Carlo Ancelotti and Ricardo Gareca’s famous ‘think’ that he imitated against Manchester City

On September 5, 2017, the whole of Peru celebrated the victory of our team 2-1 against Ecuador in Quito. A meeting that brought us one step closer to ending that 36-year drought outside the World Cups.

The goals from ‘Orejas’ Flores and Paolo Hurtado made us shout with joy and emotion, but in the midst of all this hubbub a gesture would be present. A historical one that would remain engraved in the memory of all Peruvians: Ricardo Gareca’s famous ‘think’.

It happened after Hurtado’s 2-0 almost 15 minutes from the end of the match, amid the jubilation of the players and the technical command. The Argentine was the only one who had a cool head to point to his head with his index fingers and ask a battalion of outraged men to calm down.

Five years after that historic moment, Gareca’s ‘think’ is still present. Photos, videos and memes have been made that imitate the gesture of the coach of the Peruvian team.

Yesterday we saw one of the best games in the UEFA Champions League: the semi-final first leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium. A game full of tensions and goals.

After a great effort from the white team, they managed to get closer to the scoreboard by 3-4 and leave the tie open to define it next week on their field, at the mythical Santiago Bernabéu. Football, like politics and history, is built by gestures. And that of Gareca has long since transcended the borders of our continent. And why not sports? We all need a little serenity to move forward.