Eduardo Espinel, manager of Uruguay’s soccer champions and fan of Simeone’s passion

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A fan of Diego Simeone’s passion and happy to belong to a club he particularly cherishes, soccer manager Eduardo Espinel was among those responsible for turning Plaza Colonia into the “Uruguayan Leicester.”

It was in 2016 when he led the ‘patablanca’ to win the Clausura Tournament title, their first ever First Division title, something that happened while the English team added one victory after another 11,000 kilometers away to become Premier League champions under Claudio Ranieri.

Now, 5 years later, the manager and the Uruguayan club met again and the result was exactly the same: a title.

Winner of the Torneo Apertura 2021, Espinel said in an interview that he does not know what the secret is, but he made one thing clear: his fate and that of Plaza Colonia “are aligned.”

FROM LEICESTER CITY TO PLAZA COLONIA

Nine victories in 15 matches played were enough for the Uruguayan club to win the Clausura 2016. They lifted the cup on May 29, one day before the end of the competition.

At that time, Leicester City had already been crowned champions of England and the comparison did not take long to be made.

“I remember that journalists came from abroad because they were struck by the comparison being made. It was something that remained as an anecdote, some still call us the Uruguayan Leicester,” he said.

This time, the title came on August 15 after a 2-0 victory over Wanderers.

That day, the manager and his staff were due to celebrate in Montevideo, some 180 kilometers from the department (province) of Colonia, although they left just a few hours later.

“It’s good to show that in the interior, working hard, with dreams, you can achieve important things,” he said, highlighting the way the ‘patablanca’ are received at home.

“We have become part of the city’s family,” he explained after highlighting the support he gets everywhere he goes, something that greatly motivates his team.

THE PASSION FOR ‘CHOLO’ SIMEONE

Within his squad, Espinel has several players born in Colonia, one of them captain Álvaro Fernández, a World Cup winner with Uruguay in South Africa 2010, and ‘El Cebolla’ Cristian Rodríguez, who played with the nation’s “La Celeste” team in the Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 World Cups.

The latter also boasts the distinction of having been directed by a manager whom the ‘patablanca’ technician admires: Argentine Diego Simeone.

“I feel closely identified with ‘El Cholo’ Simeone, I always say that, because of his passion,” said Espinel, who highlighted the way the Argentine has helped Atletico Madrid grow since he took over the bench.

He said he has been lucky enough to talk to players who were coached by the Argentine, such as ‘El Cebolla’ Rodríguez and Diego Godín. “They tell me things that I can identify with,” he added.

Although he has been close, Espinel has never met Simeone and believes that this is one of his pending issues. “It’s something I always wanted, to sit down with him to chat, to watch training sessions, but, well, it’s one of the things I have pending, to take a trip, it would be a pleasure,” he emphasized.

A TEAM FOR GREAT THINGS

Meanwhile, Espinel is focused on the second part of the season and on continuing to grow with a team that he believes is “meant for great things.”

Therefore, he will strive to continue winning the Clausura and fill the faces of adults and children with smiles, who welcomed them as heroes when they returned from the capital with a trophy the players refused to let go of.

He knows that it is not normal for a developing team to win a championship twice, but the truth is that his Plaza Colonia has accomplished it and will now try to go for the biggest prize.

With a squad that has a great sense of belonging, that is united and walked six hours on the road to fulfill a promise, Espinel believes that “it is enough to get our hopes up.”

He has no doubt that what lies ahead will be “very hard.” But neither does he doubt that his team must continue “dreaming of important things.”