River Plate fans do not forget that December 9, 2018, when a left-footed shot in the corner of Juan Fernando Quintero allowed the millionaire team to go ahead on the scoreboard and then defeat Boca Juniors 3-1 in the final mentioned of the Cup. Libertadores played in Madrid.
Immortalized in the band crossing the gate at the Santiago Bernabéu, Quintero made the decision in 2020 to close his cycle in Argentina, to add a new experience in his career: Shenzhen of China.
Just after a few weeks of controversy and criticism, Juanfer broke the silence and in a dialogue with ESPN decided to talk about the reason that led him to leave the Núñez group; club to which he is very beloved and from which he always expects the good.
“Life always demands it of us, but we have lost many things that people do not know and I am not interested in saying … The River World is strong, it takes you to the extreme, but that’s life. Today we see people we love and they leave, we have to live like this every day. River brings a strong emotional, physical and mental load that sometimes saturates you. This happened to me and that’s it … There are times when you have to think about yourself and I don’t want to say that River was the problem: there were many things and life saturates you many times and you have to weigh your peace of mind ”.
And he added: “River takes you to the limit, we have lost many families, friends and loved ones. I am in this time of 20 years, I sacrificed a lot of time and it was not in vain: I had a very beautiful career. But I think that in the end we are human beings, and the character and the football remain on the field. When you come home and cry it is because we are human beings. Many people do not know what is happening behind a game and what we suffer, and some of them affect us more than others. And as a result, you make decisions. ”
“I did not go as I wanted, but it happenedI was left with the beautiful moments, with the team of coaches and with my colleagues. To this day I talk to Gallardo, we have given each other a lot, he has given me advice, he has helped me. I have an excellent relationship with Marcelo. I am a very transparent person, I am like that, I was very respectful with everyone and I received a lot of criticism “, said the 27-year-old midfielder.
As for his career, Juanfer dared to talk about his retirement from professional football, stating that he is old enough to close and dedicate himself full-time to his family,
“For several years I have been planning what my post-football will be, my idea is to retire at 33 years old. I started to prepare for investments, so that after football I could dedicate time to my family. Because when someone is sad at the end, who they are … It’s giving them back those moments that can be golden for them and for you. I play football because I have a passion as a child. I was born with nothing and I will die with nothing. Silver is not important, it is what you carry in your heart, “he concluded.