Martín Vitali is emotional when he talks about the Racing champion, 24 years after the great feat. In the middle of the recess, with the transfer market on, the Academy was called by history and with it an event was activated that gives the fans goosebumps: a day like this Saturday, December 27, 2001, the Mostaza Merlo team plunged into glory by winning the Apertura Tournament, beat the fierce pressure with which it knew how to live and buried a streak of 35 years without titles at the local level.
On such a special day, which invokes a flood of beautiful memoriesPelotín reviewed what that milestone was, how he lived it and how it marked him forever. A before and after in your life that you are grateful for. The social crisis of that year, the consequent risk of the game being postponed, then the Vélez field being exploited, also the Cilindro packed in front of the giant screen. The heat, the Parties in the middle.
“In the last practice, before the suspended match, the Polish Bastía and Chatruc got into a fight due to nerves. We wanted to play no matter what. We were a little selfish. For us the most important thing was that match. We came packed, we knew that the time was now. River (direct competitor) perhaps preferred a vacation. Mostaza pushed to play. We spent Christmas focused, we toasted and we returned to training because we couldn’t give anything away against a rival accustomed to definitions,” revealed the 50-year-old former right-back, in dialogue with Bolavip.
More from Martín Vitali, Racing champion in 2001
A winger-midfielder with great back-and-forth, brave, with determination to go on the attack, send good crosses and retreat efficiently, Vitali entered the collective academic memory: “The people of Racing are special, they give you excessive love. All of us who passed by fell in love with the club. For me, Racing is my home. I hope they spread my ashes there… Playing there, fighting for relegation or the championship, is beautiful.”
Pelotín feels the affection of the fans every time it visits the Cilindro. “I go to the field every once in a while. People hug me, ask for photos and say ‘thank you’. I feel indebted for life to the Racing fans: it’s too much for what I did. I gave my best, I played six games injured with a broken ankle because I felt it. People don’t hate you and don’t have to, but football is noble: you do what you have to do with respect for the shirt that allows you to fulfill your dream,” he commented.
The history of Pelotín has a particularity. He was happy, he achieved the highest recognition of his career after crossing paths: “Some former colleagues screwed me with ‘traitor’ in a message, but always with good vibes. I have excellent ties with former Independiente colleagues. “Veterans understand that it is a job.”
The former defender has that training session burned into his head, the last one before the star. “We were all late for that practice. I was scared, people were queuing to get tickets, it took an hour and a half,” he said.
And he continued remembering what that climate was like: “On the day of the game we were going along 25 de Mayo towards Vélez, with cars escorting us. And on the opposite side came thousands with Racing flags towards Avellaneda. There we found out that the Cilindro was also full. It was crazy. Later, playing in Cyprus, I showed videos to a Ukrainian teammate. ‘Look what Racing is’. Two full fields on the same day. That’s why I always wanted to play in Racing.”
Vitali also admitted that it was impossible to form another team with that spirit, despite the fact that several 2001 champions remained on the team for a couple more years and others, at some point, returned. “We never put together a team from that generation again. There were good players,” he stressed, “but not the same team. In 2003 we played well in the Libertadores, but it wasn’t the same.”
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