‘I feel most responsible in this tournament’: Federico Lértora, Radio Gol | OneFootball

In a relaxed conversation but one loaded with firm ideas, Federico Lértora spoke on Radio Gol 96.7 to analyze his current situation with the «Sabalero». The holding midfielder, already a symbol of the club, spoke about the challenge of returning Colón to the top flight, the family decision to come back to Santa Fe, and how he experiences his role as a leader in a squad that blends experience and youth.

A return driven by affection

Lértora admitted that his return to Colón was not a merely rational decision, but a deeply emotional one. After his time in Mexico and a six-month break by personal choice, the «León» chose Santa Fe over other offers: “The decision I made was the right one. The affection with which the people welcomed me is incredible and confirms what I felt. I’m very happy, and so is my family,” the midfielder said.

Although the club was going through an institutional crisis when he returned, with four electoral lists and months of debts, Lértora prioritized the emotional side: “If I had weighed everything from a rational point of view, it would have been impossible to make a decision. It was emotion and feeling that brought me back”.

The weight of the captaincy in the promotion race

Despite having won everything with Colón in the top division, Lértora does not underestimate the category and takes on his role with complete seriousness. “I don’t know if it’s the toughest tournament of my career, but it is the one in which I feel the greatest responsibility,” he stated.

Regarding the nature of the Primera Nacional tournament, the captain highlighted:

Life within the group: backing Nacho Lago and Bonansea’s ambition

One of the standout moments of the conversation was when Lértora referred to the harmony in the dressing room and how they handle individual personalities. Speaking about Ignacio Lago, who had been in the media spotlight, the captain was blunt: “I hope the world stops creating controversy and lets people be happy. Nacho is a 10 as a person and a different kind of player for this category; as a group, we’re here to support him.”

Likewise, the «Chino» recalled a match situation involving the taking of a penalty, where Alan Bonansea showed his goalscoring ambition: “It’s understandable, the ‘Tank’ wants to score goals, and he’s also playing at a very high level. A number 9 needs to live off goals and he wants to put it in, but it had already been decided that Nacho would take it. There was no problem at all, I just went over to see what the situation was,” Lértora clarified, putting to rest any controversy over the striker’s hunger for goals.

On the road to 500 matches

With 485 professional matches to his name, Lértora is just a step away from a historic milestone that he will probably reach wearing the Colón shirt. Faced with that, the midfielder keeps the humility that defines him:

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