Spanning the South American age spectrum

¹²³ · Jul 27, 2009

It's not often that Bolivian football makes headlines all over the world, but that's what happened last week after a player made his first division debut a few days before his 13th birthday.

Mauricio Baldivieso came off the bench for the last few minutes of Aurora's match against La Paz. He had made a shrewd choice of father - Julio Cesar Baldivieso is not only one of the recent greats of the Bolivian game, he was also Aurora's coach. But not any more.

Exposing a pre-adolescent to the senior game brought so much criticism that the Aurora directors told Baldivieso senior not to field his son again - so he resigned.

Another extraordinary story, which does not seem to have gained so many column inches, is that of Anthony De Avila re-signing for America of Cali, one of Colombia's leading clubs.

A little striker, De Avila had great success in his previous spell in the red shirt. But it was a long time ago. De Avila is 45, and retired from football 10 years ago.

These, of course, are extreme examples. The normal age range of those on the field in South American football does not stretch from 12 to 45. But even so these cases do shed some light on the reality of the game in the continent in the age of globalisation.

Fifteen years ago in the first handful of games I saw in Brazil, I was lucky enough to catch Rivaldo, Edmundo, Roberto Carlos and Juninho Pernambucano. A contemporary visitor would not be so fortunate.

All these players were in or approaching their mid-20s before they moved across the Atlantic. Nowadays Europe snaps up the promises at an ever younger age.

The consequence is that in terms of outstanding talent, domestic South American football is a bit like a doughnut.

At one end there are the young up and comers, the Baldivieso's (and if Mauricio has half the ability of his father he should be in for a good career).

At the other end there are the veterans winding down their playing days, the De Avilas (and with over 50 caps for Colombia in their heyday, America's re-acquisition is entitled to dine at the top table). But in between there's a gaping hole.

The players still in South America in their peak years tend to be journeymen - the best ones are all in Europe.

How can the South American clubs cope with this? They need to sell to balance the books. The European clubs want to buy to strengthen their squads. And the players are keen to go. One big reason is the money.

But in many cases, it's not the only one. They want to prove themselves. Some time ago a point was reached when it was no longer possible to be considered a top player without shining in Europe's Champions League.

The South American clubs that have recently done best have tended to be the ones who have taken a pragmatic view of the new economic reality. They invest in youth development with the aim of producing outstanding players who will give them a couple of years' service before making a big money move to Europe.

In short, the clubs aim to sell potential stars in order to finance solidity - to keep their wage bill paid on time, and maintain a squad strong enough to keep them competitive.

Boca Juniors of Argentina were the pioneers of this model, and it has brought them great success.

Other excellent examples are Sao Paulo and Internacional of Brazil, who though greatly outgunned, had enough spirit and tactical sense to hang on for 1-0 victories and win the Club World Cup against Liverpool and Barcelona respectively.

But the model comes with built-in instability, because the best players are always being sold. In the case of Internacional, for example, six months after being crowned world champions they could not even make the last 16 in South America.

Such inconsistency causes problems. It is not easy to stick to a long-term plan in an environment like football where so much importance is given to short-term results.

Take Corinthians, for example. The giant club from Sao Paulo recently won the Brazilian Cup, which qualifies them for next year's Copa Libertadores - it is the club's dream to win the trophy for the first time in 2010, their centenary year.

But now, to balance the books, some players have been sold. In midweek the supporters were protesting, and Sunday's 3-0 defeat by local rivals Palmeiras can only have worsened the atmosphere. Administering passion is a very difficult task.

For this reason there have been lots of recent success stories of small clubs all over South America. The big clubs may have sold their big names, but they still have the same old pressure to cope with. The small clubs, meanwhile, can make serene progress.

Brazil's Sao Caetano came from nowhere at the start of the decade and got within a penalty shoot out of winning the Libertadores.

They have since slipped back, but a nearby club, Barueri, in their debut first division season, are currently 6th despite surviving on gates of 2,000. Little Boyaca Chico won a title in Colombia last year. Tiny San Martin have won the last two championships in Peru.

Some of these clubs were founded so recently they make Mauricio Baldivieso look old.
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Another great Tim Vickery article.

Link

hielo español · Jul 27, 2009

He is quite simply the best sports writer ever because he is the only one who contrasts knowledge and fantastically written articles time and time and time again.

Once again, as per usual, spot on.

Colonel Ronan · Jul 27, 2009

The smaller clubs are getting more and more money for their starlets. Good news for them!

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hielo español Welcome aboard Dre

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