Facundo Bertoglio: from Colón and Argentina to Santa Fe’s local league | OneFootball

Facundo Bertoglio shone at Colón, the team that qualified for the 2010 Copa Libertadores, and scored two goals against Haiti in a friendly match. He was transferred to Ukraine and traveled through several exotic European countries. He currently defends the colors of Centenario de San José de la Esquina.

The first half of 2010 was a dream come true for Facundo Bertoglio. A key player in Colón under Antonio Mohamed, the 19-year-old scored two goals in a friendly with Diego Armando Maradona's Argentina National Team and was sold to Dynamo Kyiv before the start of the Apertura. Although he traveled through several exotic countries in the Old Continent, he never made the leap to the European elite and today, in the twilight of his career, defends the colors of Centenario de San José de la Esquina, a club from a regional league in Santa Fe.

The forward debuted for the Sabalero in the 2009 Clausura and quickly stood out. That year was so fruitful for the Santa Fe squad that they finished fourth in that championship, six points behind champions Vélez, and third in the Apertura, seven behind Julio César Falcioni’s Banfield. The performance was enough for them to finish second in the annual table and secure their ticket to the following year’s Copa Libertadores. However, they still had to play the first phase in January.

It was there that Bertoglio shone by scoring one of the three goals with which Colón defeated Universidad Católica of Chile 3-2 in the first leg, although the aggregate was leveled in the return leg and the match went to penalties. The young attacker, who started the match, was substituted for Jossimar Mosquera and did not get to take a penalty. A blatant move forward by goalkeeper Paulo Garcés during Iván Moreno y Fabianesi’s shot—the shootout ended 5-4—shattered Sabalero’s hopes of continuing to fight for a spot in the group stage.

Although Colón’s sporting performance declined in the 2010 Clausura—they dropped to 14th place—the forward continued at a good level. He scored a brace against Boca in a 3-0 thrashing on April 8, the day Colombian Bréyner Bonilla delivered a brutal kick that could have seriously injured him.

A month later, Bertoglio experienced a defining moment. Diego Armando Maradona, aiming to build an Argentina squad with players from the local league, called him up to play a friendly against Haiti in Neuquén. The Albiceleste beat their opponent 4-0, with two goals from the Sabalero youngster, while the other goals were scored by Martín Palermo and Sebastián Blanco. The match was also special as it marked Ariel Ortega’s farewell from the national team.

Logically, since the full squad included stars like Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sergio Agüero, and Ángel Di María, the youngster could not secure a spot for South Africa 2010, though two of his teammates did make the list: Diego Pozo and Ariel Garcé.

Everything seemed to indicate a promising future awaited him. Sabalero sold him in mid-2010 for 4 million dollars to Dynamo Kyiv, with fewer than 50 appearances in the First Division. He shared a team with Andriy Shevchenko, but was not considered. He was loaned to Grêmio in Brazil and Evian in France, until he returned to Argentine football to play for Tigre. Even so, his stay was brief: he scored three goals in 25 matches and returned to Europe, this time to Asteras Tripolis in Greece.

In the southern European country, he found a comfortable place, as he also wore the colors of PAS Lamia, Aris Thessaloniki, Volos, and Iraklis. He also had brief stints with Ordabasy in Kazakhstan and Aldosivi in Mar del Plata. His sporting career in the Old Continent ended at Iraklis in January of this year. But there was still time for something more.

Surprisingly, the forward decided to return to his hometown, San José de la Esquina, to play once again for Centenario, the club where he took his first steps as a child, in the Santa Fe league. And he returned in form: as captain and team leader, he led the squad to the final of the Copa de Santa Fe. They will face Unión in the first leg on Saturday, September 24, with the return leg in early October. At 34, Bertoglio is touching glory at the close of his career.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.