Mammana out to do parents proud
Whenever he plays a long ball, Emanuel Mammana hurts a little inside. The libero in the Argentina side that will run out at the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015, Mammana’s preference is for the short pass or a loping run out of defence with the ball at his feet. If those options are denied to him, however, he grits his teeth and reluctantly hits it long, his frustration fired by an innate belief that football should always be easy on the eye.
An occasional playmaker in his earlier years, Mammana has long been a footballing aesthete, part of the reason for which lies in his family life, as he explained to FIFA.com: “I lost my mother when I was six and my father at the age of 15. All I want is for my parents to be proud of me, of the things I do every day.”
One thing the 19-year-old is not proud of, however, is launching the ball forward to his team-mates. “Sometimes you have to go long to get your team out of a tight spot, but I always try and avoid it if I can,” he said with an air of resignation rather than anger. “It makes me angry because it’s just giving the ball away.”
Though aware of the need to be pragmatic at times, Mammana has no intention of turning his back on his philosophy: “Football’s a nicer game when it’s played on the ground. I like to have the ball on the deck and to bring it out.”
Combined with leadership skills and the kind of technique not usually possessed by centre-halves, that mindset has made Mammana a potential star of the future. One of the standout performers for La Albiceleste at the U-20 South American Championship and, prior to that, at the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013, Mammana is also the only player along with Javier Mascherano to have won an Argentina cap at senior level before making his official club debut.
A regular presence at national team training sessions, the River Plate man suddenly found himself receiving a call from head coach Alejandro Sabella one day.
Taking up the story of how he came to be in the side for the Brazil 2014 warm-up match against Slovenia, the teenager said: “He called me and I didn’t know what to say. I put the phone down and just stood there, totally speechless.”
"When I sat down and thought about it, and I decided I had to give it my all and dedicate it to him."
Emanuel Mammana, River Plate defender on his father's death.
He now has a handful of appearances under his belt with River, some of them coming in big matches, such as the first leg of the 2014 Copa Sudamericana, away to Colombia’s Atletico Nacional in Medellin. Though stationed at right back for that game, a position he favours less, Mammana acquitted himself well, helping River to secure the title. His association with Los Millonarios goes back to 2004, at which time he played on the right side of midfield or in the hole behind the front men. In the years that followed he became a polished centre-back, while also receiving the emotional support that now allows him to play the game with a smile on his face.
“When my father died I wanted to give up playing, but the kids at the River residence, the club officials and my family rallied round and really helped me,” he explained. “They spoke to me a lot, which was the main reason why I went back to doing what I enjoy most. I had that stupid thought about wanting to give up, but when I sat down and thought about it, and I decided I had to give it my all and dedicate it to him, because he did all he could to help me get where I am today.”
A born leader who revels in the job of organising the team and handing out instructions, Mammana has learned some valuable life lessons over the years: “The things that have happened to me have taught me that you have to be strong and keep moving forwards.”
That fortitude has infused his U-20 team-mates, who arrived at this year’s continental championships in Uruguay under something of a cloud, following criticism of their abilities.
“We heard a few things but the team stuck together,” said Mammana. “We try to be a family, and no matter whether we get criticism or praise we just have to keep on going.”
Success breeds success
The squad rose to challenge of proving the doubters wrong, winning Argentina’s first U-20 South American title in 12 years, a triumph that has fired their hopes of yet more glory in New Zealand.
“The team’s in great shape and we want to keep on winning things,” added the cultured central defender. “We are Argentina and we’re going to go for the lot, wherever we are. We’ve got some great players and a very good side. We’re united on the pitch and off it, and you can see that in every game we play. We all play, we all run and we all defend. That’s one of the key things.”
Adding that the likes of Angel Correa and Giovanni Simeone and himself, with their club experience at the highest level, will be vital to the Albiceleste cause, he said: “Playing in the top flight is very different. You’re starting to play for something that matters, the stadium’s always full and the football changes the whole time.
“At reserve level it’s more physical, more about running, whereas in the first division you have to cope with pressure, which can sometimes make it hard for you. We’ve got a few players with first division experience, and that gives the team a bit more poise and strength. It gives us an edge and it’ll help us play our own game out there.”
Citing Thiago Silva, Gerard Pique and club-mate German Pezzella as his role models, the young stopper has his sights set on a more prominent role at River, though his main objective right now is the upcoming world finals.
“It’s just amazing to be going to New Zealand, to travel so far. It’s going to be a wonderful experience,” he said. “I’m feeling relaxed about it. I know I’ve got my two angels up there and that they’re going to look after me forever.”