Fabio Radaelli: “Lautaro and Luis Suárez can play together”

Fabio Radaelli (Benito Juárez, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 13, 1969), he played throughout his career in Argentine soccer during the 90's. Already as a coach, He has had outstanding roles as coordinator of the lower categories, highlighting his time at Racing de Avellaneda. In The academy He had the luck or the eye to sign a boy who is currently one of the best strikers in the world, Lautaro Martínez.

By then, Radaelli was the coordinator of the Lower Divisions of Racing and decided to bring Lautaro to the club. The Buenosairean one attended to Ace to speak of his expupilo, that could end up in Barcelona the next season.

– Is Lautaro ready to lead the attack of the best teams in Europe?

– Excellent players like him are ready to play on any team on any system. He is prepared to play in a team that plays against, because he is very powerful and plays well in the spaces. He can play in teams where they continuously have possession of the game, because he plays very well with both profiles, he gives you continuity, he is not a rough forward. We are talking about one of the best strikers that will be in the next 10 years. He is still very young and is going to give a lot to talk about.

– Do you think that, if Lautaro finally signed for Barcelona, ​​he could be hurt by Luis Suárez?

– About Suarez. What I think is that the two could play together. Suarez is a magnificent striker. In fact, in the match against Celta he scored two goals, after overcoming a long injury and then also against Villarreal. I think that, just as it is his turn in the Argentina National Team with Agüero and Messi, in Barcelona all three can do it. I use a phrase: “those who play well can play together”.

– Do you think that playing alongside Messi could give you one more step in your game?

– Today Lautaro is the scorer of the Scaloni era. He has played with Leo, who is the best in the world and, for us Argentines, he is an alien. Of course, when one plays with the best, everything rises, Messi empowers everyone, he is an outstanding player.

– What did you see in Lautaro to bring him to Racing?

– He's a boy who caught our attention the first time we saw him. It was a 16-year-old boy whose playing actions always said something. Very good technique, with both profiles very well, a powerful aerial game … We at Racing have a psychologist, Cecilia Contarino, who when the boys arrive at Casa Tita, which is the place where the boys from the interior stay, gets used to do a psychological test. The story is that I was training with Lautaro's division, with the role of coordinator, and I'm going to witness the practice of his division, which is category 97, at that time sixth division, and the psychologist is approaching. He asks me how Lautaro was, how he was playing and I got scared: What happened? Do you want to come back? Had he fought with someone? … And he says no, he did one of the best psychological tests in the entire history of the players who have passed through Casa Tita. Apart from playing very well, we were in the presence of a very mature boy in his way of acting and he had only been at the club for two months, less than a month. In his two years there it was all magnificent. He is a top scorer in the sixth division and fifth division. He makes 51 goals in the two years. We were in the presence of an incredible player and an important intellectual capacity. What we say, a perfect combo.

– At a very young age, Lautaro became the great star of Racing. How did you experience this vertiginous process?

– He at 18 years old goes to the U-20 team, to a tournament in Spain to represent Argentina and then he joins the First Division. In fact, he replaces Milito in debut and was the most outstanding striker. I remember that Portugal teams wanted him, there had been talk of Madrid, Atlético de Madrid. At that time, at 18, he was the most important player in Argentine soccer.

– With so many offers you had, why do you think you ended up going to Inter?

– What I think is that at the time he had the opportunity to go to Atlético de Madrid and he stayed because he understood that Racing had not yet given him everything he wanted to give him. Lautaro's was one of the most important operations in Argentine football and the best in history for Racing. They understood that the best was Inter. A club that is a world power, with which it has a direct relationship. Today the manager It is Diego Milito and also Javier Zanetti, who have been partners and important figures in Inter's history. They were very important for him to decide to go.

– Finally, if you had to compare Lautaro with a striker, what would it be?

– I think he looks like Juan Esnáider. I had the opportunity to play with him and I think they are similar. Very complete technically and at a power level. Today, sometimes, it makes me look like Kun. I always usually name Esnáider and Milito, because they handled both legs, they were leaders, when they went out to play they gave continuity, etc.