2024-02-15 23:54:54
A group of friends decide to grab a ball and have a quick snack. Children, dreamers by nature, imagine playing at the Camp Nou, the Maracaná, or in one of those fantastic stadiums where the stars usually play. Of course, they also project themselves onto some football idol: “I am Messi”, “I sing it to Riquelme”, “I ask it to Neymar”, the distribution of names begins, in order of arrival, of course. Among the dance of allusions to the different world figures of the moment, one in particular stands out. “I am Gonzalo Rodriguez“, proudly observes one of the little players, with the number “7” on his back.
From the moment she met him, Gaston Ayllon He was always very clear about who his greatest idol was. “It all started when she was 11 years old. I remember that I went to the San Martín complex and decided to jump over the wall to meet the players who were training. While I was running, I ran into ‘Turbo’ and hugged him. I don’t know what happened to me, but I immediately felt that he was my favorite player,” recalls Gastón, now 22 years old.
From that hug, a great relationship was launched between the “saint” fan and the footballer. Gastón began working as an assistant in the club’s props, lifting cones and collecting balls. There, every time he could, he took the opportunity to greet his reference and give her the odd gift.
In turn, Rodríguez also began to accept the affection of his admirer, responding warmly to each of the acts of affection that he gave him. “When I turned 18, I remember that I sent him a message on Facebook asking him to say hello to me on my birthday. He immediately gave me his number and sent me a video. He made me happy, I would never have imagined having the contact of a player from San Martín”, “Turbina” emotionally relates, comically nicknamed that way because of his fanaticism towards the striker.
However, in July 2021, heartbreaking news emerged for Gastón. After an entire career in Tucumán, Rodríguez decided to change his speed to Ferro Carril Oeste. “I couldn’t believe it, my heart broke. I know that the life of a footballer is like that, that at some point he has to leave, but he hurt me a lot,” he remembers. After his departure, the player and the fan said goodbye in a heartfelt hug; and then, Gastón decided to tattoo the nickname “Turbo” on the skin of his right forearm.
Of course, the protagonist was not going to sit idly by. Despite the 1,260 kilometers that separate San Miguel de Tucumán from Caballito, Gastón decided to undertake a trip exclusively to see his idol. It was in the match between San Martín and Ferro in April 2022, when Rodríguez could not even be in the game due to an injury. “I didn’t watch the San Martín game because I was looking for it in the stands. I wasn’t going to leave the field until I could greet Gonzalo. As soon as I found him, he greeted me and told me that he was re crazy, the trip he had made was impressive. I didn’t care, I was happy,” the fan remembers with a laugh.
With the aim of achieving the long-awaited promotion this year, “Turbo” was one of the brand new reinforcements that arrived at the team. Diego Flores For this season. He returned after a brief stage in Gimnasia de Jujuy and, in this way, not only did he please all the “holy” fans who longed for his return; but also to his greatest admirer.
“When the rumor began to circulate online, I began to pray to Saint Expedite. I asked him to fulfill my wish for him to come back, I had a feeling it was going to happen. A friend sent me a message and said: ‘Gastón, do you know who is returning to San Martín? I started to cry, my mother was doing the laundry and she didn’t understand anything,” he remembers about the moment she found out the great news.
Today, after a few years, the protagonists met again. Although he has not yet managed to make his official debut since his arrival, “Turbo” is physically preparing to return to the court as soon as possible. In that sense, after finishing the morning training on Friday, the player referred to his particular relationship with the fan.
“These things really fill me with pride. Gastón always admired me, from a very young age, he always let me know. I tried to give him the possibility to also approach me and over time we were able to have a very fluid relationship, I am very fond of him. It generates a lot of emotion in me, I never imagined this type of things,” Gonzalo Rodríguez says sincerely before the timid gaze of his fan, who listens attentively to each of his words.
He then returned the honors. “I’m really looking forward to his debut, he knows the respect and admiration I have for him. Most boys have Messi (Lionel) or Cristiano (Ronaldo) as their idol. But for me it is not like that; My favorite player will always be Gonzalo Rodríguez, there is no other like him,” Gastón concludes on the verge of tears.
In this way, united by the colors of their beloved San Martín, “Turbo” and “Turbina” will continue writing chapters to their exciting story. Whatever happens, Gastón has already decided for some time: he will always be there for his idol, in good times or bad. (Journalistic production: Diego Caminos).