Leandro Depetris came through at Newell's at the same time
as the brilliant Barcelona forward, but their careers took very different
directions. He was always the smallest player on the pitch. Lacking in stature
and strength, he was not one for a physical battle. But with the ball at his
feet.
Leandro Depetris soon made it clear to anyone watching that
he was not only a good player, but one destined for greatness. Or so it seemed.
Blessed with a wonderful left foot, the youngster would often beat three or
four players at will. That was his game - and it all came so naturally on the
pitch at the age of 10, 11 and 12. Newell's was a hotbed for future talents at
that time and it was not only friends and family that would watch the
youngsters playing seven-a-side games on the Malvinas pitches in the late
1990s. Locals came along to see what all the fuss was about, along with coaches
and businessmen. The ground was often full to the brink.
In that generation, in the team of '87, there was a certain
Lionel Messi. In the team of '88, Depetris. The two had similar
characteristics: both were left-footed, very small, and skilful and with a
playing style honed on the dusty dirt pitches of Rosario. Back then, many
thought the boy from '88 would be better than the kid from '87. But almost 20
years on, one is the best player in the world and has been for some time. The
other, meanwhile, is fighting just to stay in the game. However he can.
Wherever he can. This week, Claudio Echeverri, an 11-year-old River Plate
youngster, scored four goals against Juventus in a youth tournament and
surprised the world with his abilities. "At that age, I did the things he
is doing or even better," Depetris told Goal. "But loads of things
happened and I don't know... I don't know what to say."
At the age of 29, Depetris is preparing for his debut for
Trebolense next Friday. From AC Milan, 20 years ago, to an amateur club in the
Liga Departamental de Fútbol de San Martín, in the province of Santa Fe, it is
fair to say he has not lived up to those early expectations. "There was no
margin for error, but I ended up erring," he said. Having struggled
throughout his career and watched Messi go on to win everything - including
five Ballons d'Or - over the same time span, he clearly wonders where it all
went wrong. "The first time I played at San Siro, it was a qualifying game
for Milan against Juventus. There were 70,000 people there," said
Depetris, who is the only Trebolense player who lives exclusively from his club
salary. "I was great. At the age of 11, I thought a lot quicker with the
ball than other players. They simply couldn't do it."
From 11 to 14, Depetris travelled to Milan several times
each year, with the Italian club paying for his travel and that of his family,
as well as providing everything they needed during their 20-day stays in the
city. The Argentine took part in training sessions and played in friendly
matches. At the age of 14, he was set to sign permanently with the Serie A
side, but everything went wrong. His entourage asked Milan for something more
than food and a place to live - and the deal broke down. So he returned to his
homeland and ended up in the ninth team at River.
"We did everything wrong," he said. "The
decisions my father took were a mistake. Going to Italy at such a young age was
bad... I never had problems with alcohol, drugs or bad behaviour... but perhaps
I needed some psychological help, or more help from my parents. And we made
mistakes." At 14, he wanted to pick up the ball in midfield and evade his
rivals as he had at the age of 11. But he could no longer do it. At 15, he
believed he should be in Primera in Argentina. He was frustrated. His body
began to change. He was no longer fast and explosive. The gym helped him bulk
out, but his fast-twitch muscle fibres went to sleep. He lost agility. He was
no longer going to conquer the world. And in the seventh division he was no
longer playing as a number 10, moved out to the wing to accommodate a player
with a similar build: Diego Buonanotte.
By then, Depetris had lost everything that had made him
different. And without realising it, the pressure had got to him. His mother
was a teacher, his father had good jobs and his sisters were studying, but he
felt he needed to make it in order to help the family. And the need to show he
was the best made his talent flicker out in the end. "At 11, I was more
famous than Messi," he said. "I would go out on the pitch and there
were 2,000 people there to see me. At 12, people took pictures with me, they
didn't let me walk down the street in peace... here and there. I felt the
pressure to show [my talent] and I needed special care to get my head
right." Melancholic, but also serene, he remembers those early days with
the current Barcelona icon. "With Messi we played against each other in
training. We were very similar at that time," he said. "With
Newell's, we went on a tour to Peru, with the '87 and '88 teams. Messi couldn't
go, so I played in my team and in the older team. And often I played even
better with the older players..."
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