Ricardo Ferretti’s Tough Start in Mexico with Cruz Azul Manager: His Year at Atlas and Relegation

Ricardo Ferretti’s first years in Mexico were not easy for Cruz Azul manager, who came as a reinforcement for Atlas

MEXICO — Ricardo Ferretti He came to Mexican soccer accompanied by his wife and daughters. Atlas He signed him to play in the 1977/1978 season and they gave him a suite to live in during his stay, which only lasted a year. The Brazilian shone for his hitting technique, compared to that of Cristiano Ronaldo, but collectively, it was a bad year. The people from Guadalajara were relegated and the current coach of Blue Cross he was left alone in Mexico, without his family and job.

Atlas it was reinforced with two Brazilians for the 1977/1978 season. One was the defender Alfredo Gottardi and the other the attacker Ricardo Ferretti, who from that moment showed off his mustache. The red and black directive introduced both of them by his name, but later, the second of them approached his companions so that they would address him as ‘Tuca’.

the last game of ‘Tuca’ Ferretti as footballer of Atlas It was the relegation series against Unión Curtidores. In the first leg, they tied without goals, but in the return the Brazilian went from joy to sadness. At 25 ‘, he scored the momentary 1-1, but minutes later he was sent off. Already with 10 men, the red and black lost the category.

“We were relegated due to a bad arbitration that we had with Marco Antonio Dorantes. In a loyal, strong plug, in the relegation final he sent him off. Direct red and left us with one less man here in Jalisco and we lost 4-2 with Curtidores and we went to second, but ‘Tuca’ was humble, he was disciplined, he never took a leading role as leader in the group because there were others with more seniority and more prestige here in Mexican soccer, nor did he try anything at all ”, he recalls Jaime Little Birdthe Brazilian’s partner in that Guadalajara team.

That party meant a change in every sense of the life of ‘Tuca’ Ferretti. In addition to the descent, the Brazilian was left alone in Mexico and without a team. Atlas he took the suite from him, while his wife and two daughters, with whom he had arrived in mid-1977, returned to Brazil.

“He stayed for about a month at Víctor Lomelí’s house, who gave him a chance. He lent him a little room so he could sleep there and then Tinajero, who brought a team in the League of Animals, invited him and paid him his 500 pesos per game and well he already took out to eat because not even for that. He suffered a lot from him ”.

While ‘Tuca’ Ferretti was playing in the League of Animals, Mejía Barón, who was the coach of Pumas, sought him out to invite him to the UNAM team and that’s where the Brazilian’s championship history began in Mexican soccer as a player and coach.

HITTING TECHNIQUE COMPARED WITH THAT OF CR7

In addition to the peculiar mustache, Jaime Little Bird remember that the hitting technique of the ‘Tuca’ Ferrettiwas one of the main characteristics with which he surprised his teammates in Atlas, he even compares the style of the Brazilian with which Cristiano Ronaldo practiced years later.

“He would hit it like an instep, make the ball go over the barrier and go down, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who stands in front and hits him, passes the barrier and goes down. That hit is very difficult. That can only be done by someone who fits very small because someone who fits from seven and up is very difficult to hit the way he hits. He always stayed to train the free throws, he trained the shots from medium and long distance. And then with (Héctor) Brambila as goalkeeper, they were placing bets or competing”.