The day the Russian Brailovsky escaped from Mexico due to an earthquake

The earthquake of September 19, 1985 It impacted all corners of Mexican society. Of course, the sports field was not without size event. A very particular story that emerged from that incident was linked to Daniel Alberto Brailovsky. The russian, as he was already known from that time, forged a career full of successes in Mexico. However, that morning everything changed forever not only in his football career, but also in his personal life.

An earthquake of 8.1 degrees on the Richter scale shook the Mexico City at 07:17 a.m. The damage was impossible to measure in its proper dimension even years later. Dozens of buildings collapsed and the death toll has never been entirely accurate: some versions suggest that they were approximately 30 thousand people those who lost their lives. Brailovsky suffered the horror firsthand.

“The building began to shake, I asked them to stay calm but deep down it was crazy. Glass shattered, things rolled on the floor like little balls, the wall of the room began to crack. We got under the frame of the entrance because they had told us that, but the entire buildings were falling down ”, said the Russian to the magazine The graphic in 2008.

Daniel Alberto had consecrated himself as one of the great figures of America. In three years he was champion three times, including two Olympic rounds against bitter rivals: Chivas and Pumas. His goals in important moments and the refined technique that he possessed reserved a place for him among the darlings of the always demanding American fans.

However, the earthquake shook his life forever. Back then, the thought of “Never go back to Mexico”, although, later, fate brought him back to earth where he lived his fullest moments as a professional player.

“They were my wife’s words, and I endorsed them. We said them in 1985, when the earthquake shook us and we fled in terror from Mexico City., we did not think to return anymore, but God knows when to put things in their place and he knew how to take me back to Mexico ”, he recalled in the same interview with the journalist Diego Borinsky.

Brailovsky’s motives were strictly personal: his wife was pregnant and they had a two-year-old daughter. It was then that he made the decision to leave with his entire family. He did not notify the board of América or the coach (Miguel Ángel Left handed López). The story of glory that he knew how to build was left in the rubble, literally and metaphorically. The sanction was immediate: a year suspended from football activity.

Although he fulfilled the stoppage time, the career of the Russian it was never the same again. The board of América denied him a signing with Boca Juniors it was practically closed. He was only able to continue his career for two more years, with the Maccabi Haifa From Israel. He retired from soccer when he was barely thirty years old.

Despite how unusual his departure was, the azulcrema fans always had a special affection for Brailovsky. That is why the America opened the door for him to return to the club as technical director in 2007. Leading The Eagles reached the end of the South American Cup 2007, in which it fell in a controversial way before Sarandí Arsenal. He was also honored, along with other legends of the club, in the Americanist centenary of 2016.

After that experience, he had a brief stint at the Necaxa in 2011. The results were not the best, the Argentine coach left office and The Rays they descended a few days later. The russian decided to step aside: he left the bench forever and found a place as a commentator on the network Fox Sports, where you currently work.

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