Gimenez: We can beat anyone on our day
Christian Gimenez has Real Madrid in his sights again. Back in 2000 he was a fringe member of a combative Boca Juniors side that won the Argentinian Apertura title and the Copa Libertadores and would go on, at the end of that year, to face the mighty Spaniards in the final of the Intercontinental Cup.
That game, held in Japan, would pit Carlos Bianchi’s men against a star-studded Merengue side featuring the likes of Raul, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo. Fourteen years on and the battle-hardened Gimenez is once again gunning for the men in white, this time at the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2014, where he will be directing operations in the Cruz Azul midfield, having made Mexico his home for the last ten years.
A privileged view
In his Boca days, Gimenez shared the dressing room with stars of the calibre of Juan Roman Riquelme, Martin Palermo and Guillermo Barros Schelotto. A highly promising teenager, he broke into the first team during the 1998 Torneo Clausura, having travelled down from his home province of Chaco, in northeastern Argentina, intent on making his name in the famous Boca jersey.
Enjoying a ringside view from the bench, with the wily Bianchi by his side, Gimenez saw for himself how that fabled Boca side came into its own, sweeping all before them in the 2000 Libertadores, including arch rivals River Plate in the quarter-finals, to set up their showdown with Real Madrid.
“It was an amazing process for me,” the man they call El Chaco said in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, recalling the lengthy build-up to the meeting with Los Merengues in late November 2000, a game the Argentinians memorably won 2-1 but which he missed on account of being on duty with the national youth team.
“It was all very different to today’s Club World Cup set-up,” he continued. “To reach the final now you have to play a couple of games, but in those days you went straight through.
“Carlos Bianchi was really motivated for that match. He said we could take on absolutely anyone as long as we went out on the pitch pumped up and really focused. The team put a lot of preparation into that game, especially the mental side of things.”
A star in his own right
Much has happened since that golden age at Boca. Gimenez left for Mexico in 2004 and enjoyed a particularly successful spell with Pachuca before Cruz Azul came calling four years ago. Without a trophy since 1997, Los Cementeros saw the Argentinian as a player who could rally the team and help bring their long trophy curse to an end.
“The club had endured a lot of setbacks, losing out on trophy after trophy,” Gimenez said. “Those of us who have been here for a while know all about the suffering that comes with playing for Cruz Azul. We even managed to lose one final in the space of just two minutes. It had been a while since we’d won a trophy and we took blow after blow.”
The Cementero idol, who has played an instrumental part in changing their fortunes, added: “We also know what success tastes like now, though. Winning the CONCACAF Champions League, with everything that means, was a major achievement for us. We had a millstone round our necks and it was a relief to finally win something.”
Eyes on the prize
That long-awaited trophy gave Cruz Azul a place at Morocco 2014, where the experienced Argentinian will be making his third appearance in the competition. Never one to shirk a challenge, Gimenez is aiming for a place in the final, a stage of the tournament that has yet to be graced by a Mexican side.
Asked as to why that is, El Chaco had this to say: “When I sit down and think about the reasons, I think it’s because Mexican teams have a long wait between winning the Champions League and then going to the Club World Cup. In our case, it’s seven months and that makes a big difference.”
Gimenez is not someone who likes to make excuses, however: “I also think, though, that we look too far ahead to the semis or the final, when in actual fact it’s the first game that’s the most important.”
Cruz Azul’s first game at Morocco 2014 will come against AFC representatives Western Sydney Wanderers. And should they overcome the Australian side, the Mexicans will come face to face with Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The man who will plot their course in Morocco is Luis Fernando Tena, who masterminded Mexico’s unexpected defeat of Brazil in the gold medal match at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012.
“He’s got everything you need to be a good coach,” an admiring Gimenez said of his boss. “He tries to make sure we all get along well, and he’s very open with us. He gives us the freedom to speak our minds, no matter what the situation. The older players try to lead the squad as best we can. We always try to set his mind at rest because he’s got a very good group of players here.”
Now 33, Gimenez has a fresh dream to fulfil. Having learned about the art of winning at Boca, he has no fears about what lies ahead.
“I’m enjoying it,” he said. “I know that this is a different Club World Cup, with a different club, and I feel very privileged. In football there are always lots of surprises in store. You can beat anyone on your day if you’re motivated and in the right frame of mind. That’s the only way you’re going to beat teams, even the big ones like Real Madrid.”