Erick Delgado: “I would like to retire in Cristal and with my son accompanying me” | INTERVIEW

Just back from a family trip Erick delgado he answers the phone and the first thing he does is rule out a retirement from professional soccer. At 39, Delgado continues to train on his own while waiting for a call from one of League 1. What most excites him is to return to the fields, after twelve months of absence, so that his son can accompany him and see him. Your ideal is to stick around your house, Sporting CrystalHowever, for now he prefers not to rule out options. Why has it taken so long to relocate to the professional circuit? The former goalkeeper of the national team exposes the reasons with brutal honesty and self-criticism.

“Do you still consider yourself an active player?”

I feel good, but it all depends on the circumstances. The football situation has changed a lot in these times of pandemic. There are clubs that take advantage of the situation to pay less and less. There is more competition, there are many foreign players who adapt to that situation. I understand that this is part of football and part of this stage. I want to play, and I was waiting for what situation might occur. But I’m not going to force things. I would like to play because I have strength, desire and I would like my son to see me play. But I’m not going to stand on my head about that either. There are others who do and it doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. I don’t see myself that way, even more so at this stage of my life, where I have matured many things.

—Then we can say that you are a professional footballer without a team for now …

I want to play, I want that to be clear. And I don’t think it’s all just for money, but I do want the conditions to be in place to work and train quietly. We are going back a bit to what it was twenty years ago, a Peruvian league with a lot of foreign goalkeepers, some with little background. I had to be one of the first Peruvian starters in big clubs in Peru, then a wave of giving locals a choice began. And now we are regressing.

“How did this long pause start?”

I was in Cantolao, and we were doing well in terms of sports and finances. But on December 25, 2020, the sports manager approached me and told me that Kiko Madriotti (former president of the club) no longer loved me. It seemed to me a total lack of respect, because at the beginning they told me that they were going to renew me. The 2020 tournament ended at the end of November and a month later they told me that I was no longer going to continue, that they were looking for another goalkeeper. If they had told me in advance, I was looking for another team, so they left me in the air. By now almost all the clubs were armed.

– In 2021, did not any club call you?

Yes, I had a couple of conversations with First Class teams, but nothing close to materializing. Then I got the offer from two League 2 clubs, but at the time I didn’t feel like experiencing that. I said no, especially because wherever I go I have to give 100 percent, and if I’m not convinced that maybe it wasn’t going to happen. Also, in the end I thought that the best thing was not to force, the year had been very difficult for me, especially because my mother passed away and other personal problems I had. I felt sad and disappointed, I think I behaved well and that I had a good year with Cantolao.

—Then you don’t think your exclusion from Cantolao was due to something sporting …

No, I think I had a good season. Soccer for me was an outlet for all the problems I had. The team did not do bad either, because it was a team armed above all to maintain the category. In the end the best thing was to stop a bit.

– Do you have expectations to play in 2022?

As far as I know most of the clubs are already armed. The situation for me is not comfortable, especially because of the way Peruvian football is being handled. I am not much to ask, nor to ring anyone. It’s a bit difficult for me to do that, it may not be right and I may have to behave differently. In the end, we are all looking for work. The priority now is to keep myself physically well and if a proposal arrives, it will only be necessary to evaluate it. I like to play and I would like to retire from soccer on a pitch. It has been 20 uninterrupted years playing professionally. For me that would be the right thing to do and it is what I would like. Hopefully I can give it and enter the court with my son. Have to wait.

“What would the ideal scenario be?”

I’ve always said it, even if it’s not like others who stop giving away. If I were to say how some clubs are run internally, I would remove the networks. That is clear to me. I would like to retire in Cristal and with my son accompanying me. I will always be grateful to the club and to this day the fans continue to show me affection. I will never say that the fans have not recognized what I did for the club, even if the club itself does not do it.

“Do you still think that you went wrong with Cristal?”

I didn’t leave in the best way, I even think I shouldn’t have left in that time. I was always identified with the club and defended it in the best way that I could. And note that I never spoke ill of the institution. Others spoke badly and were eventually able to return. That seems weird to me.

“Is communication with the club totally cut off?”

They called me recently for the anniversary and the fair they did in Florida. But I was traveling. In addition, as I said once, it does not feel good to enter the club and see that they have deleted almost all the photos where I appeared. That seems to have been done by hand, but that was done by the previous leadership, not the current one. I don’t hold any kind of grudge against the club, we gave each other everything.

“Would you prefer that Cristal pay you a tribute at this time or do you prefer that they wait for your retirement?”

I don’t expect a tribute, I just hope that one day the club recognizes what I did for the team. I don’t feel like they recognize it. At some point I hope things turn out to be on track. I have always felt the affection of the fans and that is what comforts me.

“Of this last batch of archers, who do you see more conditions for?”

Of the young people, the ones I have seen so far, it seems to me that Renato Solís and Alejandro Duarte are good archers. I even think Alejandro deserves more opportunities in the national team, especially to get along with the generational change.

“Would you agree to be the third archer after these two?”

Of course, and wait calmly if an option appears.

—How do you evaluate the moment of Pedro Gallese?

I have said it openly, Gallese is the number one goalkeeper in Peru. Some time ago some statements of mine were misrepresented. Pedro is having a great time and has taken advantage of this happy moment of the national team.