For the first time in 75 years, the club that honors the father of the country shouted champion

River and Boca won more finals than any other. For this reason, and for the millions of fans who cheer for their colors, they are the biggest clubs in the country. Soccer also vibrates on indoor playgrounds, mostly made of sheet metal, with a thermal that suffocates more in summer and freezes in winter. It’s called Futsal and the passion for the round is the same that is breathed in the Monumental or the Bombonera.

Here, the “naughty” barely reaches 60 cm and 300 grams. A ball that freezes for seconds (perhaps more frequently than in most other sports), under the sole of one of the 10 players on the courtincluding goalkeepers who tend to know as much with their feet as their teammates.

River (and Boca) will never forget what happened in Madrid. August 17 will not erase what happened this Saturday in Parque Avellaneda either. Against its historic rival Pinocchio, this neighborhood club that honors the father of the country became champion in a very final, eternal and indelible.

There was everything: packed stands, tension, emotions and a huge goal that unlocked the match, which was tied 1 to 1. It was a work of art. Not so much in the definition of the goal that the kid Luca Martínez Rivera made, but in how he managed to stay in front of the goal: stopping the ball to, in slow motion, caress it under the legs of his defender. A gem in the best moment of Pinocchio.

After Lukita’s scream, nothing seemed to be the same. The Mouse (as they call this team) gained volume, recovered play and mobility. Also conviction. Two more goals came that could have been more. It finished 4 to 1, which defined the series in two games. In the first, Agosto de Villa Pueyrredón had beaten its opponent 2 to 1, as a visitor in Villa Urquiza.

It’s hard to breathe because of the emotion. Delirium, crying, screaming, hugs and kisses. Heads that merge with other heads. And the players who walk with their arms extended and fists even higher. Tears of a champion. There were 75 years of history without ever being the best of all. Now they are.

A team of dreamers who, between work and study (several are already parents), broke their backs in every training session. Sacrifice and dreams. Nobody, or almost nobody, is saved by playing Futsal. These athletes do not do it for the money, even if they earn a salary that helps them. They go out on the field for honor. And the glory.

At least that’s what seems to be transmitted in the locker room. Much of that is contagious in the talks of his coach Juancito Llorens. They are players who became craftsmen. They won the championship title, match by match. And in every game, minute by minute. They were far from being considered favorites. Except for its people, like Fernando Unchalo, Lolo’s father, a promise from the institution where basketball and bowling also knew how to shine.

Urquiza’s powerful Pinocchio is a big name in Futsal. But history is made to be broken. And destiny is shaped. The Mouse boys believed they could and worked to empower themselves. It wasn’t magic.

August 17 was not always August 17, although for its partners it has always been. He was not in the same place either. It was founded in the splendor of Peronism, which were undoubtedly its first four or five years. It was born as Defensores Argentinos, in March 1949. Like almost everything in those years, in 1951 it was renamed Barrio 17 de Octubre, a tribute to Loyalty Day. Then, during the last military dictatorship, it changed its name again and was chosen on August 17, the day of the death of General San Martín.

“This is a group of dreamers who play for the love of the game and the shield they carry on their chest.. They give everything, 100% and sometimes more, even if it sounds impossible. The heart and hunger for glory led them to win this title,” Llorens recites before Clarion, trying to choose the words although they may not be able to convey such pride.

The path of the champion was somewhat strange. Llorens only arrived at the club on date 9. El Agosto qualified seventh, on the last date to the playoff. Pinocchio, on the other hand, came third, with better football and goal difference. To play the final, they left Independiente and Ferro on the road, respectively. The series was scheduled for three games with home advantage for those from Urquiza.

“We played important games. We had adversity and we always set out for important things.. And I think we were the ones who adapted the best. There were injuries, injuries and guys who for different reasons were somewhat diminished. But it is a reward for the efforts of this wonderful group of people who give themselves even what they don’t have. Personally, I am happy for my family and for this possibility of returning all the love, respect and support of the people of this beautiful club,” concludes the captain and figure of Agosto, Juan Cruz Freijo Riveras.

None of this matters much anymore. The AFA Futsal League has a new owner and the cup will remain, forever, in Albarellos at 2900, almost on the corner of Nazca, meters from the Yompas and a little further, La Plaza del Colegio Luján. Villa Pueyrredón started the summer by bringing the carnival forward.