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New Maradona

Teenager Carlos Marinelli was touted as the new Maradona when he joined Middlesbrough FC in 2000

Ever since Diego Maradona retired from the game, football fans from Argentina and across the world have been hoping that Argentina will produce another iconic player like el 10. Consequently whenever a young Argentine who plays in an attacking role begins to show a lot of talent he is soon labeled as the "new Maradona". It must be flattering for the youngster to be compared to a generation defining player like Maradona, but it seems the burden of expectation has crushed a few "new Maradonas" and a few more new Maradonas must have only been labeled as such by their agents hoping for a lucrative transfer to a gullible European club.

The first player to be dubbed the new Maradona was Diego Latorre, who never came close to emulating Maradona's achievements, making only 6 appearances for the Argentina national team, the closest he ever came to Maradona was playing alongside the great man during Maradona's final few seasons at Boca Juniors between 1996 and 1997.

The first time I heard the new Maradona tag used was during the 1998 World Cup when Ariel Ortega took the role of Argentina's most creative attacking player. Argentina underperformed and it seemed that Ortega took the brunt of the criticism simply for not being as good as Maradona. He has however had a successful career and notably captained Newell's Old Boys to a league championship, something Maradona failed to do during his stint with the Rosario club.

Some of the comparisons with Maradona are utterly laughable with hindsight, or even just with sight in the case of Carlos Marinelli, who was touted as the new Maradona when he joined Premier League side Middlesbrough FC for £1.5m in 2000. He was an utter flop and since being offloaded by the Boro he has plied his trade for Torino FC in the Italian 2nd division, Kansas City Wizards of the MLS and Argentine 2nd division side Aldosivi.

In recent years Lionel Messi has become the most obvious "new Maradona", this time the comparisons are a little less insanely optimistic, since Messi is widely acknowledged as the best player in the world and scored a remarkably similar goal to Maradona's famous "goal of the Century" against England in 1986.

More recently promising young players like Matías De Federico have been ludicrously described as the new Messi, even though Messi at 23 years old is only 2 years older than De Federico. Messi seems to have the bulk of his greatest footballing achievements still ahead of him so comparisons at this stage seem more than premature. If De Federico turns out to be the "new new Maradona", then we can only wait and wonder at who the "new new new Maradona" will be.

List of "new Maradonas"

Golazo: Marcos Pérez, GIMNASIA LP 1-0 Boca Juniors, Clausura 2010 - The double bicycle kick (Chilena doble)

18 April 2010, Colombian teenager Marco Pérez scores the winning goal for Argentine side Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata in a 1-0 win against Boca Juniors with a great overhead kick that became known as the "chilena doble".

Part of the Golazo series.

Partidazo: Argentinos Juniors 4-3 Independiente, Clausura 2010 - Comback of champions

9 May 2010. In the 18th and penumtimate fecha of the Clausura 2010 season Argentinos Juniors hosted Independiente in a championship showdown. Both teams needed the win in order to have any chance to overtake championship leaders and favourites Estudiantes de La Plata.

Estudiantes led the championship race by one point from Argentinos with Independiente 5 points behind.

Argentinos got off to a good start with a 26th minute goal from Nicolás Pavlovich but within 2 minutes former Argentinos Juniors player Leonel Núñez equalised with an olympic goal (straight from the corner kick) he refused to celebrate making apologetic gestures to the Argentinos fans.

With the score tied 1-1 at half time and both sides in desperate need of the win it seemed that 2nd half goals would be inevitable, and there turned out to be 5 of them.

Independiente started the 2nd half strongly going 1-2 ahead on 48 minutes and then Núñez scored his second and seemingly decisive goal for 1-3 on 67 minutes, again making apologetic gestures to the Argentinos faithful.

Pavlovich scored his second of the game on 73 minutes with a well taken header to give Argentinos some hope. With exactly one minute of normal time left Juan Sabia scored after a goalmouth scramble, then after 3 of the 4 additional minutes had been played José Luis Calderón set up Matías Caruzzo to score the winning goal.

Estudientes drew their home game 0-0 against relegation battlers Rosario Central, to give Argentinos a 1 point advantage going into the last game of the season. Argentinos travelled to Huracán where they were crowned champions for the first time in 25 years after a 1-2 win.

For more great games involving South American teams, check out the rest of the Partidazo series.

Partidazo: Godoy Cruz 4-1 Boca Juniors, Apertura 2008 - The rise of el Tomba.

On September 28 2008 newly promoted provincial minnows Godoy Cruz hosted Boca Juniors in the 8th round of the Apertura 2008 tournament. The home team were struggling to adapt to life in the Primera, they had lost 4 of their opening 7 games and looked in danger of reliving the relegation that came at the end of their only previous season in the Primera División in 2006-07.

Nearly everyone expected a routine win for Boca Juniors, who at that time were still the strongest and most consistent team in the league. When Leandro Gracián scored for the visitors shortly before half time nobody was surprised.

What happened next can be seen as a turning point for the Mendoza outfit, veteran Colombian Jairo Castillo got one back before half time and after the break Leonardo Sigali scored to give the home side the lead, then Castillo netted twice more for the most famous hat-trick of his career.

This 4-1 result against one of the giants of Argentine football seemed to give the team the confidence to beat the bigger teams. In the remainder of the Apertura El Tomba also recorded a dramatic last minute win against Estudiantes de La Plata and an impressive away win against River Plate.

By the end of the Clausura they had accumulated sufficient points to avoid relegation. The following season they consolidated their position and managed to finish 3rd in the Clausura. In the 2 years since this game Godoy Cruz have firmly established themselves as one of the strongest sides in the Argentine top flight.

For more great games involving South American teams, check out the rest of the Partidazo series.

Great goals: Diego Aguirre, América de Cali 0-1 PEÑAROL, Copa Libertadores final - Last minute heartbreaker

The Copa Libertadores final of 1987 was contested between América de Cali of Colombia, appearing in their 3rd consecutive final and Peñarol of Uruguay trying to obtain their 5th Libertadores title.

The teams each won their home legs of the final, resulting in a playoff in the neutral venue of Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile. América held a slight advantage going into the playoff, they had won their home leg 2-0, against Peñarol's 2-1 home victory, meaning that if the playoff finished level after extra time the trophy would be awarded to América on goal difference.

In the 120th minute the score was 0-0 and having been defeated in the 1985 and 1986 finals América thought they were finally going to get their hands on the trophy, however with only 15 seconds to go Diego Aguirre scored for Peñarol prompting the Colombian radio commentator in the video clip to lament:

No lo voy a cantar (I'm not going to shout "gooooool")
No lo voy a cantar (I'm not going to shout "gooooool")
Es Increible (It's unbelievable)
No lo voy a cantar (I'm not going to shout "gooooool")
Dios Mío, por que? (My God, why?)
por que siempre a nosotros, Señor? (God, why do you always do it to us?)

In the second audio clip you will hear the Uruguayan commentator scream in delight and then descend into unintelligible and tearful delirium.

Part of the Golazo series.

Partidazo: Boca Juniors 3-2 Velez Sarsfield, Apertura 2009 - Dos golazos.

On 2 October 2009 Boca Juniors faced Vélez Sársfield at the Bombonera. Boca struggled to get started, going a goal behind to a well taken header from Leandro Caruso. the crowd were getting restless but Sebástian Battaglia scored the equaliser to tie the game 1-1 at half time.

Boca started the second half as lethargically as they had started the first half, conceding another goal to Caruso. Boca were saved the embarrasment of going 1-3 down at home thanks to a dreadful miss from Rodrigo López.

Boca came back into the game with a sublime finish from Juan Román Riquelme and the game was won with a 45m header from Boca Juniors legendary topscorer; Martín Palermo.

For more great games involving South American teams, check out the rest of the Partidazo series.

Golazo: Martín Palermo, BOCA JUNIORS vs Velez Sarsfield, 2009 - 45m header

On 4 October 2009 Boca Juniors icon Martín Palermo scored one of his most famous goals. The game was tied at 2-2 midway through the second half when Vélez Sárfield goalkeeper attempted to clear the ball but shanked it towards Palermo, who headed powerfully goalwards from 45m.

As the ball curved into the net Palermo's celebration was something to behold and the goal turned out to be the decisive one of the match with Boca winning 3-2.

Part of the Golazo series.

Golazo: Eduardo Coudet vs Ferro Carril Oeste, Clausura 1996 - Rabona

On June 9 1996, Rosario Central were visitors at Ferro Carril Oeste. Ferro were in a dogfight to avoid relegation and Central were sitting comfortably in mid table with little to play for. Perhaps the lack of pressure helped them to relax and enjoy themselves.

Central were already 0-2 up when the ball broke to Eduardo "Chacho" Coudet in the Ferro penalty area, with defenders closing in he shot with his right foot behind his left to score one of the all time great rabona goals.

The final result was Ferro 0-5 Central, a huge blow to Ferro's survival hopes, but their fortunes turned with an impressive 2-3 win away at River Plate in their very next game and they finished the season strongly to narrowly avoid relegation.

Coudet continued to play for Central until 1998, he won two league championships with River Plate and returned to play for Central in 2004 and 2006. He currently plays for US outfit Philidelphia Union.

See also

Top 10 rabona goals

Part of the Golazo series.

Copa Libertadores

The prestigious Copa Libertadores trophy.

The Copa Libertadores is the premier international tournament for South American clubs. The competition admits teams from all ten associations in CONMEBOL, in recent years it also admitted teams from Mexico.

The Copa Libertadores de América South American version of the European Champions League, unlike the European Champions League the Copa Libertadores final is contested over two legs (home and away).It is also completed much more quickly than the Champions League, over half a season, the 2nd tournament Copa Sudamericana takes part in the other half of the season.

Copa Libertadores was established in 1960 and since it's inception it has been won by 22 different clubs from 7 different countries. To date the tournament has been dominated by Argentine, Brazilian and Uruguayan teams, with only 6 of the 51 titles having gone to clubs from other nations and three of them to Paraguayan side Olimpia.

The most successful team in the history of the tournament are Argentine club Independiente who won it seven times between 1964 and 1984. Fellow Argentine team Boca Juniors have been catching them up, they won three Copa Libertadores in four years between 2000 and 2003, they now have six Libertadores championships and are keen to steal Independiente's nickname "El Rey de Copas" (The king of cups).

Argentine defender "Pancho" Sá
is the only playerto have played
in six Libertadores winning teams

The highest scoring player in the history of the competition is Ecuadorian striker Alberto Spencer who hit 54 goals in 87 games for Uruguayan side Peñarol and Barcelona Sporting Club back in Ecuador. The player with the most Copa Libertadores medals is Argentine defender Francisco "pancho" Sá who won four titles with Independiente and another two with Boca Juniors.

Argentine manager Carlos Bianchi is the most successful manager having won tournament for the fourth time in 2003 (1 with Vélez Sársfield & 3 with Boca Juniors) to surpass the record three championships won by Estudiantes de La Plata manager Osvaldo Zubeldía.

Only two clubs have ever won the tournament in their first appearance in the competition, Flamengo in 1981 and Argentinos Juniors in 1985.

The unluckiest team in the history of the tournament are América de Cali who lost all four of the finals they appeared in (1984, 1985, 1986, 1996). The only other side to have lost four finals are Peñarol of Uruguay, but they have also won the tournament five times. Argentine giants River Plate share the record for the most semi-final appearances with Peñarol, however River Plate managed to lose 9 of their 13 semis while Peñarol won 9 of their 13.

The record for the most comprehensive win in the Copa Libertadores final was Boca Juniors 5-0 thrashing of Brazilian side Grêmio in 2007.The highest scoring final was the 2008 final between Liga de Quito of Ecuador and Fluminense of Brazil which finished 5-5 on aggregate and was won by the Ecuadorian side on penalties.

The biggest win and the highest scoring game in the entire history of the tournament was Uruguayan side Peñarol's 12-2 win against Bolivian side The Strongest in 1971.

Only three men have ever won the Copa Libertadores as player and coach, they are Luis Cubilla, José Pastoriza and Nery Pumpido.

List of champions

1960 - Peñarol (Uruguay)
1961 - Peñarol (Uruguay)
1962 - Santos (Brazil)
1963 - Santos (Brazil)
1964 - Independiente (Argentina)
1965 - Independiente (Argentina)
1966 - Peñarol (Uruguay)
1967 - Racing Club (Argentina)
1968 - Estudiantes (Argentina)
1969 - Estudiantes (Argentina)
1970 - Estudiantes (Argentina)
1971 - Nacional (Uruguay)
1972 - Independiente (Argentina)
1973 - Independiente (Argentina)
1974 - Independiente (Argentina)
1975 - Independiente (Argentina)
1976 - Cruzeiro (Brazil)
1977 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
1978 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
1979 - Olimpia (Paraguay)
1980 - Nacional (Uruguay)
1981 - Flamengo (Brazil)
1982 - Peñarol (Uruguay)
1983 - Grêmio (Brazil)
1984 - Independiente (Argentina)
1985 - Argentinos Juniors (Argentina)
1986 - River Plate (Argentina)
1987 - Peñarol (Uruguay)
1988 - Nacional (Uruguay)
1989 - Atlético Nacional (Colombia)
1990 - Olimpia (Paraguay)
1991 - Colo Colo (Chile)
1992 - São Paulo (Brazil)
1993 - São Paulo (Brazil)
1994 - Vélez Sarsfield (Argentina)
1995 - Grêmio (Brazil)
1996 - River Plate (Argentina)
1997 - Cruzeiro (Brazil)
1998 - Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
1999 - Palmeiras (Brazil)
2000 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2001 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2002 - Olimpia (Paraguay)
2003 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2004 - Once Caldas (Colombia)
2005 - São Paulo (Brazil)
2006 - Internacional (Brazil)
2007 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2008 - LDU Quito (Ecuador)
2009 - Estudiantes (Argentina)
2010 - Internacional (Brazil)

Number of championship teams by nation

Argentina	22
Brazil	15
Uruguay	8
Paraguay	3
Colombia	2
Chile	1
Ecuador	1

Most succesful teams

Team	Titles
Independiente (Argentina)	7
Boca Juniors (Argentina)	6
Peñarol (Uruguay)	5
Estudiantes (Argentina)	4
Nacional (Uruguay)	3
Olimpia (Paraguay)	3
São Paulo (Brazil)	3

Top Scorers

Player	Nationality	Goals
Alberto Spencer	Ecuador	54
Fernando Morena	Uruguay	37
Pedro Rocha	Uruguay	36
Daniel Onega	Argentina	31
Julio Morales	Uruguay	30

Further reading

Copa Libertadores at Wikipedia
Copa Libertadores stats at RSSSF
Records and statistics at Wikipedia
Top scorers at Wikipedia