2024-02-12 08:15:15
Without a doubt, always, José Francisco de San Martín He was a figure that had an impact within the sports world. Courage, fierceness, lucidity and brilliance are some of the adjectives of the “Libertator of America” who inspired more than 125 Argentine soccer clubs to carry his name as their flag; an invaluable symbol in all lines. His exploits in Argentina, Chile and Peru positioned him as an unfailingly admirable personality; a genius of his time. On days like today, remembering it is no small feat. The victory in the battle of Chacabuco was not a simple triumph that contributed to the liberation of the trans-Andean country, but was part of the great plan that became known as La Patria Grande; a utopia that never came to fruition but for which he fought for much of his life. But… Can a sports story be made of a historical milestone? Let’s try.
Achieving eternal glory has never been an easy task, much less when it comes to twisting history in your favor. After the royalists under the command of Mariano Osorio gave him a hard “setback” in the Rancagua disaster and marked the end of the so-called Patria Vieja, Bernardo O’Higgins and those led did not remain with their “arms on their hips.” That defeat was not the end of the great “obsession” that had been going on for years: Chilean independence; a dream that seemed distant due to the number of failures, but for which they were not going to give up.
The change of project and the inclusion of new heads to achieve the great goal were the main needs to win that long-awaited trophy which we will call the “Independence Cup”. Thus, they decided to move to the neighboring nation to turn to an expert on the subject: San Martín.
The Corrientes, who held the position of governor of Cuyo, was one of the main architects of the premature Independence of the United Provinces of the Río de La Plata. Passionate about the project, he decided to grab the “hot iron” and establish himself as the “DT” of what would later be known as the “Army of the Andes.” With that objective in mind, he began assembling the squad, uniting the forces of Chile, the Chilean patriots, and freeing the blacks on the condition that they join this exciting project that should once again cross the great geographical feature.
Astute and perceptive, the “kid” from Yapeyú, who took his first steps in the Murcia Regiment and managed to become captain of the Borbón Regiment, began to diagram the necessary plan to strike the table. With knowledge about the rival, he was aware that those powerful ones were not as insurmountable as they seemed. What’s more, he already knew what it was like to beat them. Four years ago, he had managed to do it in that remembered victory in San Lorenzo, the first great feat in his extensive record.
Passionate about chess and meticulous like few others, he proposed a tactical drawing to perfection appealing to the art of deception with a move similar to the one Lionel Scaloni used when implementing Angel Di Maria in the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. With connections and communication thanks to the inexhaustible sacrifice of those who officiated in the chasquis position, the starting team was going to be divided into two parts. A column made up of 1,500 combatants who were going to respond to the orders of Brigadier O’Higgins who would appear on the Cuesta Vieja. Meanwhile, the surprise was going to come on the right wing where he was going to place Miguel Estanislao Solerwho was going to be in charge of giving the final stitch.
A priori, the idea was for O’Higgins to appear with a direct game and be the first to hit the rival forces; However, the advantage was going to be achieved once Soler surprised by attacking the rear of the royalists, producing an enveloping maneuver.
A complicated movement to coordinate perfectly due to poor communication, but if achieved, it guaranteed a complete break with the bolt realistic boss defensive Carlos Marotowho was only going to limit himself to withdrawing his forces defensively to withstand the result as long as possible.
As in the game, unforeseen events were not lacking and the playing field became a rival that was not taken into account when planning. Although Soler had no problems stealthily surrounding the area, O’Higgins’ frontal position forced him to enter battle prematurely. The early results were surprising because the Chilean forces had managed to displace the royalists. But, since you should never claim victory before the final whistle, the royal forces recomposed themselves and regained ground.
The moment became so dramatic that a scene worthy of that amateur era was experienced on the field. San Martín put aside his role as coach, put on his boots and galloped his horse, standing head to head to support the situation until the “surprise” arrived. Fortunately for him, Soler was not going to take long to descend the Cuesta Nueva and victory ended up being a fact.
The news had different meanings in different parts of the world. While Simón Bolívar, the other great liberator of these latitudes, celebrated the feat, the European press foresaw a change in the geopolitical chessboard of America, a place where that “Army of the Andes” had won. Beyond that, San Martín knew that he had taken his first step towards the independence of Chile.
Thus, this victory was one of the many battles that would begin modern America. Without it, perhaps the Copa América or the Copa Libertadores itself (which bears this name as a small tribute to what Bolívar and San Martín did) would not exist. Fortunately for us, history is written and, although the ball did not roll on this court, the victory marked the starting point of San Martin’s feat.