Cáceres: “I was offered 500,000 pesetas to get Ronaldinho out of the match”
Cáceres left his mark on teams such as River Plate, Boca Juniors and Real Zaragoza, and Celta, and has also been internationally involved with Argentina.
‘If you can catch me’
Argentina’s one of genuinely great central defenders, Fernando Cáceres, admitted that during his performance at Celta Vigo he was suggested 500,000 pesetas to get Ronaldinho out of the match against Barcelona. Cáceres left his mark on teams such as River Plate, Boca Juniors and Real Zaragoza, and Celta, and has also been internationally involved with Argentina. “We played Celta against Barcelona in Vigo and the first touch Ronaldinho tried to do, I hit him from the back,” Cáceres explained in an interview. “I helped him up and told him that I was offered 500,000 pesetas to take him out. He just looked at me and said: “If you can catch me.”
Ronaldinho was strong and impressive player.
“I didn’t go to aim him anymore. I was afraid, he was angry, and when he became so, he was an outstanding, strong and impressive player. Having been Diego Maradona’s teammate with Argentina, Cáceres finds it difficult to compare the legend of Napoli and Leo Messi. “It’s tough to choose between one another, the times are different and football too,” he added. “Fortunately, I never came across Messi, but it would be difficult for me to deal with what he can do with the ball. When Leo runs at you, what are you doing? You don’t know, so you have to kick him – it’s the only solution you have.”
Caceres was a member of the Argentina national team. They traveled to the USA for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, remembering the positive drug test given by Diego Maradona, the discovery that ended his international career. “Diego talked to all of us and told us that he didn’t do what they said, then in the press, they talked only about Diego’s positive doping test,” He confirmed. “It caused us a serious distraction. We then had to play in Romania, while distracted, which brought us out of the World Cup.”