Juvenal Rodríguez on Russo’s passing: “So hard not to see him” | OneFootball

A week after the passing of Miguel Ángel Russo, his memory remains alive in those who accompanied him until his last day. Juvenal Rodríguez, his inseparable assistant coach, spoke for the first time about saying goodbye to Boca’s legendary manager and revealed: “It’s very hard not to see him anymore.”

“Since I met Miguel, I learned to enjoy life. Miguel taught me how to do it. His name was Miguel Ángel—he even had ‘angel’ in his name,” said the Colombian in an interview with Super Deportivo Radio. He added emotionally: “With him, you knew when to stay silent. For Miguel, silence was an expression of wisdom.”

The current member of Claudio Úbeda’s coaching staff recalled one of the coach’s favorite sayings: “Don’t ask me why, but this is going to happen.” And, in addition to describing Russo as a “wise and prudent” man, he added: “He inspired so much love in people… and that only grew after he was gone.”

He also highlighted the fundamental role that Mónica, the coach’s wife, played in his final stage: “For her, her life was Miguel. She gave her life to him. If she hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have enjoyed these last years with him the way we did. She was an extension of him in every way.”

Rodríguez proudly recalled what the former Boca coach saw in him: “Loyalty. Miguel was always a safe place for me. When I had a problem, it was enough just to talk to him. Sometimes I wouldn’t even tell him anything, and he’d still give me the solution.” And he added with nostalgia: “Thinking that I won’t see him anymore is really hard.”

With a mix of sadness and gratitude, Juvenal revealed what their farewell was like: “I told him I loved him. I’m sure he would have replied, ‘Idiot, come on.’ For me, his passing marks a before and after. It’s the end of something and the beginning of something else. If I could give him anything, it would be smiles… and hopefully a title with Boca. That would be one of the biggest smiles for him.”

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