Gerónimo Rulli, Olympian calm – France – Olympique de Marseille

He remembers the gray sky, the never-ending rain and a « grand mec » with contagious zenitude. It was 2009 in La Plata, 60 kilometers southeast of Buenos Aires. Leandro Cortizo watches an ordinary training session at the Estudiantes training center. The spectacle is eye-catching. Fortunately, between the harvest passes and the slips, a young man sparks under the flood. “It seemed as if he was impervious to external disturbancesreplays the technician sixteen years later. I had just arrived at the club and so it was the very first time I saw him. It marked me. His serenity, his technique and his physique were truly impressive. It reflected on the whole team. It's always easy to redo the story after the fact, but I immediately thought that we had a goalkeeper cut out for the highest level. »

Gerónimo Rulli is 16 years old. He did not harden himself on the paddocks (waste land) in the area, is not the type to gesticulate in all directions or to fool his opponents and is also not heralded as the future big crack of theAlbiceleste at his post. He will never pass through the youth categories of the selection. In short, it is then very difficult to imagine what happens next: the Europa League won with Villarreal in 2021, the 2022 World Cup then the Copa América 2024 as replacement for the terrible Emiliano Martínez, the status of new darling of the Vélodrome, specialist in penalties (3 consecutive saves in this exercise) and best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 after six idyllic months at OM… But his talent and his personality do not pass not unnoticed in the city of 770,000 inhabitants nestled on the banks of the Río de la Plata.

Quiet strength and the letter to Chilavert

Today in charge of the goalkeepers of the Estudiantes first team, in the Primera División, Leandro Cortizo develops. « He has always been serious, professional, observant, respectful and attentive.lists the trainer. Essential ingredients for success. What sets him apart from others is above all his incredible tranquility, which allows him to remain lucid in difficult moments or when he makes a mistake, which doesn't happen very often. (Laughs.) He is not exuberant, but he transmits a feeling of great security to his teammates. He's a goalkeeper who helps you win matches. And an excellent person on a human level. » Those who saw him grow up in Argentina describe him with the same words: « Humble, hardworking, affectionate, simple, persevering… » Character traits that he draws from a mother who was a teacher, a father who was a football educator and from a historic institution, Estudiantes, « who instills in you respect, sacrifice and the value of efforts »summarizes Sergio Gurrieri, former coordinator of the juvenile categories among rat pinchers. The Argentine club no longer dominates South American football, but it continues to produce talent and fascinate. « When you arrive here, we tell you about the four Copa Libertadores titles (1968, 1969, 1970, 2009)Intercontinental Cup (1968)by Carlos Bilardo… It’s a legacy that we must live up to »slips the ex-attacker.

An only child, a carefree schoolboy, Gerónimo grew up in a middle-class neighborhood located a few blocks from the La Plata racetrack. The ball is his life, the Estudiantes stadium is his « second house » and the whimsical José Luis Chilavert his youth idol, as would later be Petr Čech and Gianluigi Buffon. One day, he even wrote a letter to express his admiration to the loco Paraguayan. Rulli, for his part, is nothing like a loco : no crazy moves, rarely caught launching into a kamikaze outing or a game of trashtalk. « He's not the type of nervous goalie who's going to yell at his teammates all game long.adds Martín Zuccarelli, the coach who launched him to the professionals at Estudiantes. He is sober, reliable, regular, good on his line, precise with his feet. Very complete, in fact. » Don't count on him to destabilize his rivals like Dibu Martínez, of whom he is a sort of antithesis. « Everyone has their own style and temperament »balaye Leandro Cortizo, here préfère souligner « excellent reading of the game » of Rulli rather than comparing the two world champions, both aged 32.

Superman, war zones and alfajores

« Gerónimo has been playing goalkeeper since he was little, it’s truly a vocation for himtestifies Leandro Gatelli, his former instructor in the amateur club of La Curva de Ensenada, in the suburbs of La Plata. Here he was called Superman because he was invincible and flew in his surface. And it wasn't always easy because our lands were in such a disastrous state that they bore the names of war zones, like Kabul. (Laughs.) » The kid doesn't like running, but he quickly figures out what to do to make his dream come true. « His father modeled himinsists the coach. He was never officially her coach, but he remains her mentor. I remember that he had alfajores (typical Argentinian cakes, Editor’s note) to the four corners of the pitch and Geró had to reach them with the ball by clearing with his foot. If he succeeded, they were for him. You understand why he is so technically comfortable today. (Smile.) »

As talented and sure of his strength as he appears to be, the goalkeeper nevertheless suffered at this time from dysplasia, an anomaly affecting the articulation of his two kneecaps. A problem definitively resolved by two operations in 2011 (left knee) and 2012 (right knee), once it reached adulthood. “It slowed down his career”recognizes his entourage, who swears that, if he has “suffered a lot”the imperturbable guardian “never doubted” of his destiny, carried by “a foolproof mentality”. “He is balanced in his headapproves Julio Olarticoechea, coach of Argentina at the Olympic Games in 2016. It allows him to cope when things go wrong. » Like when the Champions League semi-finals against Liverpool turned into a nightmare. Like when in Rio de Janeiro, the little-known Rulli took a cap goal in the first match against Portugal (2-0 defeat). « It wasn't easy, but he got back upnotes the former Nantes defender, 1986 world champion with Maradona. His behavior has always been impeccable. You see he has a good head. » Before joining Real Sociedad in 2014, the Argentinian had also started a degree in business management at university.

« The key is his characterconfirms Cristian Guaita, who led the U16 international at Estudiantes. You tell him things once, and he understands. And then his poise is remarkable. He doesn't fear pressure. He transmits his serenity and strength to his teammates, who play liberated. He's not the most spectacular, but he never panics in electrical situations. In other words, he knows how to keep things simple when things get complicated. » The kind of attitude that today makes the Vélodrome roar with pleasure, looking for two years for a successor to the icon Steve Mandanda, and makes Roberto De Zerbi say that he has « a great goalkeeper, a great man and a great leader »just a few months after the discreet arrival of the world champion in Marseille from Ajax Amsterdam.

Martín Zuccarelli, the man who gave him his chance, is almost surprised. “I saw a bright future for him, and besides, Juan Sebastián Verón (club legend) adored him. But honestly, I wouldn't have imagined it would come to this.”confesses the technician. Four years after a successful loan to Montpellier, Rulli is ” happy “ in Marseille, according to those close to him, and has just been started twice in a row with the selection in October. So like everyone else, Leandro Cortizo bows: “He has become a world-class goalkeeper. » Without making any noise.

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