Carlos Caszely has declared himself an admirer of Leonel Sánchez. One is considered the greatest idol of Colo Colo. The other, the most important reference of the University of Chile. However, Respect for each other’s careers broke down all barriers. And the genuine affection they shared lasted a lifetime..
April 25 is a special day. On a day like that, in 1936, the former secular striker was born, who in 1962 established himself as the scorer of the World Cup that was organized in Chile, in which La Roja obtained third place.. In that tournament, Sánchez became the legend that he would later round out with his performances in the club that marked his life, beyond the fact that at the end of his career he also celebrated a title with Cacique.
Caszely evokes, precisely, Sánchez’s crucial participation in the global event that was organized in the country to value his transcendent contribution. “I want to talk to younger people. To the one who doesn’t paint gray hair, like we paint. To those old people who know how to understand what football is, that it is a game“, introduces the King of the Square Meter, before entering, directly, into the tribute.
“We were very children when the ’62 World Cup was played, here in our country, in Chile. We were sitting under a grapevine, watching the game taking place in Arica, Chile-Russia, when suddenly there was a foul at the entrance to the area. Leonel Sánchez stops. He outside leg, outside edge and scores a magical goal against Lev Yashin, the best goalkeeper in the world at that time”, he details, regarding a play that became an indelible memory.
Then, give way to the emotion of the moment. “We all screamed, we all jumped. When the game ended, we went to the street, to the square, like the fluff that we were. We all wanted to be Leonel. I remember that I won the match, as captain of that team and I told them ‘everyone without the right shoe’. They looked at me strangely. As if asking why. ‘Because we are all going to play with the left foot. We will all be Leonel Sánchez,” he remembers.
“What child in this country did not want to imitate him? What child in this country did not want to be the dear old Leonel? A humble, upright man. A man, truly, loved by everyone. He was the player we all wanted to be. The one I watched train when I was a kid and I learned to love him like an older brother. I hug him like I always did. I hug him, as I always did and always will. Therefore, in the distance and towards the sky, a greeting to the great, great Leonel Sánchez. Dear old Leonel,” he concludes, exhibiting a work of art that shows them in their adult stage.
