River idol Gallardo ready to take on Barca challenge
Daniel Edwards
- 19 Oct 2022 21:55 BST
- 4 min read
Last Sunday, Argentine football bore witness to an almost unique scene.
In a country where the turnover of coaches is so high most are lucky to survive even a single season in any one job, and even the most successful usually leave quietly via the back door once their time is done, Marcelo Gallardo received a send-off fit for a king.
Little did it matter that his final River Plate game ended in defeat, 3-1 at the hands of a Rosario Central side directed by his old adversary and Boca Juniors idol Carlos Tevez.
Gallardo's name rang out throughout the heavens over the Monumental as thousands of fans participated in a unique, emotional send-off that left El Muneco in tears, following more than eight glorious years in the job that have established River once more amongst South America's elite.
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"Thank you for giving me your hearts, I will miss you so much," Gallardo, who days earlier had confirmed he would not stay beyond 2022 for a ninth year on the bench, beamed to supporters, many of whom too had broken down and were openly weeping. "Like I said before my bond here is not about a one, two, eight year contract.
"My bond with River will last a lifetime."
Gallardo will certainly prove hard to replace after almost a decade. But his departure also has interesting repercussions across the Atlantic Ocean in Europe.
After being constantly linked to top coaching jobs and opting to stay at his beloved River, he is now a free agent - and just when Barcelona may be considering their own switch.
While current incumbent Xavi will certainly be given time to reverse the club's fortunes after setbacks in the Champions League and against Real Madrid last weekend, the coach is feeling the pressure, not least because of the immense, risky investment made in his squad over the summer.
Why is Gallardo in the running?
Having been mentioned as a top candidate when Ernesto Valverde lost his job and again following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman last year, it is no surprise that Gallardo is reportedly once again in the running for the job. He would be a coaching novice in Europe, for sure; but that should not preclude him from consideration.
What other potential boss, after all, can boast the Argentine's winning record? Two Copa Libertadores triumphs, a Copa Sudamericana, league and cup wins domestically and a total of 14 major titles mark Gallardo out as one of the very best in his field, particularly considering that throughout that time River's financial muscle has lagged well behind South America's richest clubs, Boca and the likes of Flamengo, Palmeiras and Brazil's powerhouses, and indeed the Millonarios have had to sell their best players year after year to keep afloat.
Gallardo has shown himself to have a keen eye for talent, both in the transfer market and in developing young prospects, most recently the electrifying duo of Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez.
Just imagine what he could do at Barca, then, with money to spend and at his disposal one of the most advanced academies on the planet.
All of the above is still very much in the hypothetical phase. Xavi has shown no lack of ability himself and could yet take his beloved Blaugrana to the La Liga title and beyond, while after the last eight gruelling years Gallardo would be forgiven for putting his feet up for a good long while before even thinking about the next step.
If the stars do align though, and Gallardo is a serious contender to take the job at Camp Nou. Barca would be well-advised to take a chance and hire the Argentine, who has proved himself many times over as a coach of the very highest quality.
