[Sport] He played with Dibu Martínez and Messi in the National Team, he was coached by Maradona and he changed football to sell potatoes and jugs at the age of 22: “I had stopped enjoying it”

[FNX Magokiler]

“Gonza, are you going to lay depressed in bed because you can't keep playing or come with me on Monday at 5 in the morning to sell bottles.” On Tuesday, September 9, 2014, Gonzalo Olid Apaza left the Ciudad de Laferrere Stadium and called his father to confess his confession: he would stop dedicating himself to soccer. At only 22 years old, he began a new facet of his life, far from a career marked by being alongside different world champions.

The midfielder's first appointment to the Argentine national team happened at the age of 15 with Ubaldo Matildo Fillol as coach. El Pato trusted in his conditions and rose through the Sub 15 until he was coached by José Luis Brown in the Sub 17. That squad had a budding figure, who stood out in the Independiente youth team: Emiliano Martínez. “He gave us confidence and security that someone was going to save on penalties,” confides Olid Apaza in an extensive report for Infobae about that South American final lost on penalties against Brazil, when Dibu covered up the executions of Philippe Coutinho and Dudu.

The native of San Miguel left him an unanswered message in his Instagram box in gratitude after being world champion with the Major and continued his life, away from his time of glory in River Plate. The '92 category, winner of five titles in the Lower Divisions, had great values such as Erik Lamela, Ezequiel Cirigliano, Rodrigo Rey and Leandro González Pirez, among others. Gonzalo was one of them.

His performance at Millonario gave him the opportunity to join the ranks of the Albiceleste under the tutelage of Tata Brown, Checho Batista, Vasco Olarticoechea and Negro Enrique. In addition, it allowed him to get to know Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona up close in one of the many practices of the Celeste and Blanca, which he formed because he was a member of the sparring partners.

 

 

“Diego was the coach and the referee of the match, I wanted to hug him in middle of training.” His memory is the only proof: he never took a photo nor did he ask for an autograph from the two best Argentine players in history.

Deportivo Merlo, Defensores de Belgrano, Defensores de Cambaceres and San Miguel were his teams in professional soccer. Today, the same man who guided him to try out for River is his coach at Club Deportivo Malvinas: Alejandro Ruitiña. Currently, he is fighting for promotion to Federal A and is not interested in profiting from the club because he maintains his business that he started eight years ago: “I am dedicated to selling bagged vegetables.”

- It was happening. My family had nothing to do with football. I met Alejandro (Ruitiña), who today is the Malvinas coach. At 11 years old, they took me to play on the 11-a-side court. And at 12 years old I was already playing for River. He got me a trial, I was on trial for a year because he had closed the pass book and I was lucky enough to stay. Before, I was training for six months in San Miguel and, in the end, I went with Alejando to a River affiliate. I played there for six months, they took me to try out and I started playing. They gave me the opportunity to go to the pension, but I traveled every day from San Miguel.

-How would you define yourself on the court?

- For four years I have been playing as a fixed central midfielder, between the two centre-backs, but I always played as an 8. Most of my career I was a right midfielder or double 5. Now, for four years I have been playing as a 5 and I loved it. . I got a taste for the position.

- You were coached by Tata Brown during your time in the Youth Team of the Under 17 Team. What memories do you have from that time?

- I have many, not only from Tata, but from that entire class of '86, because there were Vasco Olarticochea, Negro Enrique, Checho Batista.

 

https://www.infobae.com/deportes/2023/12/11/jugo-con-dibu-martinez-y-messi-en-la-seleccion-lo-dirigio-maradona-y-cambio-el-futbol-por-vender-papas-y-garrafas-a-los-22-anos-habia-dejado-de-disfrutar/