Astăzi a murit Francisco “Pancho” Varallo, ultimul supraviețuitor al primei finale de Cupa Mondială, cea din 1930. I se spunea Cañoncito, micul tun, pentru forța cu care lovea balonul. Deși s-a retras devreme, la doar 29 de ani din cauza unei accidentări la genunchi, recordul său de goluri pentru Boca Juniors, 181 de goluri in 210 partide, a fost bătut abia anul trecut de Martin Palermo.
Iată ce spunea într-un interviu pentru fifa.com, la începutul anului, când a împlinit 100 de ani:
I find it incredible that young people know who I am. When I was in France, people from Germany, Poland, England, Switzerland … they all wanted to meet me, with a lot of passion and respect. They still send me letters to my house. And some even send presents. They are unforgettable gestures that make me very happy. And it’s all thanks to football! Here in La Plata, everybody knows me: old folks, young people, children…they all say hello to me. I was named an ‘illustrious citizen’. Now that I’m old, more tributes are being paid to me than before. It seems I’m still important!
Dumnezeu să-l odihnească!