05/07/2024 01:13hs. Updated on 05/07/2024 01:29hs.
One of the scenes from the celebrations of The National Team after the penalties against Ecuador that went around the world was the one that is seen Marito the prop man giving a kiss to Lionel Scaloni. A curious and affectionate kiss that ended in a kiss… What happened? The coach of the Argentine National Team took it with humor.
Asked about that moment, he replied: “I’ve known Marito all my life. He came to say hello.” I didn’t see the photo. He’s a friend, a nice guy. I didn’t notice the kiss.“These are things that happen when you’re happy.”
This spontaneous reaction after Otamendi’s penalty reflects the place Marito has in Argentina’s dressing room. Who is Marito? Mario De Stéfano has been the national team’s kit manager since 1998. Nephew of Juan Di Stéfano, former president of Racing, Marito had a great relationship with Maradona, Riquelme, Messi and shared a room with Dibu Martínez in Qatar,
Other quotes from Scaloni
-“The match was what was talked about in the press conference. A difficult, tough team, that plays well and is physically fit. On a physical level, Ecuador has important players. In the first half we could have scored one more goal. The second was difficult, cut short. It was a very complex and difficult match.”
-“I’m happy with Lisandro, he had a good game. He was loaded and I preferred to take care of him.”
-”The positive thing is that we got through. And that the team is there. Even though they dominated us at times, they played a direct game, the team always reacts. Whoever comes in does so with enthusiasm, with all the desire to do well. In the penalties the team feels blind faith in their goalkeeper. Even if Leo failed, the team knew that something positive was going to happen. I have to watch the game again, there are definitely things to improve.”
– “In the end we made a line of three central defenders with Tagliafico because Lisandro had a problem.”
-”I am not a goalkeeping coach. But Emiliano (Martínez) attacks the balls. And when he attacks them you can hear the sound of the ball. It is better that he is Argentine.”
-”I knew the match was going to be like this. The first half was good for the team, even though the team didn’t feel comfortable. In the end, this is a game of chess. They grew in the second half and are a good team.”
-”Messi was out of action for seven days. We are a team. Period. The analysis is based on whether the team plays well. If the opponent makes things difficult for you and you don’t succeed, we cannot separate individual performance from collective performance.”
-”Angel was always warming up and could be an option. Who doesn’t like to see it? I’m the first, but….”
-”Messi finished well. The last time we asked him how he was, he said he was fine, so I don’t think he will have any problems.”
-”Football is like that. You have to play the games and we showed that we are at a very good level.”
-”We always say that in football, when you can’t play, you have to have attitude, bring out other things. The rival plays, so of course we have things to improve. Despite not playing as well as we wanted, we always have the peace of mind that something will happen. To beat us, something else is needed.”
– “I have known Marito all my life. He came to say hello. I didn’t see the photo. He is a friend, a nice guy. I didn’t notice the kiss. These are things that happen when you are happy.”
– “I didn’t enjoy it at all this time. This time it wasn’t a joy that would make me say ‘I had a good time’.”
– “Before the penalties I put them all together. I said ‘Leo first’. Ota took responsibility for the last one. He had been kicking well for his team.”
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2024-07-05 04:13:21
#Maritos #peck #Scaloni #coachs #response #Olé
