At age 36, Martín Cardetti retired from professional football. After a few months of standing up to settle his head and process that he was no longer going to be on the court, he found a way to continue to be related to the ball and decided to become a technical director. The first steps as DT took them in Boston River in Uruguay, at the same time he went to Costa Rica and took Atlético San Carlos to the highest category. In 2019 he continued his trip through Ecuador and had a brief visit to the Mushuc Runay. Today he is in Colombia and is strongly committed to Bogotá Fútbol Club, a team that plays in the First Category B.
“I had a six-month sabbatical, until I started looking for alternatives to do something. I was a manager, I began to train, to follow coaches, to do internships. I got together to chat with technicians, took courses and started something in Boston River. I was with the youth all day, with the first and that’s when I began to feel the taste of the coach. When I finished the DT course, I got the chance to be a coach in Costa Rica and my career began with a title ”, says Cardetti to Page 12.
–At the beginning of last year, in an interview you said “I learned everything not to do as a coach from Ramón”. Why?
– I said it from the personal plane. No one is going to argue with Ramón Diaz with everything he did and the achievements he had. I am referring more than anything to the treatment he had towards me. That is what I would never do with my players. From the personal side I had a very bad time and that gave me strength every day to work harder and show him that I could play in River.
–What was that deal like?
-I had no direct deal. It made me feel like it wasn’t part of what I wanted. Now that I have the possibility of being a coach, I always say that if there is someone who does not fall within the intended scheme, the best thing is to go forward and say things. Sometimes there are moments that hurt, but the best thing is to go straight ahead. In my case I always preferred that and not being told things from behind or finding out from other colleagues. But hey, that is now in the past. Everything I learned that there was no need to do I learned from Ramón Díaz, because that was everything he did with me. He didn’t tell me things up front. I was very aware of when I could play and when not, and the players in front of me: Francescoli, Salas, Ángel. At that time I knew that I could be a good substitute and based on goals I was getting in and I achieved one of my greatest personal goals: to be the top scorer in the Argentine championship.
Cardetti began his career as a soccer player in Rosario Central and was part of the 1995 Conmebol Cup champion team. In that legendary formation he accompanied, among others, Eduardo “Chacho” Coudet, Omar “Negro” Palma, Raúl “Mono” Gordillo, Pablo “Vitamina” Sánchez and Rubén “Polillita” Da Silva. From the victorious experience in the Canalla, then he went to River. Núñez’s team put its eye on the striker, who was handsome and scored goals, and in 1997 he enlisted in the Millionaire. He was part of the three-time championship team and scored a few credits in the ’97 Super Cup, which had Marcelo Salas as the lord and master of the area. But the Chapulín did not have it easy. With Ramón Diaz he alternated bank and ownership, until the thing did not give for more and he went to join minutes at Salamanca in Spain. On his return to River and with Tolo Gallego in command, the claim came. He made throats vibrate in the stands and ended up shoving the fans in his pocket. He gained confidence, games as a starter and in 2001 he emerged as the top scorer in the Apertura tournament. 17 goals was his mark in that championship.
–At what point did you perceive the end of your playing career?
– I began to see the end after Columbus. I thought I had one more year to go and I wanted to go back to Central, to go back to the club that gave me everything, and they wouldn’t let me. At the time he was (Ariel) Cuffaro Russo and he wanted to play with the youth. Then Central ended up going downhill. Maybe I would have finished a spectacular career by going downhill with my love club … I had offers to go to Ecuador and Colombia, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to finish my career at Central, but since I couldn’t, I ended up retiring because I didn’t want to play elsewhere.
The chapulín, in addition to the Central and River jerseys, walked through Spain, Mexico, Colombia and defended the colors of Paris Saint-Germain in France. He was a partner of Ronaldinho. “If there is something that I do not complain about, it is about the career I did as a player. Five clubs from Argentina, I played in France, Spain. Thanks to football, I have known places that I never thought I would visit. I am totally grateful to my soccer career, especially thinking about the level I had playing among greats like Francescoli, Salas, Saviola, Aimar, Omar Palma, Polillita Da Silva, Ortega, Ronaldinho. With the desire and the qualities that I had, I did more than many expected. I have the honor to say that I am one of the 17 Argentines who played for Paris Saint Germain ”, he says.
–What coaches do you see as references?
– I always spoke with close people. (Leonardo) Astrada was one, then I went to see (Jorge) Almirón’s training sessions and I got together with Tolo (Gallego). I have had several talks with him. Besides being a good coach, he never failed me. He was always sincere and came straight at me. I learned a lot from him. I think that training today is the most difficult thing, because everything has changed a lot. Mainly the players
–And of the current technicians?
–Gallardo, Pochettino, el Cholo (Simeone), el Chacho (Coudet). The issue is that Pochettino has Messi, Neymar, Mbappé and I have other types of players. I can’t look out that much. What I try to study about these coaches is the treatment, the way of being, the mark, how to chat in front of a group. But the most important thing is in the daily work. I can have the jobs of all the coaches, but if I don’t transmit them that way, it’s not the same. The question happens because the group trusts you and the player goes out to defend what you want. They are the ones that make you famous or that you go home.
–What changes do you see in today’s players?
– They are getting younger and younger, because the clubs don’t have much money to invest. Everything is much more difficult than before. Today there are social networks. The players publish everything they do and it is much more difficult to maintain the privacy of the group. Players talk to you about the nets as if they were a part of their body.
–From your position as coach, how do you accompany this process?
–Many times I advise that if they are with a bottle not to upload photos, because afterwards they investigate the clubs that are going to hire you. I try to instill that they take care of the image. Today there are memes, a lot of nonsense, that at some point can harm you. No one survives a file. You have to be careful.
–How do you include technology in the coaching staff and on the squad?
-Whatsapp groups are used a lot to pass videos, games and to see different plays in more depth. That is very involved in the teams. There is more information: catapult, drones, video analysis. The technology is very incorporated and it is necessary to be training to everything new that is appearing. And I say it from my place that I have a coaching staff of four or five people. Gallardo must have 20, 30 people who do a lot of things to him.
–What type of game do you most identify with?
–With the one with high pressure, let the team attack, play on the rival court. Obviously, afterwards there are errors and things that cannot be controlled. That’s the beauty of soccer. No matter how hard you study it, look at it and tell the player all the things he can do, there are going to be mistakes and successes and there is the result. You give all the tools to the players, but then this is how they get up. And then there are the players who, no matter how tactic you do, are unbalanced, skilled, go to two or three, score the goal and there is no valid tactic. The player who has talent will always stand out and make a difference for you in a game.
–If you had to list some important aspects of all these years as a coach, what would you highlight the most?
– Which is a very good learning in terms of managing deficiencies. I do not regret anything, the truth is that I am still a globetrotter. I was as a player and now as a coach. It makes me happy because I take advantage of knowing and continuing to learn. The day to day of these clubs makes me learn something every day.
–Do you see yourself directing in Argentina?
–It is my dream to direct in Argentina. I could never do it. We had close to a B Nacional club recently – he doesn’t want to say which one – and it wasn’t given to us. The maximum dream is Central. At some point I know I’m going to direct it.
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