10 years without 'Lobo' Diarte: genius, scorer, singer and dandy

Carlos Diarte was a dandy on and off the field. Smart scorer. I was always well placed in order to profit with peculiar efficiency the old top scorer trade. Its imposing plant did not go unnoticed and the women raffled it off. A Prince. Cayetano Ros, in a great report published in El País reflected how this genius was. “The youngest of eight siblings, Carlos grew up with his mother, in the Assumption of the fifties, since his father abandoned them when he was two years old. Paraguay was a country of women after so many men died in the war of the Triple Alliance, against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. And Diarte's mother insisted that her children find time to study even though they had to work from whatever came out: bricklayers, bakers … “. That work came out was published shortly before his death. Even in this countdown our beloved 'Wolf' remained regal and dignified. A great man.

El Periódico de Aragón referred to him as follows. “We are talking about a huge striker, a striker and one ahead of his time in the way he played. He was a modern and powerful striker who dazzled from his arrival in Zaragoza on January 9, 1974. Arrúa, decisive for him to come and His best companion on and off the field later, Cacho Blanco, Ocampos and Soto were the others who gave their name to 'Los Zaraguayos', a historic team. Zaragoza paid about 5.7 million pesetas (about 30,000 euros) for the Lobo when exercising an option that Avelino Chaves, then technical secretary, kept when he signed Arrúa. He was 19 years old, 750,000 pesetas token (prizes aside) and it was the first time he left his country. In the summer of 1976 it was transferred to Valencia for a million dollars (about 60 million pesetas at the time), a record figure. A very profitable signing. Diarte scored 39 goals in 87 official matches as a Zaragoza player, 30 of those goals in the league. One of them, for true, it was the 1,000th of Zaragoza's history and n First.

Years pass and good Zaragoza fans feel nostalgia for 'Los Zaraguayos' capable of endorsing an undeniable 6-1 to an entire Real Madrid who arrived as anticipated League champion at La Romareda. But that April 30, 1975 Zaragoza fell apart. Three goals from García Castany, and one from Arrúa, Diarte and Simarro to the dismay of the Madridistas trained by Miljan Miljanic.

The nickname 'Lobo' was given to him by his teammate at Olimpia Mario Ribarola, for his fast and long stride. He stopped being Carlos to be 'Wolf'. All the big clubs in Europe wanted him, but the one who ended up signing him was Valencia after paying a record transfer in those years: 60 million pesetas (360,000 euros) to form a dream forward with the Dutch Johny Rep and the Argentine Mario Kempes. His start was tremendous, 14 goals in the first eleven games. But the injuries slowed its emergence. Later it passed through Salamanca, Betis and Saint Etienne. But things were no longer the same.

A record that lasted 23 years

On a rainy afternoon on December 4, 1977. The Valencians beat Elche 4-1. Diarte scored the 1-0 at 10.3 seconds. Juan Carlos and Kempes, twice, completed the result. It was a record that lasted 23 years and was snatched by Uruguayan Darío Silva for Málaga, beating Argentine goalkeeper Albano Bizarri eight seconds into the match on December 10, 2000 in a match against Valladolid that ended with a victory from Malaga by 3-1. “I was glad that my record was finally broken” Diarte confessed to this journalist. “After so many years it is appreciated how difficult it is to score such a fast goal.” The goal achieved by the Valladolid player Joseba Llorente against Espanyol at 7.83 seconds is the fastest to date in the Spanish tournament. It was obtained on January 22, 2008. According to Guinnes, the fastest goal was scored at 2'08 seconds by Uruguayan Ricardo Olivera in a minor tournament in this country. You see the images and have your doubts …

For those who love statistics, these are the fastest goals scored in Spain.

1-Joseba Llorente (Valladolid-Spanish, 2007-2008): 7.8 seconds

2-Darío Silva (Málaga-Valladolid, 2000-2001): 8.3 seconds

3-Carlos Diarte (Valencia-Elche, 1977-1978): 10.3 seconds

4-Mariano Armentano (Rayo-Osasuna, 2001-2002): 10 seconds

5-José Antonio Reyes (Sevilla-Betis, 2012-2013): 12 seconds

6-Rommel Fernández (Albacete-Cádiz, 1992-1993): 12 seconds

7-Iván Zamorano (Sevilla-Real Madrid, 1994-1995): 12 seconds

8-José Ángel Ziganda (Athletic-Real Madrid, 1997-1998): 12 seconds

9-Morten Skoubo (Real Sociedad-Valencia, 2005-2006): 12 seconds

10- Óliver Torres (Atlético-Betis, 2013-14): 13 seconds.

Singer and poet

One of the most surprising images takes us back to December 31, 1976. New Year's Eve Special on Spanish Television. “the best television in Spain” as José María García used to say jokingly “because there was no other”. Valerio Lazarov, a Romanian producer who fled the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaucescu to settle in Spain had imported the 'zoom effect', a revolutionary system to superimpose images in such a way that it was possible to see Formula V singing 'La Fiesta de Blas' inside of a glass of this sparkling wine or to Karina with 'Las Flechas del Amor'. As well. The restless Lazarov proposed two footballers to participate in this show. They were 'Lobo' Diarte and the then Atlético de Madrid player Heraldo Becerra, a Brazilian who came to play a match with Spain (1973 against Turkey). He died in 1977 in a car accident.

Diarte tried a career as a singer that had some acceptance although what she really liked was poetry, which she used to free herself from her lowest moments, which she had.

Stage at Atlético de Madrid

After hanging up his boots, the Wolf began a career as a coach with light and dark. When he was 15 years old, he discovered Miguel Ángel Benítez who came to play for Atlético de Madrid before becoming a star of the Paraguayan national team.

In 1996-97 Diarte signed for Atlético B, the rojiblanco subsidiary, on matchday 11 in playing for Prado. The team was second to last with only four points and a sinking feeling. Diarte refloated it. But in the absence of two days, with the team far from relegation, he was dismissed by Jesús Gil. Good players in those years like Rubén Baraja, Yordi, Santi Ezquerro, Fortune or Fede Bahón. Hence, short experiences with Salamanca and Nástic de Tarragona. Years later, he seemed to have found stability as the Equatorial Guinea coach. But the tragedy came. Damn cancer was detected.

Fight for an impossible

In the first months of 2010 and when he was absolute coach of Equatorial Guinea some back discomfort made him travel to Valencia, where he had his usual residence, to undergo tests that revealed an iliac tumor and another in the vertebrae that forced him to leave his professional activity to focus on fighting the disease: “I am a warrior, the Wolf never gives up”, he would say a few months later in Superdeporte, in an interview where he regretted that none of the clubs he was in had called him in these months. “I am more about supporting people when they need it, not lighting candles afterwards.” That was the 'Wolf'. Unforgettable.