That’s life. At least for the champions of the World. Such is life, from today also for Gonzalo Montiel.
His name will go to history, will be remembered forever. The reason? On his shoulders, the fate and the responsibility of taking the ball in the most torrid moment of Argentina’s last few years. He didn’t mind, judging by the result. Not even after the serious fault of rewinding the tape: the wide arm that causes the French rigour in extra time, it was really his.
Montiel’s revenge
Cachete had his revenge. Like him, all the Argentinians. “Suffering is our destiny,” everyone said. And the outside must have thought of it above all: not a Carneades, but a trademark in the history of Albiceleste football. Theirs Fabio Big. To all effects.
Eternal glory has the sweetest aftertaste there is: Montiel he was good at exploiting the heaviest moment of all. After the penalty saved by Dibu Martinez on Coman, after the one missed by Tchouameni, the Argentinian penalty takers took turns and made no mistake. Messi, Dybala, Paredes: all inside. The fourth was missing, which later became match point.
TO Gonzalez Catanwhere Montiel was born, his heart was in his throat and it couldn’t have been otherwise: he kicked it as he did at the Neighborhood, they say. As he had done many times at the River, but also against the Netherlands, in the quarterfinals. Inside the circle, on 11 metres: run-up, gritted teeth, head down, shot. Eternal.
Montiel’s career
Raised under the hincha of River, already made his professional debut in 2016, when he was just 19 years old. For five seasons he wore the red and white shirt, colors that he did not change even during his passage through Europe: in fact, it was the Sevilletoday of Sampaoli.
From 2019 fixed with the Selectwith which he practically always won: first the Copa America in Brazil, a year after the world Cup. Two years is worth eternal glory, just like that shot.
