Interview with Victor Zapata

There’s a great interview in Today’s Ole sports daily with the former forward. Having sat out the final game of the season against Velez, el chapa’s career with River is at an end, and will now join Clausura champions San Lorenzo.

Read most any River Plate messageboard and you won’t see too many gallinas crying over his departure. True, he was never a classic River player and clearly it was time for both the club and he to move on, but I always felt that a few fans were over critical of his play. In this interview, which is posted in Spanish here, Victor talks humbly about his exiting the team. Regardless of your opinion of hhim as a player, I think he shows a lot of class and grace, something missing all to much in football these days.

For you English speakers, I’ve translated some quotes here:

“I hope people will remember me for having spiritedly worked myself in every game. There are those who love this sacrifice, the player who runs, who ’sweats’ hard for the jersey…River was always like that. I hope above all else that everyone understands for sacrifice for the colors. I DID play for that jersey…”

“At the beginning of the year I wanted to finish as championions, leave winning a Copa. But we didn’t;things didn’t work out, and we have to accept it.”

“We missed having a captain like Marcelo Gallardo… a visible face to grab the reins and lead.