#Teo gutierrez full#

He’d scored the opener, but in the second half was dismissed for insulting the referee. In April 2012, Teo Gutierrez was sacked from Racing Club after a defeat in the derby away to Independiente. He forces his team to play in a certain way, pass-to-feet and dynamics.” It’s not just that the opposition are forced to play differently when he is on the pitch but also that his team is one with him and another without him. Juan Roman Riquelme is one of his biggest admirers: “He is by far the best player of Argentinian football. “He is a tough guy, capable of fighting against five on his own.” but on the pitch, he transforms himself”, reckons Alfio Basile, the Colombian's manager at Racing. “He lived with a pastor, he’d pray before the games, he was one the most educated footballers that play for me. Only who’s inside of a dressing room knows what happens”, he says. “Sometimes things that are published are not true or blown out of proportion. His character has also brought him problems in the dressing room at Racing (where he once punched a goalkeeper during a training session) and Lanús, and prompted disciplinary action at several clubs, including for not promptly returning to training after holidays.Ĭlaiming to be much calmer now, he didn’t have any problems with the River team-mates nor in his homeland. He enjoys personal duels against centre-backs (and certainly makes them lose their nerves more often than not) but sometimes his inclination for scuffling sees him lose focus. His strong personality can be an asset, but at the same time, his temper has made him something of a controversial figure, and one that flirts too much with the red card. I feel more comfortable when I don’t have to be the targetman inside the box,” he says. I like to have a centre-forward so I can move and find more spaces around him, I think that’s what suits me best. “I’ve started playing as attacking midfielder, then winger and then forward. And the truth is that the closer he is to the goalmouth, the more difference he makes. Since he became an international for Colombia, however, his role as striker has been undisputed. He has also played as a No.10 with great success, linking up play between midfielders and forwards and pulling the strings of the team, and prompting discussions over which position was his best. His intelligent reading of the game has allowed him to score plenty of seemingly “easy” goals, entering unmarked at the far post. If other players need two or three touches to control a ball and then pass it or shoot, he can resolve in just one, almost effortlessly.

His glorious technique helps him win a fraction of second in every movement. Two things will never be missing from his suitcase: good salsa music, which he’ll play for his team-mates in the dressing room, and his granny’s empanadas, pastries that, he claims, help him score more goals. With an affectionate manager that makes him feel important, like Jose Pekerman (his national coach) or Marcelo Gallardo (his boss at River), Teo is a blessing. On top of goals of all kind, the Colombian has given the Millonarios some much-needed quality and today is seen as the most distinctive and decisive player in Argentinian club football – one whose sole presence can make a difference. Their resurrection was mainly shaped after one man whose surname is already forgotten: just call him Teo. River Plate are currently battling on two fronts: they can be champions of the Copa Sudamericana and also win the Argentinian league.

#Teo gutierrez full#

Full name: Teófilo Antonio Gutiérrez Roncacioįormer clubs: Barranquilla FC, Junior, Trabzonspor, Racing, Lanús, Junior, Cruz Azul.