Gallant does not go away remains inside River. How? Did you change your mind? Was the announcement of your dismissal on October 13 a nightmare? The farewell to the Monumental before the Centrale, a fantasy? Wasn’t that your last match against Racing in Avellaneda?
Gallardo does not go away. He stays in River forever. It is true that the ladder that connects the changing room with the playing field will never go down; he will not raise his hands to acknowledge the cheering of the fans at every match; it will not be glued to the lime line to give directions. He will not go to the Ezeiza estate to train the players. But his presence will remain.
The fact is that, a few meters from the entrance to the Monumental, Gallardo will be there forever. From this Monday the statue of him will be placed eternally a few steps from that of Ángel Labruna. The face will be covered and will be discovered only on December 9 when it will be officially inaugurated, in the celebrations of the fourth anniversary of the Copa Libertadores final won by Boca in Madrid and in what will be the Doll’s last farewell.
At 7 o’clock this Monday, the top of the statue reached the Monumental. The bust block, head, arms and the Copa Libertadores were transported on a truck from the foundry where the work was carried out. The lower sector (the legs, on one side, and the abdomen on the other), had already been transported. Then, a giant crane will take care of supporting the upper part on the lower part until the welding work is completed so that they are joined together.
This fraction, four and a half tons and 3.8 meters high, will be welded internally with steel bars, an operation that will take about three hours. This final phase will be supervised by the sculptor Mercedes Savall and by the doctor and former presidential candidate of the club, Carlos Trillo, the creator of this work, which will be presented on the occasion of the great event on Friday 9 December, in which Gallardo will not only be will be present, but also all the current squad, Leonardo Ponzio, the captain of the cycle and the leaders, among other guests.
Although the initial project aimed to present the works on the first anniversary of the final against Boca, the timing was delayed for several reasons and the pandemic has significantly lengthened the completion of the statue of 6.3 tons and more than seven meters high. And the latest delay is due to the fact that the sculptor Mercedes Savall has decided to completely redo the face of Gallardo. So, coincidentally, the postponed inauguration of the Bambola tribute will be the best farewell for the most successful coach in River history.
The bronze mass (whose image is inspired by a photo of which the photographer Clarione Marcelo Carroll eliminated Gallardo with the Libertadores in hand, on the playing field of the Santiago Bernabéu) who will remain forever at the door of the stadium, it was not only the work of Trillo and Savall. The fans also left their mark, with the donation of keys and metal elements to make the statue. And they will also be protagonists since they will be at the Monumentale on December 9th, where you will experience a dream and unforgettable party.
“Ole, le, le, wave, la la … Gallardo is from River, it won’t start from River” Surely that song will play on all four sides. And the fans will be right. Gallardo does not leave River. The statue of him indicates that it is already as eternal as the Madrid final and as the cycle of him, which gave so much joy to all the residents of the River Plate.
The time capsule that will accompany the statue
Carlos Trillo, the artist who created the statue of Gallardo, decided that a time capsule would accompany the figure of the Doll. “In Argentina the donations last 99 years, that is to say that when this period is completed the statue will return to the Trillo family. For this I have decided to insert a time capsule next to the statue, where I have placed a letter for my descendants, great grandchildren. , grandchildren and I tell you that this work was made by people of River and that they must also donate it to River a letter to Brito D’Onofrio and Gallardo where I tell future generations what this moment is thought for River I also included a USB stick with photos. They certainly don’t know what it’s for, so I’ll tell them too, “the author of the work told Clarín.
Source: Clarin
