Nico González: Rising Above Adversity as an Unofficial Champion

Nico González, who was removed from the Qatar 2022 list at the last minute, is considered another champion

In the books and statistics, Nicolás González will not appear on the list of 26 Argentine footballers who were world champions in Qatar 2022. But he was one more winner. The winger who emerged from the Argentinos Juniors quarry and who today shines in Serie A with Fiorentina went through the worst moment of his professional career one month before the World Cup, when a tear put him in doubt on the list and then they had to lower him due to injury. With a high power of resilience, the left-hander has already turned the page, he dreams of prolonging his stay with the Albiceleste and getting even in 2026.

The native of Escobar (province of Buenos Aires) trained in the Hotbed of the World, where he was characterized as a left midfielder with a lot of depth and was even used as a left back. His “offensive click” came after Gabriel Heinze landed at Bicho, where he played a leading role in the 2016/2017 campaign in which Argentinos obtained promotion to Primera from start to finish. It was Gringo who began using him as a winger and even as a striker and center forward. There he exploded. Only one season in the top category was enough to confirm his potential and, at just 20 years old, he was sold to German club Stuttgart for a record amount for the La Paternal institution (about 12 million dollars).

Although he had a lot of filming in his first season with the German club, the team did not do well and it was difficult for him to adapt to the new country. “When I arrived in Germany I was very young, I needed to learn many things in human and football terms. The first year it was difficult for me to adapt to everything. The second, my head was stronger. When we were relegated, I had to focus on myself and help the team get back to the Bundesliga. I stood firm with the support of my family,” he recalled some time ago about his jump to European football. While digesting the relegation to the Second Division of German football, González had the pleasure of winning the gold medal with the National Team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, a competition in which he wore the number 10 shirt. It was his first strong contact with the light blue and white. And, immediately, he was rewarded by Lionel Scaloni with a call-up in which he made his debut in a 6-1 win over Ecuador in a friendly played in Spain.

Nico González with Alexis Mac Allister during a concentration at his beginnings with Argentinos Juniors

As had happened with Argentinos Juniors in the B Nacional, Nico González made the leap up the category with his team in Stuttgart and confirmed his good football presence in the Bundesliga. That led him to be praised by Scaloni, who had just been confirmed as coach of the National Team and began to look at him with different eyes despite having excluded him from the Copa América roster in 2019. With just a handful of minutes in some games with Argentina, the coach of the Major called him for the 2021 Copa América and even placed him among the starters in the debut against Chile. “It was one of my best games, but that night I couldn’t sleep because I missed scoring a goal,” he recalled about that 1-1 draw against the Trans-Andeans that was the kickoff for the conquest at the Maracaná.

The person who had been following him for a while and was convinced to sign him after his performance in the Copa América in Brazil was Nicolás Burdisso, Fiorentina’s sporting director and one of the reasons for his brilliant presence. The former Boca opened the doors to a top league, within an emblematic club in Italy that for some time has aspired to take a leap in quality.

“I am very grateful to Leo (Scaloni). There are coaches who bench a lot and he is one of them. He waited for me until the last, I am super grateful. It makes me enjoy, I can play freely and there is a lot of joy in each of the players,” said González about his coach, after lifting the Cup at the Maracaná and prior to the Finalissima against Italy, at Wembley, in which he also It was time to enter at the end. Regarding the other Leo, Messi, he also dared to tell a secret about the final against Brazil: “Before the game he said that it was a miracle that they took the Cup to the Maracaná so that we could win it there (at first it was going to be played in Argentina and Colombia). When he said that, more than one of us got goosebumps because we knew how much we loved her. When it happened, we couldn’t believe it, and we went to hug him because we knew what it meant to him, Kun (Agüero) and Fideo (Di María).”

Nico González poses with the Argentine flag after an Italian Cup victory with Fiorentina (REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini)

Within the generational change that Scaloni has carried out since he unexpectedly replaced Jorge Sampaoli after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Nicolás González is a piece that fit perfectly. Probably due to his affinity with Lionel Messi and media exposure, Rodrigo De Paul is the standard bearer on this issue. But Nico, with a lower profile, not only provides freshness on the field and emerges as a natural replacement for a player as important as Ángel Di María, who has already announced that he is burning his last cartridges, but he is also one of the which adds to the unity of the group.

“I am a very funny boy, who always tries to make others smile. I always live to the 100, I always try to have fun, fuck, annoy. I see that in others and I enjoy it,” González described himself in the documentary Camino a Qatar. Regarding his position on the field, with other characteristics but an age (25 years) that suggests that he could witness two more World Cups, he is the main target to make up for Di María’s mid-term loss. Fideo, more of a dribbler and unbalancer in one-on-one situations. Nico, just as sharp on the offensive, with greater power to reach the area and header. In the band’s journey, both are a guarantee. “Nico played for Ecuador as a starter while Ángel was there. He is an option and he has always played and contributed. It is a valid option. It is a good alternative,” Scaloni mentioned in yesterday’s conference.

One month before Argentina’s debut against Saudi Arabia in Qatar 2022, Nico González suffered what is probably the toughest injury of his career. Seven minutes into a match against Inter in Serie A, he had to be replaced due to a muscle strain that sidelined him from the next six official matches with his team and also from the friendly against the United Arab Emirates, just six days before the World Cup premiere. The day after that 5-0 in favor, Scaloni made the decision to leave him off the list along with Joaquín Correa (and called Ángel Correa and Thiago Almada as substitutes).

Nicolás Tagliafico (left) celebrates with Nicolás González after scoring Argentina’s second goal against Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers, on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, in La Paz. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

“I arrived at the World Cup half damaged, but I never thought I could be so torn up. Missing a World Cup is the hardest thing that can happen to a footballer in his career. It was a hard process, at the moment millions of things cross your mind, but with the support of my family, friends and loved ones, I was able to move forward. Today I am very happy every time I wear this shirt, it is something unique. It’s about enjoying it.” The post-World Cup confession was moving. But the sad reality of watching Argentina’s matches on TV did not keep Nico González away from his teammates and he was one more during the celebrations in Lusail.

For himself he will keep the intimate talk he had with Scaloni before confirming that he would remove him from the list of 26: “These are words that remain with oneself. He told me good things, today I have them saved for me. “I am grateful in life because Leo, from minute 1, trusted me.”

After the bad World Cup experience, González overcame it with football. He recovered from the injury and returned to great form with Fiorentina. He participated in the friendlies against Curacao (scored a goal), Australia and Indonesia, and started the first double qualifying round against Ecuador and Bolivia (he scored another), in which he started. His campaign with Fiore is brilliant: he is one of the figures of the team led by the German Vincenzo Italiano, which is third in Serie A, 4 points behind the leader Milan, and is the third top scorer in the Italian league with 5 goals ( behind Lautaro Martínez, who has accumulated 10). In addition, he has scored two goals in the Conference League and has just renewed his contract until 2028.

When González was asked if at this point he could continue to be excited about winning things with the Argentine team, he didn’t mince words: “It’s always nice to dream. We dream so much that today it is coming true. We will aim for that, we must continue on this path that brought us here.”

2023-10-12 05:49:00
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