 40 he is an electrician and refrigeration technician. He works on construction sites and also repairs air conditioners. He was recently confirmed as the coach of Salt FC who will return to compete in the AUF tournaments.
“I recently remembered that first goal from Suarez and I put it on Twitter as one of the losses they gave to explain why, to make you a goal Suarez, in the end ends up being less painful,” he said with a laugh at ESPN.
THE URUGUAYAN MARADONA
With the game 5-0 in favor of Nacional and seven minutes before the end of the game, the coach of Paysandú, Juan Carlos Blanco, sent on the court to a certain Uriel Pesce.
Who was? The Uruguayan Maradona, as defined by Humbertito Grondona, the former Argentine coach who went through Nacional’s training sessions.
“I was called the Uruguayan Maradona because Humberto Grondona, after winning tournaments in Argentina and Brazil, compared me to Diego,” Pesce revealed to ESPN.
On that afternoon of Luis’ first goal, he doesn’t forget some dialogues: “As I had played in the Nacional formations, when I came in some former teammates told me jokingly: ‘now you’re going to turn the game around’. We could never have imagined in that then that Suárez would become what it became “, expressed Pesce to ESPN.
Uriel was another one who worked when he went to play that game. He did it in a printing press. He currently owns a pizzeria and works on recommending players.
Jhonny Melgarejo is another with a past in National. At the age of 17, he was sent down to the capital to train the first team that Hugo De León was technically leading at the time.
“I was in the National Team and I had the chance to go with the Casal group. Through some contacts with Chijane they took me straight to a preseason with Nacional at the Lake Post,” he said. Melgarejo a ESPN.
500 goals after Suárez, Melgarejo manages to live. He has no permanent job. “Today I try to do what I can, I’m unemployed and still playing football. I was working with my old lady who owns a clothes shop and I give her a hand. I also work on a grill of some friends.” expressed Jhonny.
Another who lost his job after 12 years of activity in Pili was Richard Frontán. The former player, who started that afternoon with Suárez’s first goal, now works in a butcher’s shop.
Some of Luis’ teammates that afternoon are still active, such as goalkeeper Jorge Bava, Mauricio Victorino, Juan Albín and Gonzalo Castro. Others are coaches or engaged in player representation.
Mauro Basualdo, The man who inadvertently enabled Suárez for his first goal, continues to work in the workshop, in addition to being supervisor of hygiene and cleaning in Comepa (Medical Corporation of Paysandú).
Retired today, and at a distance, he can’t believe he played against Luis Suárez: “That afternoon we knew that Nacional had fast strikers, but don’t look that Suárez was going to be what he is now, otherwise he would have asked for the shirt and I would have it framed. But if you want to send one for a charity it is still in time. I leave you my address: Charrúa 1137, Paysandú, Uruguay “.
ONE X ONE: What do 500 goals do after Suarez?
NATIONAL
Jorge Bava – 39 years old
He returned to Liverpool after playing two years in Paraguay where he defended Guarani.
Pau Caballero – 34 years old
It arose from the formations of National and was promoted at the same time as Luis Suárez to the first equipment. He emigrated in 2009 to Locarno in Switzerland and after a long pilgrimage that included Hungary, Belgium and Bulgaria he finished playing in 2014. He currently works as a representative for Stellar Group Uruguay & Paraguay which has Marc Vanzini as director.
Mauricio Victorino – 38 years old
He is still active, he plays on the Danube.
Diego Jaume – 47 years old
He had moved away from football to agriculture and livestock. He resumed activity recently and is the coach of the Fourth Division of Rentistas.
Daniel Leites – 38 years old
The last thing that was known was that he defended Vila Teresa in the Second Division.
Rodrigo Sebastià Vázquez – 40 years old
He was preparing to be a coach.
Fernando Machado – 41 years old
Technical assistant of Alexander Medina in Workshops of Cordova.
Alberto Silva – 37 years old
It was promoted along with Suárez and Caballero. At the time it was said to be the best of the three. His former coach, Wilmar Cabrera, went so far as to state: “He is the best technically gifted of all the players that Nacional has from First to Seventh Division, he has a sensational left leg. One of his virtues is that he barely sees the teammate gives him the ball, but not only that, he always plays it on foot, a different condition from the rest “. Totonito as he was known, lives in Montevideo but his activity is unknown.
Juan Albín – 34 years old
Soccer player in activity. He terminated his contract with Defensor Sporting.
Gabriel Álvez – 46 years old
He works for a player representation company called De 9.
Gonzalo Castro – 36 years old
Soccer player in activity. He recently ended his association with Nacional.
Cristian Zermatten – 47 years old
He is a coach. After his retirement it began to work in the inferiors of Argentine Juniors, club in which arose like player. In 2015 he was a field assistant to Humberto Grondona’s coaching staff who led the Argentina Under 20 team to the New Zealand World Cup.
Luis Romero – 52 years old
He became a coach and worked at River Plate.
Paysandú FC
Ignacio Bordad – 44 years old
Goalkeeping coach in Rentistas.
Gustavo Díaz – 46 years old
Coach who even led the first team of Nacional. His last painting was Everton in Chile.
Mauro Basualdo – 43 years old
He works in a windshield repair shop and is a hygiene and cleaning supervisor at Comepa.
Joaquín Burutaran – 40 years old
After professionalism he settled in Salt. He is an electrician and refrigeration technician. He is self-employed and works from home. He was technical assistant in the selection of Jump that gained the last National championship of selections. He was appointed DT of Salt FC who again competes at the AUF level.
Gustavo Bòbila – 40 years old
He lives in Paysandú where he works as a rural producer.
Richard confront – 41 years
He worked for 12 years in Pili until the sandwich company closed its doors. He currently works in a butcher’s shop where he is a cashier, but if he has to make cuts, he also does so.
Christian Callejas – 42 years old
Coach, worked in the formations of the Danube.
Jhonny Melgarejo – 38 years old
He lost his job but continues to play football in Paysandú. Today he lends a hand to his mother in a local clothing store and works as a griller on the grill of some friends.
Ramiro Bruschi – 39 years old
Based in Honduras he played last year in Tela Futbol Club of the second division of the Honduran club.
Cristian González – 41 years old
Based in Salt, he devoted himself to physical training and last year coached Edinson Cavani when he terminated his contract with Paris Saint Germain and took refuge in his hometown.
Walter Kuder – 38 years old
The Argentine retired from activity in 2018 defending Atletico Gualeguay.
Valery I dreamed – 35 years old
Cameroon player whose teammates lost contact.
Uriel Pesce – 45 years old
The so-called Uruguayan Maradona by Humberto Grondona carries out various tasks. He is a coach, has a company and a pizzeria, as well as recommending players.