Amnesia azteca

Last update 6 April, 2024 por Alberto Llopis

The recent death of Don Raul Cardenas de la Vega, which occurred last 25 March- confirmed the scarce memory in Mexican footballing medium, a kind very convenient Alzheimer's for an environment unknown paths and achievements. A bad old, almost genetic, and in the age of information and technology, It seems worse rather than heal.

Nothing new under the Aztec sun, where in any field (deportivo, politician, social, scientific, artístico, etc.) the citizens of this country retain in his memory characters and important facts, not giving them the importance they deserve. It is very common to hear or read, por ejemplo, Wholesale critical of Hugo Sánchez, who was "erased" by the grace of this footballing Alzheimer all its successes and achievements in Europe in the early 80 and part of the 90, puerile and miserable under the argument that "talked too much" and it was "too egotistical".

I rarely asked those taking advantage of the partial anonymity offered by social networks such claim against the forward most brilliant comments (which they say can not be considered as an immortal or legend), Just in case he wrote down his goals with the mouth or tongue, to pretend devalue what got particularly in Spain.

Apart: Who among the great figures of football (let alone other sports) has not been a greater or lesser extent-conceited or egotistical? Who can remain indifferent to the effluvia of fame and claiming that he was unhurt in his transit through?

It's part of what our country is colloquially known as the "Mexican cangrejismo", Disqualification comparing these attitudes towards successful compatriots with the behavior of marine crustaceans that hinder each other in the rush to get out of a closure. The procedure known as "malinchismo" is a socio-cultural issue, even it was approached more than half a century by the writer Octavio Paz (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990) in his famous work "The Labyrinth of Solitude".

And while "Hugol" is a representative of resentment and rancor case, rejection and antagonism, of envy that can cause a Mexican in another Mexican, There are other examples if not selfishness, Yes indifference towards a successful career and his achievements:

The goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal was the first player who played 5 Copas del Mundo, a feat that took 32 years to be matched. While the "Tota" participated with the Mexican national team at the World Brazil 1950, Swiss 1954, Suecia 1958, Chile 1962 and England 1966, German Lothar Mathaus reached that figure to France 1998 (because he had previously played in Spain 1982, Mexico 1986, Italia 1990 and the United States 1994).

Sin embargo, the exarquero and technical exdirector lives today -Next to meet 87 year old, the coming 7 June- in the city of León, Guanajuato, still working its old glassmaking and temperamental and joking as he has always been, without any authority of the national football (except Pachuca Group, creator and promoter of Hall of Fame) be good enough to take advantage of its wealth of experience, their good personal faith and their desire to collaborate, for the good of the sport.

I had the honor and pleasure to make a report to Don Antonio a few years ago -to my program TV- and being in front of him (previous sleepless the night before) It was a shock, even with all the "tables" that one can have in sports journalism. Waiting to talk, while he finished watching a football game on an old and small TV, inside trading, I told myself over and over again: "I'll interview the first player who played 5 World on the planet ".

Proud to have him as alive and lucid seem to share who hold power in Mexican soccer. Nobody seems to care about its existence, Nobody wants to capitalize on his experiences as a player and as a coach, anyone comes up with several awards Give you for all that contributed to the sport, when his practice was definitely almost heroic, the lack of resources and diffusion it was.

And what about Don Ignacio Trelles Campos? Considered the best coach in the history of national football -with 16 Local and international titles, Tricolor driver 2 Copas del Mundo (Chile 1962 and England 1966, with very positive results for the period, so that in 6 Games won a victory-the first of these events Mexico, winning 3-1 the latter end runners-up Czechoslovakia, 2 draws and 3 defeats), Don Nacho is one of the outstanding personalities of soccer in Aztec land, because despite not having a long and successful career on the courts, It directing from the dugout became the most successful quarterback in the country.

Hoy, surprisingly lucid in his half century (cumplirá 100 años el 16 July next), Trelles still works as supervisor of basic forces of Cruz Azul, but little advantage is taken out of your baggage, especially when he commanded the tricolor representative, a sports and politically turbulent period.

In both cases, certainly no shortage of fools and even hypocritical "eulogies" when both characters leave this life, but now infamously they squandered their knowledge and willingness to share.

Even though, claro, knowing moral values ​​and ignorance and ignorance of Mexican leaders, it may also occur as in I wake and cremation Raul Cardenas (acts ignored by officials of the Mexican Football Federation and -clubes Cruz Azul and America who led exitosamente-, and even players or former players), They not come to pay homage to the "Tota" or the "Old Fox". Nothing weird, finally, in an amnesiac football, inmediatista and shortsighted as the Mexican ...