Oh, yes...epochs change and things evolve.
Once upon a time football lovers will have read the title of my post with some disgust and it's difficult to blame them.
That romantic football, in which the face-to-face remained inside the locker room and were not spelled out on social networks, simply no longer exists.
Meanwhile, Serie A loses one of its most important protagonists of recent seasons: Papu Gomez, a player who symbolizes the miracle of Atalanta, captain and charismatic leader of this group, leaves Bergamo after 7 years.
A union that only a few months ago seemed impossible to split. There seemed to be a great understanding between Gomez and Gasperini, two who fought together and often won many battles.
And then came, like a bolt from the blue, the quarrel in the locker room in the interval of the Champions League match against Midtjylland, which suddenly and in one fell swoop canceled everything and sanctioned the end of the love story between Papu and the Dea.
A bitter ending, which also saw social digs at the coach and verbal clashes with the supporters, disappointed by the behavior of their captain and idol.
And then there is the relationship with the teammates.
Ilicic seemed to be under accusation for defending his friend Papu, but now that the Argentinian is about to leave, the two have unsubscribed from each other on Instagram and this season's photos of them together have also disappeared.
Indeed, Gomez is doing it with many of his (former) teammates...for now only a very few resist (Gosens, Miranchuk and Pasalic).
But why? What definitively broke the relationship between the Papu and the rest of the team?
The Argentine said that he would speak at the right time and that he would tell the whole truth when the matter was finally resolved.
Meanwhile, he moves to Sevilla FC, where he will earn much more than he currently does at Atalanta (3 million euros a year until 2024) and will bring 7.5 million euros + bonuses to the coffers of the Percassi club.
Not bad for a player who turns 33 this year, separated at home, but who certainly still has a lot to give to football.
It's a good deal for everyone.
We'll see if that's the case.
Waiting for the next episode of this soap opera, waiting for the next social plot twist...but also and above all for the undeniable and supreme verdict of the green rectangle.
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