A dream move gone sour: The sad story of Fabricio Coloccini's post-Newcastle United career
A year after leaving Newcastle, Fabricio Coloccini has been told to find a new club - and is available again this summer
It was just a year ago that Fabricio Coloccini – mentally and physically exhausted, so he told Rafa Benitez as Newcastle agreed to part ways amicably – left England to return to the club of his childhood, San Lorenzo.
It was, so he told a packed out press conference, the realisation of dream when he returned to San Lorenzo and signed a three-year contract to end his career playing in front of terraces he had stood on as a boy.
To borrow the parlance of Barcelona, the Argentine outfit are more than a club to those who follow them. Formed in 1908 by a local priest – Lorenzo Massa – as a refuge for local boys after he witnessed one nearly hit by a tram, they have a unique and deep bond with the community that they play for. When Argentina’s military government forced the club to sell their ground to a local supermarket chain, the fans campaigned and fund-raised to secure a new home. Coloccini, and his father Osvaldo, both gave money and time to the cause.
So his return seemed timed to perfection. Benitez wanted to kick-start a new era at Newcastle and Coloccini recognised that he lacked the enthusiasm and energy to lead it from the front. A parting of the ways would refresh his career and give San Lorenzo a talisman.
Yet for Coloccini, the dream has quickly turned into a nightmare. Plagued by the back injury that caused him problems at Newcastle, unable to adapt to the different pace of a new league and without the confidence of his coach, the Argentine played just 12 games last season. For their final game of the season, he was fit but not included in the squad. The signs were ominous and for Newcastle fans, very familiar.
So it came to pass. On Wednesday, manager Diego Aguirre told Coloccini and two other senior players that they would not play for San Lorenzo again and would have to find new clubs.
San Lorenzo’s nickname is the Cylclones. It’s fair to say that the Coloccini decision caused a storm.
First came the official reaction. Club president Matías Lammens said that he had to back the manager’s decision but admitted it was “painful” that a deal he had worked on personally – once while the player was still at Newcastle, under Alan Pardew and with a relegation battle to fight – had not worked out.
“I was hurt by the departure of Coloccini because he is a fan of San Lorenzo. We were also waiting for his return for many years and he made an effort to come back because he had other offers,” Lammens said. Pardew, the manager who once compared him to Bobby Moore, had made a second attempt to get Coloccini to Palace. But the defender took a pay cut to play in Argentina.
Gonzalo Bergessio, a striker, is another of the players to leave San Lorenzo and felt the Coloccini decision lacked “respect”. “It is a lack of respect that they have communicated this message to him in the way they did. He did not deserve it. Coloccini was 20 years in Europe, played in a World cup and is an idol (at San Lorenzo).”
It had been coming. Coloccini’s father Osvaldo – himself a former San Lorenzo player – took to Facebook last month to criticise the coach, saying he had turned San Lorenzo into a “small team” and slating the decision to release experienced players.
There is an air of deja vu here. Coloccini was a sensational player for Newcastle but sullied his legacy in the later years at St James’ Park. The defender felt promises to build the team and show ambition in the transfer market had been reneged on; Newcastle felt he was handsomely rewarded – the best paid player for most of his time at United – and should just get on with it.
When he left, there was an acknowledgement it had come at least a year too late. Now he is looking for a new club, denied the swansong that he had hoped for.
