“River sees the Russian and cries”

sprung from Flandria, earned a name in Belgrano, team with which send to River to the descent, And till came to play in Boca with Riquelme Y Bianchi. The last years, Claudio Perez played in Sweden, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic, where he was champion in Cibao beside Lihue Prichoda e Ivan Perez and, in conversation with Ole, reviewed his career, banked Roman and Zielinski, cheated the Millo and He warned that he is not retiring.

-How did you get to the Dominican Republic?

-The manager of Cibao, Gabriel Fernández, was a Flandria player and contacted me to offer me to go play there. I hadn’t played since November 2019 because in 2020 the pandemic caught me in Bolivia and I was left standing there, so I didn’t even hesitate and left.

-Did you know the country, what did you find?

-I had gone to Punta Cana on my honeymoon, so I had a nice memory, heh. The team is from Santiago de los Caballeros, a city an hour and a half from Santo Domingo. It’s quite pretty, but the social classes are very marked: the poor on one side and those with money on the other. Of course, in addition to playing, I took advantage and visited almost all the beaches, heh.

– And how is football?

-It is a Federal A level. Physically they are very gifted and there are also many Haitians, who play more soccer. But the league is about seven years old and is in full formation, in many teams there are not even Inferior…

– And the fields?

-Ugh. There is every paddock. In D there are courts that are better, heh. The entire tournament, which is made up of ten teams, is played on five courts. In ours we had synthetic, but since everyone used it, it was ruined. And recently they inaugurated one, the Jarabacoa one, which didn’t even have changing rooms. We changed in a tent and there were no showers, heh.

-Did they know that you had played with Riquelme?

-The technician is Argentine and when we arrived he introduced us, but they didn’t have much idea. Then they started looking for us on the Internet and they asked us everything, heh. Those who play football know something, but they are few. They play baseball, drink beer and listen to dembow (NdeR: musical genre, with Jamaican roots, with a mix of reggaeton), so we could go everywhere, nobody knew us, heh.

That year in the Dominican, it helped Chiqui Pérez to get to know paradisiacal beaches, play again, be a champion and find himself with a totally different football. “there they they play from March to October and then many go to work in the United States. Ismael Díaz, a defender of our team, who plays well, they had to call him while he was in the United States to play the Qualifiers again with the national team“, recounts one of the many anecdotes of his time in the Caribbean.

Already back in Argentina, installed in Córdoba that he adopted as his home, he plans to continue playing even though before the end of the year he turned 36. “I look in physical and football conditions to continue. Luckily, I have already received several calls from teams here from Ascenso, but the economic issue in Argentina is complicated. So I have some options in South America, something that is close, that I am evaluating“, bill.

-You’re a fan. What was it like to play in Boca?

-It was beautiful. Because one thing is to face them and another is the day to day there. I tried to enjoy it to the fullest, going from José C. Paz to playing in Boca is something very crazy…

– Did you keep many photos?

-No, I never asked for photos. Spending every day with them was priceless. He enjoyed watching them, being with them eating, chatting, drinking mate or giving them a pass in a match. I have photos that they took at practices or games, but not because I asked for them, heh.

-And what happens to you when you see one of those photos today?

-I think I should never have left, I should have stayed to fight for a position like I always did, but it was a hot decision. I had played a good tournament, Nacional and Peñarol wanted me, but Vasco (Arruabarrena) told me to stay… And later, in the preseason, when I was better, he told me he wasn’t going to take me into account. The only thing I wanted at that moment was to go home and enjoy football, I didn’t think about economics or sports, that’s why I returned to Belgrano despite the fact that Mineiro and Coritiba wanted me.

-How do you see the leader Riquelme?

-He is a Boca fan, so he will always want the best for the club. What happens is that now, being vice, he has much more responsibility, he is the visible face. Already when he was a player they loved him or criticized him, so imagine now. I have faith in him, he is looking for good players, from outside, to try to put together a hierarchical team like Boca de Bianchi.

And Zielinsky? He recently had a cross with Gallardo due to this debate on the styles of the technicians…

-Yes, it is rare for the Russian to answer, but he got tired. We got promoted and they criticized us for defending ourselves, but that was our game. At Atlético Tucumán and now at Estudiantes as well. It happens that when they can’t beat you… River sees the Russian and cries, they can almost never beat him. It’s like they have that pique inside and that’s why they have to speak badly… I also found it strange about Gallardo, who is a barbaric coach and forms terrible teams, so it was more impotence than anything else.

-Do you like the Gallardo River?

-Yeah right. It does not look like an Argentine team. In addition, it is maintained over the years… The truth is that I watch Belgrano and Boca a lot, but sometimes I also sit down to watch River: I get rid of the fan and I see him because he plays very well.

-Is it worse to go down or lose the final in Madrid?

-(Smile). Going downhill is a stain that will never be erased. The final will go down in history, it was the game that everyone wanted to win, but when you go down it’s because you did things wrong. On the other hand, if you reach a final it’s because you did everything right…