Juan Arango - A true footballing legend

Juan Arango – Venezuela’s best export

“The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.”

Anson Dorrance

20^th March 2005. Mallorca vs Sevilla FC. Jersey no. 18 was dribbling past a few players when BAM! He was down on the ground, with whew-that-was-hard-but-not-that-hard look on his face. He was dead wrong.

In the 1970s, the La Liga was notorious for being home to a set of uncompromising defenders. Andoni Goikoetxea for instance, gained immense ill repute for a savage tackle on Diego Maradona, leaving the latter severely battered and bruised, for which Goikoetxea received the title of ‘The Butcher of Bilbao’.

Miguel Angel Nadal was also a player whose game was extremely physical and was considered by his opponents no less than a brute. In today’s times, Carlos Puyol may be considered a player of the same caliber, though arguably his influence is gradually diminishing.

And another defender of the same approach was Sevilla FC’s Javi Navarro, though considerably less talented. And he was the very guy who collided with Juan Arango. With Arango ripping through the Sevilla midfield at a rampant rate, Navarro did the thing which he deemed appropriate. An elbow straight in the face. It would have been a murder on the pitch had it not been for the quick thinking of Navarro himself and the referees.

What had happened? During the collision, Arango broke his cheekbone, swallowed his tongue and had serious cuts on his face. After collapsing on the pitch, he made a few gestures towards his nose. And then he fell unconscious. His body was shivering maniacally. There was an eerie silence throughout the stadium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDtPPfotPLs

Defying everyone, including his doctors, Arango was back on the pitch. In one month flat. Next season, Juan Arango was Mallorca’s top scorer with 11 goals. Juan Fernando Arango Saenz, proved to the entire world that with dedication, devotion and sheer will power, one can make ‘impossible’ run for cover.

Born in the Venezuelan city of Maracay to Columbian parents, Arango’s rise to the footballing fray was a swift one. Arango, it seems was born to wield his magic on football field and at the tender age of 7 Arango began showing signs of a true footballing genius and caught the eye of scouts. Arango began his career for Central University of Venezuela u-20s in spite of being a 15 year old.

In 1996, he made a major breakthrough in his career as he was signed by second division outfit FC New Cadiz Venezuela from Cumana and upon his arrival lady luck showered on the team as it was promoted the top-flight of Venezuelan football – the Venezuelan Primera Division and at the age of 17 Arango got to play first-team first-division football. On ascending to the first division, FC Cadiz played under the name, Zulianos FC.

Having made a name for himself at Zulianos, Arango’s departure from the club was inevitable and 6 months following his exploits at the club, he was transferred to Caracas FC, a team with a rich history and heritage. Despite a much-hyped transfer, Arango struggled for first-team football and managed to score only 5 goals in 19 appearances before moving to greener pastures.

At the start of the 2000-2001 season, Arango shifted base to Mexican side CF Monterrey where he lasted for 2 seasons before signing a contract with another Mexican club – CF Pachuca.

His time at Pachuca was an eventful one courtesy his 16 goals in 52 appearances and established himself as a talented winger, terrorizing the opposition defence. On March 13 2002, Arango made his debut in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Defence Force in a 1-0 defeat. He scored a goal and hat-trick against the same team in the second leg taking his team to the quarter-finals.

Sadly, his tenure at Pachuca was also an ephemeral one and he was picked up by another Mexican outfit – Puebla FC, where he had a torrid time as he struggled with form. And then came the illustrious move to RCD Mallorca in Spain, where he proved to be a talisman for a team struggling for points.

Vital to his team’s fortunes, Arango was subsequently handed the captain’s armband. He constantly attacked defenses and scored 45 goals in his 5 years at the Spanish side. Following a successful tenure at Mallorca he shifted to Borussia Monchengladbach for € 3.6 million, subsequently making him the most expensive Venezuelan footballer of all time. Unquestionably, Arango peaked during these years at Monchengladbach.

With a left foot so sublime it would give Messi a run for his money, free-kicks are his trademark. For sure one of the best free-kick takers in the world, his curling efforts have a tendency to leave you wide-eyed and open mouthed with startling ease. With an uncanny habit to place the ball in the back of the net with exquisite precision, he has helped his team salvage a point and often led them to glory in the dying moments of a match.

Arango striking one of his trademark free-kicks

What is astonishing is the sheer audacity of his shots. He hits volleys from improbable angles, curling shots that most players only think of in their dizziest daydreams, along with his defence splitting passes. And yes, free-kicks that render the opposition speechless.

His talent is fairly inconspicuous to the footballing family, despite him being in the fray for the larger part of his life. Never a guy who hogs the limelight, he has constantly stayed away from media attention. After triumphs, often his teammates take center-stage and he lurks in the background relishing the moment privately. He does his talking on the pitch and off it, he’s next to invisible.

His native land is Venezuela, a country in which football takes a backseat, and baseball is the sport of choice for the average Venezuelan. Evidently Venezuela hasn’t even won a continental championship, let alone success at an international level. It would be deemed appropriate to call him a lone ranger for his motherland. The captain of The Burgundy, he is their most celebrated player with 121 caps, netting 22 goals since his debut in 1999.

Juan Arango doesn’t have the agility of a Bale or the dribbling expertise of a Ronaldo or the passing acumen of an Ozil or the ball control of a David Silva. He is the complete, albeit unsung package with all these qualities intertwined in him.

No, Juan Arango isn’t a legend, although he may be considered one following his performances for Venezuela. The way Borussia Monchengladbach is performing now in the Bundesliga, even Champions League football is a bridge too far. Turning 34 this week, the chances of him packing his bags to a more prestigious outfit are dimming with each passing day.

With his future in the Bundesliga in question after reports came in saying he has decided to leave Borussia Monchengladbach, the sun may have finally set on his extraordinary career.

Playing football is a no extraordinary feat. Excelling at football though, is not for the spineless. It is not a sport not for ordinary mortals and the irresolute, but for all those who are normal and have the guts to take the step towards abnormality. These players are called ‘Greats’. And our protagonist, Juan Fernando Arango Sáenz, fits the bill perfectly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEAL7bZ2kXE