Alvaro "Il Chino" Recoba
- Thread starter Rasmus
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2015
- Messages
- 6,748
- Likes
- 2,554
- Favorite Player
- Bastoni
Riquelme was there too :epicwin:
The old geezer on the far left looks like the fat dude who likes killing of characters in a world where people make too much of a fuss over a chair.
Last edited:
- Joined
- May 22, 2004
- Messages
- 9,575
- Likes
- 2,501
- Favorite Player
- Oba
10 years of FIFSeriously? I loved the guy but with all the talent he had he did not even succeed in the greek league! Yes he was unlucky with injuries and so on but a guy with his talent would have reached another level if he put in the right effort.
Anyways there are still days when i get depressed thinking that we had R9 and Recoba in our team at the same time! Two of the most talented and spectacular players i have ever seen and yet we did not win shit.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2016
- Messages
- 86
- Likes
- 0
Nice pics, thanks!! 
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2014
- Messages
- 9,434
- Likes
- 8,961
Forum Supporter
Most Improved MemberThe farewell game will be broadcast at 2100 CET, tonight - http://www.inter.it/en/news/52137?
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2010
- Messages
- 19,020
- Likes
- 20,066
10 years of FIFForum SupporterIt's hard to explain why it is so painful to accept Recoba's retirement, especially if you think about him being considered one of the most overrated and overpaid players in Serie A history. But there was something about him that went beyond his mere football abilities, something deeper and more spiritual. Something that made Moratti fall in love with him at first sight and believe in him even when nobody else did. It was probably the idea of his way of playing football that drew everyone in -- and he reminded you every time you saw him on the pitch, floating around and creating beautiful plays with his magical left foot. He was one of the last truly romantic players in the game of football, as he played to elevate the sport from the pragmatic need of winning titles and cups and tried to turn it into a real art form.
El Chino arrived at Inter almost on the sly, in the shadow of a giant like Ronaldo -- the real Ronaldo -- and found his way into Inter supporters' hearts right away, surprising everyone from his very first official appearance in Nerazzurro. It was the first week of the 97/98 Serie A season, a match in which everybody was expecting O' Fenomeno to be the key player, Recoba ended up grabbing the spotlight from the Brazilian and scoring an incredible brace with his bewitched left foot in just 20 minutes to help his team get back from a 0-1 deficit and earn the three points. Obviously, he scored just one more goal that season, but such an unexpected debut helped him become a fan favorite, even if they probably didn't even notice his arrival that summer.
Alvaro spent 10 years playing for Inter -- apart from a half season loan to Venezia -- with his best season being the 200/01 one when he scored 15 goals in 42 total appearances. Unfortunately, he was involved in a fake passport scandal in January of 2001 and he was punished with a one-year ban, later reduced to only four months on appeal. At the time of the scandal, El Chino had just renewed his contract with Inter, becoming the highest paid football player in the world, a title he kept until 2003.
El Chino didn't become the best player in the world just because he didn't want to
He left Inter in 2007 joining Torino on loan. There he was coached by Walter Novellino, who already managed him in his time at Venezia. He wasn't the same Chino anymore, though -- he was plagued by injuries and he never had the opportunity of playing with consistency. Torino could have signed him for free after the loan, instead, they decided to let him go, so he agreed to join Panionios in 2008. He spent just one year in Greece and in December of 2009 they mutually agreed to terminate his contract because of his high wages and poor performances.
Alvaro had just one thing left to do -- going back where his legend started. On Christmas Eve of 2009, he signed with Danubio, the club which he made his debut as a professional player. Exactly like he did when he was younger, Recoba left the team a year later to join Uruguayan side Nacional de Montevideo, for which he played the following four years. On June 14, 2015, he played his last official match, winning the title with his team for the second time in three years. The legend of El Chino was over.
He officially announced his retirement at the end of March 2016.
"El Chino didn't become the best player in the world just because he didn't want to" Veron said about him. "It is not that I didn't want to" Recoba answered a few years later "I think I did my best. Maybe it was all I was able to do. Maybe I didn't try the hardest, I still ask myself if I actually could have done more or not. Who knows, maybe in a few years I will agree with what Sebastian said." Anyone who had the luck to see him play surely thought that that kid with narrow eyes and a sweet left foot could have given much more to the game of football for some reason he couldn't do it.
The reasons for his failed to transition from a promising prospect to true legend of football could be summed up in three basic points:
His laziness, a flaw that has always been acknowledged by him and not only related to his professional life. His wife, in fact, once described him in a Gazzetta Dello Sport interview as "lazy and romantic". Alvaro was always late for training - his teammates during his loan at Venezia even gifted him a watch for that - and he appeared indolent on the field from time to time like he was waiting for the game to come at him instead of him trying to integrate into the flow of the game.
The lack of a precise position. Second striker, trequartista, left or right winger; none of them fully fitted him. Probably because the only role he felt comfortable doing was being Recoba.
The lack of faith from his managers. Reading the first two points of this list it's not so hard to understand why they were so reluctant in letting him play, especially in his earlier seasons in Nerazzurro, when the club was spasmodically looking for wins and titles.
What put so many expectations on El Chino as a football player was his incredible set of skills, a package that not so many players have/had.
His most dangerous ability, of course, was his left foot. He had so much power and accuracy in that limb that he was able to score almost from every position and distance. Like, literally every position.
The things he was able to do with that foot were countless. He was a threat every time his team earned a set piece, whether he was passing the ball to a teammate or he tried to score. And what kind of crazy genius would he be if he hadn't in his wide repertoire of skills the corner kick goal? He loved to surprise the opposing keeper shooting straight from the corner flag. He scored 6 of them during his career but only one with an Inter shirt on.
He was way more than just a precise shooter, though. As much as he loved to punish opposing keepers with his almost unstoppable shots, he also was extremely talented at making jaw-dropping plays while dribbling past anyone who wanted to take away the ball from him. You could never guess what he was going to do next and he loved to entertain his supporters with slaloms, roulettes and other amazing tricks.
Despite your laziness and your unexpressed potential, thank you for being one of us. Thank you because you were unique. Thank you because you made us remember that our beloved sport was much more than a simple matter of results and business operations. Football is art and you helped us remind it and fell in love with it, once again.
There won't be another Alvaro Recoba, for better or for worse, in at least a thousand years, and that is what makes you a legend.
http://inter.theoffside.com/2016/4/8/11351932/el-chino-story-of-a-lazy-romantic-alvaro-recoba-retires
El Chino arrived at Inter almost on the sly, in the shadow of a giant like Ronaldo -- the real Ronaldo -- and found his way into Inter supporters' hearts right away, surprising everyone from his very first official appearance in Nerazzurro. It was the first week of the 97/98 Serie A season, a match in which everybody was expecting O' Fenomeno to be the key player, Recoba ended up grabbing the spotlight from the Brazilian and scoring an incredible brace with his bewitched left foot in just 20 minutes to help his team get back from a 0-1 deficit and earn the three points. Obviously, he scored just one more goal that season, but such an unexpected debut helped him become a fan favorite, even if they probably didn't even notice his arrival that summer.
Alvaro spent 10 years playing for Inter -- apart from a half season loan to Venezia -- with his best season being the 200/01 one when he scored 15 goals in 42 total appearances. Unfortunately, he was involved in a fake passport scandal in January of 2001 and he was punished with a one-year ban, later reduced to only four months on appeal. At the time of the scandal, El Chino had just renewed his contract with Inter, becoming the highest paid football player in the world, a title he kept until 2003.
El Chino didn't become the best player in the world just because he didn't want to
He left Inter in 2007 joining Torino on loan. There he was coached by Walter Novellino, who already managed him in his time at Venezia. He wasn't the same Chino anymore, though -- he was plagued by injuries and he never had the opportunity of playing with consistency. Torino could have signed him for free after the loan, instead, they decided to let him go, so he agreed to join Panionios in 2008. He spent just one year in Greece and in December of 2009 they mutually agreed to terminate his contract because of his high wages and poor performances.
Alvaro had just one thing left to do -- going back where his legend started. On Christmas Eve of 2009, he signed with Danubio, the club which he made his debut as a professional player. Exactly like he did when he was younger, Recoba left the team a year later to join Uruguayan side Nacional de Montevideo, for which he played the following four years. On June 14, 2015, he played his last official match, winning the title with his team for the second time in three years. The legend of El Chino was over.
He officially announced his retirement at the end of March 2016.
"El Chino didn't become the best player in the world just because he didn't want to" Veron said about him. "It is not that I didn't want to" Recoba answered a few years later "I think I did my best. Maybe it was all I was able to do. Maybe I didn't try the hardest, I still ask myself if I actually could have done more or not. Who knows, maybe in a few years I will agree with what Sebastian said." Anyone who had the luck to see him play surely thought that that kid with narrow eyes and a sweet left foot could have given much more to the game of football for some reason he couldn't do it.
The reasons for his failed to transition from a promising prospect to true legend of football could be summed up in three basic points:
His laziness, a flaw that has always been acknowledged by him and not only related to his professional life. His wife, in fact, once described him in a Gazzetta Dello Sport interview as "lazy and romantic". Alvaro was always late for training - his teammates during his loan at Venezia even gifted him a watch for that - and he appeared indolent on the field from time to time like he was waiting for the game to come at him instead of him trying to integrate into the flow of the game.
The lack of a precise position. Second striker, trequartista, left or right winger; none of them fully fitted him. Probably because the only role he felt comfortable doing was being Recoba.
The lack of faith from his managers. Reading the first two points of this list it's not so hard to understand why they were so reluctant in letting him play, especially in his earlier seasons in Nerazzurro, when the club was spasmodically looking for wins and titles.
What put so many expectations on El Chino as a football player was his incredible set of skills, a package that not so many players have/had.
His most dangerous ability, of course, was his left foot. He had so much power and accuracy in that limb that he was able to score almost from every position and distance. Like, literally every position.
The things he was able to do with that foot were countless. He was a threat every time his team earned a set piece, whether he was passing the ball to a teammate or he tried to score. And what kind of crazy genius would he be if he hadn't in his wide repertoire of skills the corner kick goal? He loved to surprise the opposing keeper shooting straight from the corner flag. He scored 6 of them during his career but only one with an Inter shirt on.
He was way more than just a precise shooter, though. As much as he loved to punish opposing keepers with his almost unstoppable shots, he also was extremely talented at making jaw-dropping plays while dribbling past anyone who wanted to take away the ball from him. You could never guess what he was going to do next and he loved to entertain his supporters with slaloms, roulettes and other amazing tricks.
Despite your laziness and your unexpressed potential, thank you for being one of us. Thank you because you were unique. Thank you because you made us remember that our beloved sport was much more than a simple matter of results and business operations. Football is art and you helped us remind it and fell in love with it, once again.
There won't be another Alvaro Recoba, for better or for worse, in at least a thousand years, and that is what makes you a legend.
http://inter.theoffside.com/2016/4/8/11351932/el-chino-story-of-a-lazy-romantic-alvaro-recoba-retires
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2007
- Messages
- 40,895
- Likes
- 59
- Favorite Player
- ur mom
- Old username
- icardiscores
Forum Supporter10 years of FIFhttp://www.fcinter1908.it/ultimora/...ssibili-partenti-chiaro-messaggio-dei-cinesi/
dis was his debut overshadowing Ronaldo's correct?! I'm too young to remember this...
dis was his debut overshadowing Ronaldo's correct?! I'm too young to remember this...
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2007
- Messages
- 40,895
- Likes
- 59
- Favorite Player
- ur mom
- Old username
- icardiscores
Forum Supporter10 years of FIFI saw this before on vids but don't know the details
I watched it live too but I was too young too remember the fucking details
And yes I'm right...thanks Google
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
- Messages
- 5,078
- Likes
- 1,176
- Favorite Player
- JZ4
10 years of FIFGreat game that night. Was shit scared of Totti but we kept him quiet and was a deserved win. We were on an awesome run until that stupid loss to Atalanta I believe at the San Siro. Dalmat's performance that game was face palm worthy. That was our scudetto. Such a painful season I will never forget. Then Ronaldo had a great world cup then left to Real Madrid... smh
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2014
- Messages
- 3,491
- Likes
- 2,004
- Favorite Player
- #3, #4
Forum Supporter3:15 - There is/was Tesco in Italy?
- - - Updated - - -
Edit. It's Teseo. I'm an idiot.
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2015
- Messages
- 12,960
- Likes
- 14
It was so cool and weird at the same time. Everyone was expecting Ronaldo to do his magic and outta nowhere El Chino pulls those two bunnies out of the hat.
I still remember it as if it was yesterday. Back then you had to wait at least half an hour after the match to watch the goals.
I still remember it as if it was yesterday. Back then you had to wait at least half an hour after the match to watch the goals.
Last edited: