Peru returns to the 2018 World Cup

Peru returned to the 2018 World Cup and the joy for the comeback of the Blanquirroja after almost 36 years could not be greater. However, even in the midst of this happiness, sad stories can also be told. And in this case, they have a name and surname (and even memes): Gianluca Lapadula.

Gianluca Lapadula's Decision

This 27-year-old football player, born in Turin, Italy, but of Peruvian descent, left his mark in our country after receiving the proposal from Ricardo Gareca to play for the Peruvian national team in February 2016, precisely with a view to the qualifying campaign for the World Cup.

It was a humble offer that Lapadula rejected in the face of a bigger opportunity: the call-up from the Italian national team. When it finally came, the forward, currently on loan at Genoa from Milan, could not have been happier.

The Tragic Twist

"Everyone would have said yes (to the Peruvian offer), but I chose to believe in what could seem impossible and I came out as the winner," he said in an interview with an Italian website in late March. "I bet on myself and this was the best investment I could make," he said, making what would happen next even more tragic.

Because what neither Gianluca Lapadula nor we knew was that Italy would miss the World Cup after 60 years, while Peru would return to the biggest football tournament after almost 36 years. Everything turns around and this year, fate set the wheels in motion.

Gareca's Gesture

While our passionate bicolor fans never fully forgave him and even took this opportunity to mock the young Italo-Peruvian, it was 'Tigre' Gareca who, recently interviewed by a local media outlet, made a great gesture that reaffirms his quality.

"These are personal decisions," said Gareca. "We went after him because he had a Peruvian mother, so we wanted him to be part of our team." Since the player responded that "he knew nothing about Peru and needed to think about it," Gareca considered his final response "predictable" and "reasonable."

A Curious and Tragic Story

However, this has not prevented his curious and sad story from going viral on international websites. Life is full of ironies.