Darío Benedetto left his feelings about what the reunion with Agustín Almendra will be when Boca and Racing meet in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores 2023 after the controversial departure of Xeneize that the midfielder had with a spicy exchange with the center forward.
When asked about a potential clash with the young new midfielder of the Academy, Pipa did not hesitate to tone down the dispute they had some time ago. “I don’t give him a hug, but I would say hello. We crossed paths while he was training in Boca. There is no rancor. He knows what happened and so do I. We shake hands and bye.”
“There are things that cannot be discussed, but I have respect for the leaders and for the coaches. I don’t regret what happened. I was like a big mouth but I don’t regret it. The group knows what happened,” said the experienced scorer Xeneize in dialogue with ESPN.
“Almendra was a crack, but then what happened happened. He knows what he did wrong. There is still time, because he is young. For me he is still a crack,” Benedetto wielded in the prelude to the clash for the highest international competition that will define one of the four semifinalists.
What happened between Darío Benedetto and Agustín Almendra
The year was 2021 and Almendra was the diamond in the rough of the La Ribera team. Miguel Ángel Russo had found a kind of relief in that midfield made up of Cristian Medina, Alan Varela and Almendra himself, nicknamed MVA by the xeneizes fans. In addition to standing out for his dribbling, the kid with the number 32 on his back stood out for frequently reaching the area, which allowed him to score six goals in his 69 games.
Despite the illusion that his appearance had generated among the fans, Almendra was not essential in the Boca squad. And this was demonstrated by Sebastián Battaglia when he decided to separate him in February 2022, due to a heated discussion they had during a training session prior to the debut in the Copa Argentina, against Central Córdoba de Rosario.
Almendra’s attitude, who in 2020 had stopped training for four months because he wanted to be sold abroad, did not go down well with the Xeneize team. And the person in charge of transmitting it publicly was Darío Benedetto, one of the group’s leaders.
“The squad thinks the same as the coaching staff and we bank on the coach’s decision to death together with the Football Council. There are things that exceed the limit and I believe that the decision that was made is the correct one. Today we are calm, there is a human group very nice with very healthy competition and the truth is that this had to be rooted out and it was rooted out,” he explained.
However, Pipa’s most explosive phrase came minutes later: “Agustín’s case is irremediable, but Alan (because of Varela, who had had another act of indiscipline) little by little has to understand things. You have to accompany him and bank him beyond the decision he made. He will serve you.”
The young midfielder’s response was not verbal, but through social networks. First, he unfollowed the striker and Carlos Izquierdoz, the former captain, on Instagram. Later, he “liked” a tweet that strongly criticized the ex-Arsenal. “Wasn’t it that Boca is too big to be joking? Mommy… how quickly Benedetto fell,” the post read.
The final shot was executed through a publication that spoke of the word Loyalty, the one that the scorer has tattooed on the right side of his forehead. “In loyalty there are no grays. It is black or white. Either you are completely loyal or you are not at all. You cannot be loyal only when it suits you,” said the reflection, in accordance with what Almendra thought about the attitude that had shown the Pipe.
In April he made the decision to speak in front of the microphones about what had happened with Benedetto: “I saw the statements and nothing, I understand that it was a moment of fever… He is one of the references and he has to maintain his position. I am not angry with him and with no one, I crossed him these days, I greeted him, I don’t have any problem with Pipa”.
The relationship between Almendra and Boca broke down definitively that day. From there, he never played again. His last game was on February 20, 2022, in a 2-1 victory over Rosario Central. The midfielder was released in July this year but had signed a pre-contract to become a Racing player. He still owes Xeneize $500,000 for an “advance” that had been made to him at the time at his request.
2023-08-16 03:03:14
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