Lapadula effect: why has it been a trend since Pedro Castillo’s failed coup until today?

In strict order of things, after the Peru that lives on Twitter wondered where the former president Pedro Castillo was after his message/threat, the urgency was to know what time he had arrived in Lima Gianluca Lapadula. It was a mixture of irony, political science and statistics: in 2020, the forward of the national team stepped foot in Videna for the first time and in eight days as a Peruvian, he had three presidents. On November 8 it was Vizcarra, on the 10th it was Merino and six nights later, Sagasti. It was the first sensation of a paranormal event, which later coincided with changes in the Premier, various ministers and other complaints. That phenomenon was called, forcefully, The Lapadula Effect.

Where is the Bambino?’, was the question/trend between Wednesday and Thursday in Peru, which he always finds in football -now in Qatar 2022-, a way to forget his sadness.

Well, no flight had brought Lapadula. On the contrary, the Italian-Peruvian number 9 was in Cagliari -that famous team where Julio César Uribe shone in the early 80s- training for what he usually does so well: score goals. And this Sunday he made them. Gianluca scored Cagliari’s 2-0 win against Perugia, then sealed his team’s 3-2 victory with a sensational double. The first, almost kissing the bow, in a subtle shot in front of the goalkeeper. The second, a phantom appearance to close the game at 81 minutes, for matchday 17 of Serie B in Italy where Cagliari fights for promotion. It may sound little, but it is.

For the experts in numbers, Lapadula’s seventh official goal for the club this season. For soccer connoisseurs, who can’t stand a day without a World Cup and without goals, further proof of the great decision we made when we acquired DirecTV. And for the fans of the selection, increasingly anxious, the peace of mind of knowing that the 9th of the selection plays and scores goals. Three months from the probable start of the next Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the 9th makes news. Or as they say here, in the Peru of Twitter, the famous Lapadula Effect.

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