From the ‘forbidden word’ to open belief: Madelón and Unión | OneFootball

In football, results dictate the timing, but experience manages the words. Leonardo Carol Madelón, an old hand on the Tatengue bench, knows that better than anyone. In just seven months, the Unión coach’s message has done a 180-degree turn, setting the tone for a campaign that went from survival to dreams of glory.

The beginning: The wall of caution

It all began on September 14, 2025. Unión had just made a statement by beating Gimnasia 3-1 in La Plata, claiming their third straight away win and climbing near the top of Zone A in the Torneo Clausura. The mood in Santa Fe was euphoric, but Madelón hit the brakes in front of the microphones.

“The word championship is forbidden,” he said firmly. At the time, the relegation average was still looming, and the goal, according to the coach, was “to keep adding points and build from a place of calm.” For Leo, talking about titles was a sin of arrogance the team simply could not afford.

The turning point: Rosario

For months, “step by step” was the official mantra. Unión kept picking up points, showing enviable defensive solidity and clinical efficiency. However, Madelón’s verbal restraint began to crack as the rounds went by and the team refused to drop out of the race.

The definitive turning point came this past March 31, 2026. After a strategic win in Rosario, the coach’s demeanor was different. There was no longer any need to hide. With the team firmly established and safety effectively secured by the points earned, Madelón finally said the words everyone at 15 de Abril had been waiting for: “Now yes, we’re going to fight for the championship”.

The current reality

Today, in April 2026, Unión are no longer the surprise package, but the main protagonist. Madelón went from forbidding the dream to leading it. The change in message was not a contradiction, but a strategy to protect his players: first he took away the weight of pressure and, once they had matured, he gave them the freedom to see themselves as contenders.

The “forbidden word” is now part of the past. In Santa Fe, the language is different now, and Madelón’s dictionary has only one page open: the one with the definition of the title race.

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