After seven years at Old Trafford and a hefty fine from Louis van Gaal, the 33-year-old is back home in Argentina with Boca
Dani Gil
INTERVIEW
In 2021, you left Manchester United to sign for Boca Juniors. How did the fans welcome you?
Fantastically well. The fans are crazy – the Bombonera is a permanent party. The passion of the Argentine people is incomparable, even more than the English. In the street, they let you know how much they love you. I’m injured now and every fan tells me that they miss me, which gives me strength. In Buenos Aires, it’s much more complicated than in England to go out for a quiet dinner. In England, they respected you in that private space. Here, they ask you for photos or a greeting at every step. It’s nice.
You mention injury – the one to your cruciate ligament in October, yes?
The moment it happened, I was very sad. I realised it immediately as I fell. The first few days were hard but, with the support of family and friends, the desire to compete again came back. In principle the doctor has said that I should be playing in May or June.
What was it like to play in the Superclasico against River Plate?
I lived through two of them during the pandemic, without a crowd. When they came back, it was incredible. The Bombonera was shaking. When people talk about fans being the 12th man, that is truer than ever in the case of Boca during a Superclasico. I invited Ander Herrera to one – I think he will come soon. I have a good relationship with him, as well as David de Gea, Antonio Valencia, Sergio Romero and Juan Mata. We send messages to each other from time to time.
In your first spell in Argentina, you represented Estudiantes in the 2009 Club World Cup Final against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, and were winning until the 89th minute...
We came so close to winning. At first, it was painful and sad, but with the passage of time, I remember it fondly. We competed against one of the best teams in history. I was only 19, and in the tunnel I met Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi. In Argentina, we only watched them on the PlayStation. I watched Messi like a fan during that match – I was on the pitch and couldn’t believe it. I looked at him and thought I was hallucinating – I was playing against Leo!
You moved to Europe with Spartak Moscow. What was that like?
Until I left Argentina, I was living with my parents. Russia wasn’t easy: it was a drastic change in my life. I tried to enjoy myself and learn, even though the time difference with Argentina was big, which made staying in touch with people complicated. I spent a lot of time alone.
What about your m
