Germán Cano, the executioner of Boca and River in the Libertadores: the souvenir he took after winning the final with Fluminense and the shocking records

“My son Lorenzo asked me for the ball. Luckily I can take it. I can tell you that I am champion of the Libertadores, a dream that we set for ourselves from the first game and luckily we were able to get it. It was worth leaving many things aside and today being able to play against a rival like Boca, who represents a lot worldwide; “We were fair winners.”

German Cano cradles the ball as if it were a baby. At the age of 35, at a late (for average footballer) peak of his career, he was the great architect of the title of Fluminensethat won 2-1 Boca Juniors in the final played at the Maracaná. The numbers only highlight his impact on the milestone: he scored 13 goals, the same amount as the entire Xeneize squad throughout the competition.

And, according to the statistician Mister Chipbecame the first player in the history of the competition to score in the two quarterfinal duels, in the two semi-finals and in the definition, in which he opened the score after receiving the center behind Keno and after cross the shot to avoid the stretch of Chiquito Romero. He had also scored a hat trick against River in the group stage. Today he has 37 goals in 55 games so far in 2023. And the crown of America.

Born on February 2, 1988 in Lomas de Zamora, he debuted in the Primera de Lanus in 2008 and then went through Chacarita and Columbus of Santa Fe in search of continuity. He only scored three goals, appreciated for his dedication, but without making friends with the goal and resisted by the fans. With ups and downs in local soccer, he exploded in Colombia, where he played for Deportivo Pereira and Independiente Medellín.

Among his experience in the coffee clubs, he spent a year in Nacional of Paraguay and also worked in Mexico, in Pachuca and León. But it was in Brazil that he once again came to the fore and Rio de Janeiro welcomed him with open arms. In 2020 he joined Vasco da Gama and this year he arrived at Flu, where he became a goal-scoring machine. In his last days in Brazil, the fans asked him for the Argentine national team or, failing that, for the Verdeamarela, as a nationalized player. Symptom of the fury that awakens.

His personality had a lot to do with that upward spiral in his career. This is what he emphasized Daniel Rivero, his first trainer in Lanus, a club that saw him born from the Prenovena until he debuted in the highest category. “He is a very temperamental player. As a child he wanted to win at any price and he spent his time arguing on the court, he never shut up,” recalls who, in addition, was the physical trainer in the coaching staff led by Carlos Lodico in the youth categories.

“Cano was unlucky to fall into a category that was full of talents like Sebastián Blanco, Laucha Acosta, Carlos Quintana, who is in Rosario Central, and Sebastián Leto, among others. When they arrived in Reserva, they integrated that category with the 88 and put together a team led by Ramon Cabrero and Pampa Zubeldía. The Maroon Reserve was crowned champion in 2007. German played very little in the elite since he competed in his position with Pepe Sand and Diego Valeri, among other offensive men. In this way, Lanús loaned him to Chacarita Juniors so that he could film, “explained the delayed explosion.

* The main actions of the grand final

Admirer of Brazilian Ronaldo NazarioRivero compares him with another deity in the world of forwards: “Because of his starting and punching he is very similar to Gabriel Omar Batistuta, Without a doubt”. “He matured a lot. When she was little she had a special character, she wanted to win at any price and she spent her time arguing on the court, she never shut up. I remember that in a match, in category 88, which was played on court 1 of the Inferiores, we faced Independiente del Kun Agüero, who was unstoppable; He scored about five goals against us that day. Then, Laucha Acosta, Blanco and he were very hot. This is why they couldn’t calm Germán down. Then, he went to take a corner and insulted the referee up and down because of how angry he was, and ended up sending him off. Then, they gave him eight sanction dates. Today, he is a gentleman, a gentleman,” recalled the counselor.

“In Colombia it began to mature little by little. When he went to Brazil, first to Vasco Da Gama and then to the Flu, he changed a lot, he got married, his wife got him on track and so did his children. Today he is a professional player with all the letters. Germán was always rather strong, short. Today he is physically well because he worked on it. In Novena I saw him with a bit of a weight problem, but at that age I couldn’t demand that he lose weight immediately, but rather we managed it with daily training,” he gave an unknown detail about his origins.

The particular data: “He was always from Boca, since he was little”. Consequently, he became the executioner of her old love. This time she thought of him, at the climax of her career. The veteran reached the top, but he is not satisfied: let Manchester City prepare for the Club World Cup: here goes Germán Cano.