Marcelo Recanate, the franjeado leader who ended the historic 11-year title drought in Paraguayan football, celebrates his 55th birthday today. In an interview with Fútbol a lo Grande, he recalled pleasant moments and expressed his opinion on national football.

"Those were beautiful years, it was an honor to be President of Olimpia. They were the best years. I remember the day we won the title after many years, it was a great joy and memory," expressed Recanate to 1080 AM.

At one point, he was asked about an aspect or situation that caught his attention in Paraguayan football during the years he was in charge. Without hesitation, he referred to the youth development system.

"There was a fact that caught my attention and helped me understand why Paraguayan football doesn't compete internationally. It's the poverty of the youth divisions. There's a lot of poverty, no investment, and as long as that doesn't happen, I don't think great players will emerge," he argued.

Recanate recalled that some teams in the youth divisions don't even have balls to train with, and that's precisely the weakness of our football.

PRAISE. Marcelo also had words to talk about Marco Trovato's current management, which he described as "brilliant" for the institution's recovery and the five titles achieved at a sporting level.