The “Reteguimanía” crossed the pond. Mateo Retegui was not satisfied with burning the nets of Argentine soccer, but went to Europe, put on the Italian shirt, made his debut under the orders of Roberto Mancini and scored two goals, against England and Malta. It is only a matter of time before a club from Serie A, or from another part of the Old Continent, decides to take the young scorer.
The accolades were not long in coming, of course. But there was one that was particular. Above all because comes from a race scorer, who knew how to put on the shirt of the Argentine National Team (with which he scored 35 goals in 64 games) and spent 15 years in Calcio, standing out in greats like Lazio, Inter and Milan. Who is it about?
Hernán Crespo is an authorized word. And, from Qatar, where he directs and has just emerged champion, he filled Retegui with praise. “You can tell that he comes from another world, because soccer in Argentina is completely different from Italian. First of all, you need to get to know your new companions: a few days off are not enough to get you fully in tune with your surroundings. And then It must integrate perfectly with the way of playing in Italy, with what Roberto Mancini asks of him”, argued on the 9th, in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
RETEGUI’S GOALS AT THE AZZURRA
“The first thing that comes to mind (in terms of Retegui’s qualities to improve) is participation in the collective game. He, for now, is a finisher. He has strength, he has power, he sees the door. But a modern center forward must be able to make those movements that allow the whole team to build the offensive action. This is achieved with time, work and the humility necessary to learn and improve. I know Retegui and I maintain that Italy did very well in calling him up and launching him. Now we have to protect him and not put too much pressure on him”, stated the striker.
Regarding the follow-up he has of Italian soccer to get his services in the near future, he said: “If they follow him, it’s good, because he is a center forward who has important qualities. Can you join Lautaro Martínez? They are different, Lautaro connects more and can be lethal in the penalty area. Retegui, for the moment, is very well up. They could integrate, even if they are two first strikers”.
“Let’s say the DT should study the best way for them to live together. Both see a goal and are not brought to play to help create the game. Lautaro more and Retegui less. There would be a bit of work in that aspect, but I insist: the important thing is that Retegui understands European footballnot only Italian, which is very different from Argentine soccer. If he wants, he has the skills,” Valdanito concluded.
