This Saturday Valencia and Betis face each other in the final of the longest-running tournament in the country, which was born even before the First Division. A competition that has left iconic, historical images, through which football legends have passed and many other names that have been fading from the mind of the fan as the editions have been happening. Perhaps the protagonist of these lines is one of them: Do you remember the day that Lionel Scaloni won the Copa del Rey with Deportivo de la Coruña?
The current Argentine coach, after his time at Newell’s and Estudiantes de La Plata, ended up at Depor. There he played from 1998 to 2005 and left his signature. He started in the second unit, but ended up taking ownership over the seasons. It was not his only experience in Spain. After a year at West Ham he arrived at Racing de Santander. From there he tried the Lazio adventure, returned to join the ranks of Mallorca and closed his sports career at Atalanta.
Despite adding a considerable international career, he only won titles in Coruña. A total of four: the 2000 League, the 2000 and 2002 Super Cups and the Copa del Rey del Centenariazo. Scaloni was there. On March 6, 2002, Real Madrid looked forward to his 100th birthday. The Federation placed the final at the Bernabéu and the whole story accompanied Vicente del Bosque’s men.
But Depor imposed their football and took the 0-2 lead at halftime, thanks to goals from Diego Tristán and Sergio González, current coach of Cádiz. Raúl cut differences, although it was not enough to be crowned champion. Fran, Mauro Silva and Valerón were in Irureta’s starting eleven and Capdevila entered from the bench, for example. Scaloni himself was also in the game. Despite not being one of the most outstanding footballers of that historic ‘SúperDepor’, he left his mark on the city.
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In 2021, Deportivo experienced a hectic situation after the dismissal of President Fernando Vidal and his board of directors. Abanca appointed Antonio Coucerio and tried to convince men with a blue and white past to come to the city and contribute their grain of sand to the project. Mauro Silva was the first and refused. Later, they sought the complicity of Scaloni, but he said no because he considered that he was not qualified to carry out the position of Argentine coach at the same time as the offer recently received at that time.
The great Leo Scaloni, or the Argentina coach is hoxe in Riazor, here with a married couple who are friends with me and colleagues from Peña de Vilagarcia. pic.twitter.com/9IulnuxpEA
– Albi Cores (@albi_seroc) April 17, 2022
However, he has already stressed on occasion that he would like to return to Deportivo one day. A club that left its mark on him and it’s natural: he spent nine years of his sports career there. During Holy Week he traveled to the city and saw live the victory against DUX Inter de Madrid. For now, he has not chosen A Coruña to live, but he is deeply rooted in Spain, where he has his habitual residence in Mallorca.