Nacho Malcorra and Rosario Central: the split no one dares to explain | OneFootball

Amid rumors, speculation, and vague explanations, the Canalla idol swapped Arroyito for Avellaneda. Both sides are exchanging compliments from a distance, but underneath lies a conflict that no one wants to openly discuss.

Yesterday seemed like the perfect day for at least one of the parties to break the silence and explain what happened between Central and Malcorra. Nacho appeared on TyC Sports from Independiente’s training camp, dressed in red, with the number 18 on his training gear, and so the stage was set to learn details of the split—something Central fans have wanted to know ever since the surprising departure of one of the most influential players of Gonzalo Belloso’s administration. But that didn’t happen. There seemed to be a non-aggression pact, and Nacho only managed a lukewarm “we couldn’t reach a financial agreement,” after showering the club and its directors with praise. “These are decisions,” as the increasingly missed Miguel Ángel Russo would say.

It’s already been written here that managing passions in football is a challenge few succeed at. It seemed Central would pull it off with three emblematic contract renewals, but they failed with the most impactful one. They lost Malcorra, one of the pillars of the 2023 championship and an eternal hero of the clásicos.

Reconciling passion with finances is no easy feat, but here the problem is broader. There was barely a minimal, terse explanation of what happened. And it only came yesterday from the player, who spoke as if nothing had happened. Later, he was on ESPN, but said even less, aside from praising Angelito Di María to the skies as both a player and a person.

As days go by, the conflict becomes more intriguing. And after the player’s “almost nothing” yesterday, even more so.

Suddenly seeing him in Independiente’s shirt, just like that, is a blow for most Canalla hearts who see Nacho as one of their idols. For them, it feels almost like a dispossession.

Would it be wise for Central to explain the reasons for the split? It would. Do they have an institutional obligation to do so? Surely not.

Could the club have handled his departure differently, more in line with the player’s trajectory at Central? Absolutely yes.

Malcorra built a very strong story at the club that deserved different treatment. It was three years of great intensity that suddenly vanished, disappeared from one moment to the next.

The person who came closest to an explanation, not necessarily an exact one, was the player’s wife: “If you’re not a priority, it’s best to step aside and be grateful for everything you experienced,” she wrote. There’s an encrypted response here that goes far beyond Nacho’s farewell, which appeared on Instagram immediately after Almirón’s presentation (another message?).

Or maybe the truth was told by Sergio Levinton, Wednesday night on Zapping Sport, on Radio 2. “If Almirón wanted him, he should have called him. Costas wanted him at Racing and called him, but then the board didn’t want him because of his age. Gustavo (Quinteros) did the same at Independiente,” he said. Although his statement may be tinged with personal interests, making it somewhat relative. In fact, Malcorra denied yesterday having personal issues with Almirón, but…

Beyond that, no one has given any explanation, and so speculation grows exponentially.

Can the 2025 Independiente offer him a better contract than Central could negotiate? No.

Was the length of the contract an issue? It seems not; at the Avellaneda club, he signed for one year, as Central offered, though with an option for another. He also denied yesterday that this was an obstacle to his staying at Central.

Was Malcorra not a priority for Almirón? Maybe. Malcorra’s departure almost coinciding with Almirón’s presentation and the pursuit of Chilean Pizarro, which was finalized at almost the same moment, could point to a story of misunderstandings between the coach and the player that may have started in 2022, when Central’s current coach was at Lanús and decided to let him go.

That seems to be the most plausible explanation, despite Nacho saying the opposite. Sometimes not everything is said to avoid friction, but in the interest of common sense, it should be noted that the Malcorra at Lanús was nothing like the one at Central. His evolution was voracious. Any speculation is allowed.

Thank you, Santi! Thank you, Pipa! Thank you, Nacho! Was Malcorra’s time at Central the same as López’s and Elordi’s? Are we really supposed to believe nothing happened?

In this farewell, Central did not live up to the moment. Or maybe Malcorra angered them so much with his demands that they decided to let him go like any other player.

The saga ended in the most unexpected way, and soon people will stop talking and writing about it. In fact, Nacho is already wearing Independiente’s shirt.

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