Everyone hailed Pumpido 40 years on from Mexico 86, except… | OneFootball

As part of the 40th anniversary of the historic triumph of the Argentina National Team at the 1986 Mexico World Cup, the football world came together to honor the heroes of the second star. One of the main figures recognized was Nery Alberto Pumpido, the starting goalkeeper of that team led by Carlos Salvador Bilardo and Diego Armando Maradona.

However, the celebrations exposed a striking and painful institutional absence in the capital of Santa Fe. Unión, the club where the goalkeeper began his football career and which served as his true golden cradle, was the great absentee of the day, issuing no public or official greeting for the Tatengue legend.

Gianni Infantino’s international show of affection

The silence of the red-and-white leadership stood in stark contrast to the international impact of the occasion. Among the huge number of messages and displays of affection received by the current Deputy Secretary General of Football and Development Director of CONMEBOL, one very special greeting stood out.

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, personally made sure to send his congratulations and recognition to Pumpido. The top authority in world football praised the Santa Fe native’s career and his crucial role in that 1986 feat, further elevating his stature on a global scale.

An absence that resonates in the Tatengue world

The lack of an official greeting from Club Atlético Unión did not go unnoticed by fans or the local press. Pumpido is not only one of the greatest products of the club’s youth divisions, but also one of the select footballers produced by the city’s academy to lift the World Cup.

While the highest authorities in sport paid tribute to the champions of Mexico, Tatengue’s striking oversight toward one of its most beloved sons left a bitter taste on a day that should have been one of pure celebration in Santa Fe.

Greetings from Encuentro Unionista and Siempre Unión

The opposition group within the red-and-white club, “Encuentro Unionista,” led by Héctor “Pipo” Desvaux, and “Siempre Unión,” made up of Cesar Miretti, Facundo Vega, and Matías Rittiner, posted tributes to the former goalkeeper on their social media, in contrast to the club’s institutional stance:

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