David Bisconti’s change of habits: from the legacy of Maradona’s ’10’ in the national team to life in the countryside as a rural producer

He World Cup Italy ’90 had fallen behind with Argentina in second place after losing in the decisive match with Germany from 1 to 0. It was the end of the cycle Carlos Salvador Bilardoreplaced by Alfio Basilethat he couldn’t count on, at least at first Diego Maradona who had excluded himself from the Selected Team as a preview of what was to come: 15 month ban for doping at Napoli.

The cycle of Coconut he had that omnipresent absence and the need to give a change to a group that had its nucleus around Diego and that had existed, with exceptions, since the 1986 World Cup. With the 1994 World Cup in the United States around the corner, the coach will inaugurate his race before Hungary and, as a result, someone had to wear the only shirt that seemed to have a starter, number 10.

Basile’s first list had 24 surnames for that friendly match which did not have the ambition of thinking of the World Cup in the United States 94, but in Chile 91: the America’s Cup that was coming. Who would use 10 then? In Rosario Central there was a boy who promised a goal against Boca, three celebrations in a classic and just two years of recovery in the First Division: Davide Bisconti was the name that appeared in the call.

“If Coco gives me the number 10, I will be happy. Because it is the shirt of the best player in the world and of my absolute idol: Maradona. If I have to wear it, I leave the house to honor that shirt and I hope that “Diego doesn’t retire : the great hope of my life is to be able to play with him.”, had published this newspaper the day before. And he just gave it to her.

David Carlos Nazareno Bisconti. This is how the rapporteur insisted on presenting it Marcelo Araujo In First class football, the highest-rated program of the time. So many names, they never gave him a nickname. It was he who wore Maradona’s.

On the day of the match, with the 10 on his shoulder, Bisconti shot into the area, put the ball on the head of Oscar Ruggeri who blocked the goalkeeper and Darío Franco’s goal – the other was from Antonio Mohamed – was for you assistance.

But the idyll lasted only a handful of games. That year he lost the Copa América and his journey with the Biancoceleste team ended. The horizon was Japan. A pioneer of the Japan League – he arrived before Ramón Díaz at Yokohama Marinos – he never lost hope of returning, even if the dream did not come true. His first daughter was born in that town.

he was always close to River, although the step was never crystallized. The return to the West took place in kilos -his second daughter was born there- where he was champion with the Catholic University, but also a marker. Bisconti was a hitman with a goal: he was a striker until, when he arrived in the Primera de Central, Angelo Zof He put him in midfield. The third daughter is the only one born in Argentina.

After retiring from Gimnasia de Jujuy, he gave way to what is his present today: agricultural and livestock farming. Visiting Buenos Aires with a calf about to become a heifer for a show at Rural, Bisconti looked back on his career with Clarion.

-Do you miss football?

– Yes. It’s always strange, always. I overcame the habit by still playing an internal tournament at the Rosario Jockey Club, with friends… Missing everyday life, training, concentration, the adrenaline of matches in a stadium with lots of people, everything is missing. Everyone says that the difficult thing for a footballer is when he stops playing, where he fits in: continuing to be a coach or a representative or linked to football. Well, I had the field. It’s my way of life, my job, what I continued after football, after I retired.

– Why didn’t you follow the path of football?

– Shortly after retiring, with Beto (Acosta) we created a high performance center based in Murphy, my city, and Arocena, his. The idea was to prepare the kids, be selected, let’s say by the League, by the Region, by each one and work on them in a different way and then take them to the test in the professional teams. Several players came from there: the twins (Andrés and Leandro) Desábato who played for Vélez, Rafael “el Chelo” Delgado, who plays for Colón, Fede Cartabia who played for Valencia and now plays in Arabia (for Shabab Al-Ahli). .. I miss others, these are the ones I remember the most. The parents asked me to continue to accompany him, to represent him. I was on the topic of children’s representation and I see many things that I don’t agree with: that these children have a representative, in the sense that they give them money, they give them loot… I don’t know. The boy at that moment, for me, needs something else, another support from his parents… More than a representative (like professional players) they need an advisor, someone who can tell him about the experience made, the sacrifice, the perseverance to get to play in the First Division, and then want to get to the national team; wanting to emigrate to make an economic difference…

– Why didn’t they continue?

– It was stopped due to one or the other’s work problem, the teachers or the fact that they didn’t want to continue it… it was a great investment. The guys who came and who were different, we paid them a day, some of us hosted them, so, well, the investment started to get big and we didn’t get what we wanted.

– What did they want?

– Start signing contracts, which was just starting to happen. A contract for the future sale of the kids so that they leave a burden on you and all this becomes a business. This was not achieved and, well, it was of no use.

-And the cows arrived….

– The cows arrived, 2008, 2009. The cabin had been there since 2006, but the cows arrived later.

– Is there any similarity between football and livestock farming?

– Yes, because of the competition: we participate in shows with cows. There is a jury and everything ends with an auction. The jury decides who comes first, second, third at the auction… In short, it’s a kind of competition. You are competing with another animal. And that adrenaline of competing and wanting to win and always being the best and selling better and all of that, well, there’s a certain similarity to the theme of football. Getting a champion cow is like scoring a goal. I always come here to Palermo to participate in the fair which is the most important in the country… Winning a great champion, both male and female, is like playing in the national team and becoming world champion.

– What memories do you have of the national team?

– He was very young, very stupid at that time. I always say that in the national team I was very very sincere. At the beginning of ’91, when Coco took over, there were six or seven friendlies and then the Copa América in Chile in June. On Monday he had to give the list and on Sunday evening he called me to find out how I was… “I can’t take it anymore, I can’t move”, I told him. I infiltrated it so I could play the games, it was really bad and there weren’t the things that are there today. There was no physiology… there was a masseuse who came with us, the doctor and the injection. I was too honest with Coco and told him I couldn’t. Well, he mentioned another one. Then when the other has the opportunity and takes advantage of it, then everything gets confused and well, one is left behind. But Coco loved me very much. I was very happy with how I played… but I didn’t go and lost the chance to become champion.

– Did you appreciate playing in Maradona’s number 10 shirt?

– All the journalists asked me. And yes, of course, it was a bit boring to use the number ten after Diego and with the reference that Diego has always been for all of us, for all Argentines. It was annoying, but I think I value being an asshole more today or as the years go by I value it more than I did back then. I mean: wow, how rude, I played with Argentina’s ten. With what Argentina represents for Diego and today also for Messi, right? I played with Argentina’s ten. It’s not a little. What I blame myself, perhaps, is the fact of continuity… But hey, these are things of life or moments that pass. It had to go like this and it went like this.

– Did Maradona call you at that moment?

– No, but I remember in that period that there was El Grafico and every Tuesday I bought it and at a certain point when they called us up to the national team they did a report on Diego and he mentioned us: ‘now the Bisconti and the Arriva Latorre’ and no , I know who else names and when I read this it was a great emotion. Diego knew everyone, all the players, he was impressive. Subsequently I was lucky enough to share a match in memory of Bufalo (Juan Gilberto) Funes which was played on the Vélez pitch. They invited me, I came from Rosario and I played on the team with him. He was very humble and he asked you the ‘David, David!’ dance. like he’s known you your whole life.

– Looking back, what do you think is the comedy or action that defines you?

– I was lucky enough to become champion in Japan and Chile and in the two finals I was lucky enough to score goals. This made me remember when I was little, the tournaments that were played, whether it was Baby’s or when I was little, or after the tournaments that I played in my city and all that. That feeling of joy when I scored a goal marked me. And then, well, free throws are what identify me. Those who recognize me and see me around always say to me: ‘Bisconti, how do you shoot free throws’. That’s more or less how it ended.