Cañizares remembers coffee with Ayala and Pellegrino prior to the Champions League final

The former goalkeeper of Valencia CF, Santi Cañizares, is one of the legends of the Mestalla club who were part of that team that gave so much joy to his fans, with two leagues, Cup, UEFA … and Champions League finals. And that team was also “El Flaco” Mauricio Pellegrino.

In Vélez 670 Radio they have asked this Saturday to “El Dragón” about his time with Mauricio, now the new Technical Director of the historic Argentine team. And Cañizares has recalled some anecdotes that they lived together, and has valued both the arrival of his ex-teammate to the Velez bench, as well as the “tough” situation that Valencia is currently experiencing.

Cañizares: “Mauricio was a very intelligent player, a player who led, he was a guy who not only put his experience and his football to his benefit, but also to others”

In the first place, Cañizares highlighted how relevant Pellegrino was for the Valencian club: “Mauricio had a very important role in Valencia, something more than a player arrived, he was a footballer who gave absolutely everything like the rest in that team, with great commitment like the rest, but a player arrived very intelligent, a player who led, he was a guy who not only put his experience and his football to his benefit, but also to others“. And he continued in this argument: “he was able to tell the winger, the other defender, or the goalkeeper what he had to do, he was a guy who demanded himself and his teammates”.

Pellegrino left a great job with success at Valencia as a player, later in his time as a coach he did not have good results at the Mestalla. And Santi has valued it like this: “At that time he shouldn’t have taken the team, but sometimes the coach thinks he can’t let that train escape, that maybe it will never happen again”. And he added: “In my opinion he did not choose the moment.” Now, after years of training as first coach, he already sees him prepared to lead a great challenge such as training his beloved Vélez, after meeting the objectives at Alavés and Leganés, the exporter commented.

“El Flaco felt like an obligation to win and a trauma to lose”

Santi has recalled several anecdotes with Pellegrino to show how the Argentine or football lives. This is how he explained a coffee before the Champions League final that Valencia CF played in Milan: “We were drinking the typical coffee that Ayala, Mauricio and I always drank, and we wondered how we would feel if we won the Champions League final with Valencia, The Mouse said that if it would be good to win, and Skinny said it is the same, if we win today after the holidays they will all come wanting to win, they will kick us, we will suffer a lot during the season pass”. And Cañizares has continued relating: “I told him, Flaco can’t be that you’re thinking not only wanting to win the Champions League, but shitting with next season, when are we going to enjoy it? He was a guy who paid one euro for victory, and one hundred for defeat.I saw it as an obligation to win and a trauma to lose ”.

Another anecdote that he has revealed is that he and Pellegrino shared “some real estate business”. He explained that they bought an asset and then sold it with that capital gain, where Mauricio participated as a partner. And this is how the Argentine lived it according to Cañizares: “The notary was waiting for us outside and one noon after training, the skinny man had been showering for more than an hour, told him to go out and he told me that I don’t like the notary...I was the only guy who was going to get a check with a certain antipathy, the most important thing for him was having a good training, they were honest people ”.

“Lim’s time is up, they must sell as soon as possible and whoever arrives is more responsible”

By the way, Cañizares, of course, has been asked if that history of the colony that made him miss the World Cup in Korea and Japan was true. He has assured that, before going to the team dinner, he dropped it and cut the tendon of the big toe, “Very important to gain momentum.” And since then he has assured with laughter that he buys plastic cologne.

Argentine journalists have asked “El Dragón” from Mestalla about the current situation of Valencia CF. Cañizares has described as “absolute disappointment ”the feeling of the Valencian fans after the owner Peter Lim decide that “Those who won a title went to the street immediately.” And he highlighted how “many groups” are demonstrating for a change in the club: “Lim’s time is up, and they must sell as soon as possible and that whoever arrives is more responsible.”

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