The captaincy and the number ‘9’: how it was resolved internally who used them against Japan

In different circumstances, in the last twelve months I was able to have contact with Lapadula and Paolo, the two 9s of the national team, the links of a chain that seemed to break with the thirty-something of the Predator. With Guerrero via email, in February 2022, when the possibility of playing for Alianza was the rumor in the newsrooms and he wanted to clarify it. Peru also still dreamed of qualifying for Qatar. “It is my desire and that of all my teammates. I try to be positive and I am convinced that the group is focused on qualifying. The old ones and I know the new ones too: they all think the same”.

One of those new ones was, of course, Lapadula.

With Gianluca El Comercio had a long Lima-Madrid-Turin conversation, days before Peru signed for Cagliari on the 9th. Those were the days before the presentation of his authorized biography of him (Penguin, 2022), and he made a lightning visit to Peru, exactly to Plaza Norte, where he signed autographs and started screaming as if he were Christian Meier. The talk was by zoom. There, courteous and careful as always, Gianluca Lapadula spoke of Paolo with that delicacy one has when opening an incunabulum in a library. “Paolo is the starting number 9 for Peru. That’s his shirt. That’s clear to me. It’s historic.”

In the last hours, already in Japan, Juan Reynoso confirmed how this journalistic curiosity has been resolved, this prop indecision: who will use the number 9 against Japan? The question was asked by Jampool Cuadros, a special envoy from América Deportes to Osaka. “The shield is above any name, any ego. As technical director I am excited and then proud and super grateful, because it could happen in a national team that is a cause of conflict and here they have resolved it in a natural way trying to be empathetic and putting the national team above all else”.

Sources to which DT had access agree that the great person responsible for this closeness between Lapadula and Guerrero is Christian Cueva. Who else.

Regarding the captaincy, Pedro Gallese, the captain of the last two years (33 games with the ribbon), responded at the height of his level in the team: he spoke to Paolo and told him to take the ribbon. For the technical command they are the two captains of the team and for the dressing room as well.

Although it may not appear, or may be seen as minor details from the outside, this speaks of the strength of a group that knows, respects and, above all, knows that any goal can be achieved together. The post Australia wound does not close and this is good news. There is selection.