Sporting Cristal used their social media to say goodbye to Marcos Riquelme and wish him the best. The club ended a short relationship with the Argentine forward who came to the celestial team from Bolívar de La Paz. The attacker's task was to replace Emanuel Herrera, unfortunately, he did not succeed.
Hours later, journalist Gustavo Peralta reported through his Twitter account the intention of the Rimense team to resolve the contract with Uruguayan defender Alejandro González. If the Uruguayan center-back leaves, something that went unnoticed and could only be seen after losing in the final against Alianza Lima would be confirmed: Cristal did not make good signings in 2021.
Marcos Riquelme scored eight goals with Sporting Cristal this season. Photos: Instagram capture Marcos Riquelme/Liga 1
For this ending year, the celestial leadership changed their strategy. In recent years, the beer squad was characterized by signing young players who came to Peru to gain minutes and show their talent in the early years of their career. But at the same time, they also opted for players whose performance in Peruvian football was proven.
Washington Corozo arrived at Cristal as a future project that would generate profits, with a subsequent sale. Emanuel Herrera, Cristian Ortiz, and Christofer Gonzales were players who had already shown what they could do in Liga 1. However, for this 2021, the executives decided to take a risk and sign players with a good track record in foreign leagues.
You can see: Peru lost 3-2 to Brazil and takes the silver medal in the 2021 Junior Pan American Games.
This is how Marcos Riquelme arrived. The Argentine had a respectable career in Chilean football, defending the shirts of Palestino, Audax Italiano, and Universidad de Chile. However, he stood out the most in Bolívar, where he scored 70 goals. By numbers, the celestial leadership's bet did not seem crazy, however, the game ended up showing that the Buenos Aires native was not the player the Rimenses were looking for.
Emanuel Herrera played three seasons in Liga 1 with Sporting Cristal. Photo: La República
It is difficult to understand that the celestial executives did not realize this difference in characteristics between their last two goalscorers. Riquelme could only score eight goals in 24 matches played. He also could not score in the Copa Libertadores. The case of Alejandro González was completely different. The Uruguayan defender had a stint at the beer team in 2009 and, at 21 years old, made a good impression.
Afterwards, he had an outstanding career that included a five-season stay in Serie A. However, the Uruguayan returned to Cristal in the twilight of his career and showed that, unfortunately, time takes its toll. His performance left much to be desired. The Uruguayan defender arrived with the task of leading a defense, which was the weakest area of the team, but he could barely compete with Gianfranco Chávez for the position.
You can see: Liga 1 2022 LIVE: signings, departures, and transfer rumors in Peruvian football
González only played 15 matches as a starter and, to make matters worse, he suffered an injury that prevented him from playing in the Liga 1 finals. But the most difficult case to understand is the signing of Percy Prado. It is difficult to understand because the Peruvian full-back came directly from Nantes in France, a club where he had accumulated a good amount of minutes.
Prado's arrival surprised almost everyone, but his poor performance in 2021 was even more surprising. He could never establish himself as a starter, he was not even competition for Johan Madrid, and he couldn't do anything against the emergence of Jhilmar Lora. Physical issues were the main obstacle for the full-back to earn a place in the celestial team, and he only played in five matches.
Percy Prado came from Nantes in France, the club where he made his professional debut. Photo: SC
Roberto 'Chorri' Palacios, celestial idol, spoke out after the end of the season. In statements to the radio program Campeonísimo, the former midfielder pointed out that the club lacks a leader. He also emphasized, "They must bring in players who make a difference, you can't pay so much money to a player to sit on the bench. We can't wait another year to see what a player can produce."
Under the same premise, both the club's leadership -who propose possible signings- and the coaching staff -who ultimately approve them- should take responsibility to avoid making the same mistakes. The one who takes the most risks is not always the winner. That should have become clear in the Rímac after 2021.