The 21st century began and the Argentina it still experienced convertibility as a supposedly prosperous economic recipe. Our soccer, finally, went through one of the best moments of the last fifty years, with a very competitive dollar, it attracted the best soccer players from all over South America; showing a high level of competence.
back then, alberto pascutti He had already hung up his boots as an exquisite player of the promotion and, with some experience behind him, put together the team of New chicago that at the end of the season he would return to the First division.
One afternoon, in mid-July 2000, the landline phone at my house rang. On the other side of the line was beto. To be honest, up to that moment, he did not fully appreciate his representativeness as a footballer for promotion or the idolatry that people professed for him in all the boys and Admiral Brown.
The only thing he knew was that he had assembled the team of almagro who had risen to First division a couple of days before and that he was looking for me because he had in mind to do the same in chicago. We chatted for a while and he quickly convinced me.
The first match we beat Platense (directed by caruso lombardi) in Mataderos and came out throwing kisses at the fans. The second I lost 6 to 1 with Banfield (with a stellar day of Carafe sanchez) as a visitor and it was all chaos.
The third lost local with Cordoba center (1 to 0 on the hour) and, before an enraged horde, left the stadium boxing down Justo Juárez street. In the fourth, with all the pressure on us, we beat the classic 2-0 all the boys on the court of Velez and I realized that with him beto life was that: a constant seesaw.
Horny and cyclothymic, sometimes you wanted to send him to hell but you saw the human values he had and you were dazzled. Those own ethical standards that were self-imposed and that you would nevertheless share, but you admired him.
He beto he was supportive A Maradona of the ascent. He was handsome. I was never going to leave you lying around, or stab you in the back. Beautiful and human, they loved him or they hated him. In a selfish football and mask, the beto fell in love
In the fifth game, despite the fact that we beat Defense and Justice in slaughterhouses, I left sad. A partial tear of the Achilles tendon in my right leg left me at least 45 days off the field. That was my last game with him. beto is newchicago. When I recovered, I had already resigned him. His presence had no margin for error, two straight losses were too much.
Just like how it had happened in almagro The year before, when the season ended, that group that he had ended up as champion but with a different leadership. Two in a row It wasn’t the first time, nor was it the last.
Every time we passed each other, after that promotion, he told me the same thing. If you hadn’t been injured, I would have continued on chicago. It was his speculation to flatter me. It wasn’t true to me, but I don’t deny that I liked hearing it.
Just ten years later, our paths crossed again. she was playing the South American Cup with the Athletic maracaibo of venezuelawhen I got your call. He told me that he had arranged in Quilmes and that he wanted her to come back. Again it didn’t take long for him to convince me. Unlike the first time, this time, he brought out a feeling of gratitude. It made me feel that I owed him something and the truth is that I did, that I owed him.
“Come with me to Chicago because you are going to play in First Division again and you are going to be able to continue studying medicine”, he told me that first time and both things had been fulfilled. So between what was Quilmes and that he was betoI decided to go back to Argentina to earn less and play a category below.
Once again the debut of the match is with Platense and again we won it 1-0, it seemed as if history were going to repeat itself but on a daily basis something had changed. Actually, over time he told me that he had hardly changed, I was the one who saw things differently.
We chatted quite a bit in the first few weeks and each time we did we got further apart in ideas. Like two horny men, we reached a point where we ended up fighting. Before the end of the tournament they kicked him out but, almost as if it were something karmic and as had happened before, at the end of the following season Quilmes Get promoted with a couple of players.
Time healed the wounds and we recovered the relationship. It was hard not to love him beto. To me, he was like a distant uncle that you saw from time to time, but each meeting began with a big hug.
A few hours ago, he Alberto Pascutti he left us. His heart, punished by excess weight and cigarettes, stopped beating at the age of 64. That’s how he was and, as in other facets, he had no intention of changing.
Starting today, there will be no more hugs to give each other at each reunion. With his departure, a hero from the old school leaves for football, from the times of a less complex but more humane game, where tactics were discussed but value was also given to a good barbecue. For me, one of the people who marked my life as footballers is leaving, someone who gravitated like few others.
Bye dear Beto! We will miss you. May God receive you as a great.
NdR: His remains were found on Monday 3/13 at 11 a.m. in the Chacarita Cemetery.
