Pekerman and his approach to Boca Juniors
Legendary manager José Pekerman (76) made headlines again in Argentine football after an extensive interview on the program Buen Día ESPN, where he confirmed he had real chances to coach Boca Juniors, one of the country's most iconic clubs.
The contact with Riquelme
The former head coach of Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela revealed that current Boca president Juan Román Riquelme contacted him after a World Cup to offer the position. Pekerman, who coached Riquelme between 2005 and the 2006 World Cup, explained the dynamics of the talks: “I haven't spoken to Román in a long time. For something like this, choosing a coach, he never takes things directly. He might send a message through someone on the team, but he won't commit without knowing.”
“At some point he asked. We didn't get to advance anything, I listened, but we didn't move forward. At that moment I didn't arrive, I'm very down-to-earth. Until something is... I like to surprise. You don't have to announce anything.”
His name was strongly considered at two key moments during Riquelme's tenure: before the president took office, when Diego Martínez was eventually hired, and later when Fernando Gago took over the team. He was even evaluated as a possible sporting director. Had it materialized, Pekerman would have made his debut in Argentine professional football, as his entire career had been in youth divisions and national teams.
The difficulty of projects in Argentina
The coach from Entre Ríos also reflected on why he hesitated to take the step in his home country: “The word 'project' is always in every conversation... Planning them, being consistent, and having patience. We all know fans are passionate, clubs need good results to succeed, the economy is a tough issue for Argentina... All of that conspires against being able to round out this type of project.”
Memories of Germany 2006: the decision with Messi
During the chat, Pekerman was asked about the current Argentina national team coaching staff, made up of former players who were under his command in 2006, which led him to recall the famous quarterfinal match against Germany. Regarding the decision not to bring in Lionel Messi, he admitted: “It hit us very hard, especially me, that on the day of the famous match against Germany he didn't come in.” However, he defended his gamble of taking the Rosario native to the World Cup: “He was already the player to watch for the future, but why was he there? Because someone took a risk, knowing we had a very competitive squad where I had players to spare.”
His weakness for Juanfer Quintero
Another topic he addressed was the figure of Juan Fernando Quintero, whom he coached in the Colombia national team: “I can talk a lot about Juanfer. The key is to ask: Can I find another like him? It's very difficult.” Pekerman recalled the 2014 World Cup, where the midfielder shone: “In 2014 was his emergence, just like Messi for Argentina. I didn't hesitate to take him. I told him: 'With you, what happened with Diego in '78 won't happen'”, referring to Diego Maradona's absence from the 1978 World Cup.