[News] Gianluca Lapadula: the story of the first player who was called up to the Senior National Team before meeting Peru

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Gianluca and Davide, both forwards, competed for who scored the most goals. For Gianfranco Lapadula, that competition between little brothers was the least of it. What mattered to him was that his two children help in the family business of selling flowers and, in turn, perform in school. Soccer could wait.

"Gianlu", two years younger than Davide, did not think the same. He, Italian by birth, but of a Peruvian mother, could not get the ball out of his head. I did not think if with the "Azurri" or with the white and red. He thought only of the arches in the gardens of via Nizza in Turin, where, until after midnight, he played with his neighborhood friends.

Neither the scolding for poor grades at school, nor the post-pichangas war wounds detracted him a bit. “Please don't tell my dad” was more or less what he said to Stefano Serami, his coach at Collegno Paradiso, every time he arrived with an injury from night games.

Collegno Paradiso was the school that wanted him when Juventus said no. After years in the minors of 'Juve', he had to change of scene. Don Lapadula was not very convinced, and he made it known to Sergio Fantino, who arrived with the intention of asking him for the respective permission to have him. “We knew his talent and we knew that an experience with our coaches would improve him. The father seemed indecisive, but everything went well ”, told the talent scout, years later, to the Italian media La Stampa.

Beyond having a strong character, he distinguished himself by being a very disciplined young man. While some colleagues used their free time to have fun trying alcoholic beverages, he preferred to practice dribbling in the Lingotto building, a former car factory. He also took great care of his diet. But it was his great technique and ability to evade opponents in attack that allowed him to be quickly sold to Treviso. At less than 15 years old, ‘Lapa’ was an interesting prospect. However, the club's poor economy prevented him from paying for room and board, so he was sold to Pro Vercelli.

Thanks to his good performance, a year later, for the 2008-09 season, he was signed by Calcio Ivrea, a team from the Italian fourth division. Already in August 2009, he made the great leap after signing a contract with Parma, but he continued his career in up to six different clubs (Atlético Roma, Ravenna Calcio, Cesena, Frosinone Calcio, Gorica and Teramo Calcio), to which he arrived as of loan.

After the bankruptcy of Parma, in mid-2015, he arrived free at Pescara, of the Second Division of Italy. Although he already knew about his Peruvian roots, he knew little beyond the ceviche, covered rice and arroz chaufa that his mother - from Lima, who at the age of 20, started a new life in Italy - prepared for him. Ten goals in 17 games earned him the attention of Serie A clubs and abroad. His name even aroused the interest of Ricardo Gareca, who, with less than a year in command of the Peruvian National Team, traveled to Europe to propose that he wear the strip on his chest at the Copa América Centenario.

 

While his name was chanted by the Pescara fans, the center forward published on his social networks the covers that the Peruvian newspapers dedicated to him and the bicolor shield that he had become fond of thanks to everything Mom told him. He was grateful, of course, but the insecurity - moralisms aside - typical of someone who dreams of defending his team, and also of someone who yearns to get promoted to First, made him rule out the possibility.

“How much love can a country donate to me… Thank you Peru, thank you Peruvians!”, He wrote first, on February 16, 2016. Eight days later, however, he gave more clues: “I made the decision to wait until June to focus on the Serie B championship here in Italy. Last June I had said that I was going to give my soul and my heart for Pescara and I want to do it. I want to focus on what I had already decided before. (…) I want to continue giving 100% to Pescara. You, the Peruvian people, have filled my heart with immense love and I am sure (that) so much strength that I now have in the field is thanks to you. One coast I can say: the call of the Peruvian National Team is the most important opportunity that I have had in my life so far ”.