The case of Oscar Cardozo It is an emblematic example of the nickname that comes to eclipse the name of an athlete. For more than two decades, when he burst into the world of football with pure power and ultrasonic shots, he became Tacuara Cardozo. The 43-year-old forward announced his retirement 422 goals later.
“I thought about it a lot with the family, mainly. We decided a while ago”confirmed in an interview with Radio Ñandutí. He left behind a great career built in the areas, which took him to multiple clubs in South America and Europe. February 3, National and Freedom -his last club-, in his native Paraguay. Newell’s (Argentina), Benfica (Portugal), Trabzonspor (Türkiye) and Olympiakos (Greece), abroad. He won 21 titles, reached two Europa League finals, played in three Copa América and was part of the historic campaign that took his team to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Cardozo was born in Field 9 -locality called today Juan Eulogio Estigarribia-, an agricultural and livestock colony located 213 kilometers from Asunción, with 40,000 inhabitants. There the striker grew up, in a humble home, on the side of Route 7 Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, son of dad Genaro and mom Dollywho continued running a supermarket even when the football heir was at the climax of his career.
In Campo 9 everyone knows each other: in the San Blas neighborhood, Óscar Cardozo was Tacuara, the skinny with the withering shot who in 2003 debuted in 3 de Febrero in Ciudad del Este, who then moved to Nacional, in the capital, where in three seasons he scored 29 goals in 63 games. It didn’t matter his introverted personality, who spoke little or nothing, his desire to return to his place in the world. He scored goals, a virtue that is not abundant.
Newell’s took a chance on him and his career took off, although the adaptation had its flaws. The thing is that Tacuara – which owes its nickname to the thin and long plant, which can reach 12 meters in height – landed with just a small handbag, practically without clothes. He stayed at the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosario: the intention for him to stay there, with full board, was for him to “eat well.” Faced with the clothing problem, his agent Pedro Aldave He proposed a challenge: for every goal he scored, he promised him 100 dollars. There ended up being 21 goals in 33 games with the red and black between 2006 and 2007.
With the proceeds of his first conquests, they took him to buy clothes at the intersection of Miter and La Rioja streets. And he spent every last ticket. Shortly after, the company that represented him obtained an exchange for him with a leading brand. I have never seen so many clothes together. Such was his astonishment that, instead of keeping it in the closet in his room, he arranged it against the wall; first the boxes of sneakers, then t-shirts and pants. And he stayed for several minutes contemplating the proof that his life had changed.
With Santiago Salcedo as a bridge, he began to interact more with people, although due to his withdrawn nature it was difficult for him to accept the affection of the fans, the reaction that his goals caused. Francisco Culassothen part of the Aldave staff and today a representative of footballers of the caliber of Nahuel Guzman and Christian Ansaldihe had adopted him with his wife, and they took him to eat one of his favorite dishes: fish.
But there were situations in the big city that scared him. For example, on one occasion Eduardo López had urged him to sign a modification to his contract, without the presence of his representatives. Consequently, Cardozo locked himself in the hotel room and did not want to leave. Culasso had to show up late at night to calm him down and explain that he didn’t have to sign anything.
Tacuara I longed for the customs of Camp 9, for example, the broth with chicken from the farm where he lived: “Paraguayan chicken, not curepí”. Before Newell’s successful visit to the Monumental, his agent proposed a new bet: If he scored two goals, he would have him bring the “Paraguayan chickens” by bus, inside two cardboard boxes, for his broth.. Of course, I didn’t expect Tacuara to score a double in the final 3-3 against River. To calm him down in the face of claims for the prize, they “deceived” him that the chickens were already on their way, first in a bus, then in a truck; both imaginary.
Then, the trampoline. The 10 million euros that Benfica paid for your token. The 172 goals in 293 games for the Portuguese club, which made him the top foreign scorer for the institution in which Eusebio shone, to the point of earning his own song. “Be careful, he is dangerous, he is Óscar Tacuara Cardozo”was the hit that thundered when his furious shot was destined for the net, or when he made his height weigh on the stopped ball.
In between, he could have played in River Platerecommended by none other than a world champion with both Argentina and Millonario in 1986.
“You have to take it, you won’t regret it”. Hector Enrique I was witnessing the 4-0 victory against Nacional in Paraguay on October 12. In the defeated team, a tall forward, 193 centimeters tall, was waiting on the substitute bench. When you entered the plugin, Oscar Cardozo revolutionized the game. He scored two goals and, above all, he cast a spell on the former field assistant of Diego Maradonawhich began to make phones ring in Argentina.
The first was that of José María Aguilarthen president of River Plate. “No, Negro, if I bring it they will kill me,” was the response, according to the former midfielder himself. At that time he was an unknown footballer and the Band did not have a place for foreigners. He was a “covered guy”, who Enrique also suggested in San Lorenzo and in Newell’s, who with Nery Pumpido as coach did not hesitate to invest $1,500,000 to keep the player’s record, who in mid-2006 was 23 years old.
That introverted but determined young man went far. And, at 43 years old, he decided to hang up those boots that cost him so much to get.
