Gianluca Lapadula: the path from heartbreak to unconditional love for 'Bambino' in times of repechage

Gianluca Lapadula came to the Peruvian national team to stay, make history, and sink into the hearts of Peruvians, and for many he is close to becoming an idol of the white and red.

News of a striker scoring in Italy's Serie B Pescara with Peruvian ancestry on his mother's side and eligible to play for the Peruvian national team appeared in December 2015. Six years and four months have passed, but also 20 matches, six goals and three assists with the Peruvian national team. In addition, the qualification for the World Cup Repechage for Qatar 2022

“It was all new, every day I learned something more and all that became a responsibility towards the national team and Peru. The team became a motivation to be the best version of myself,” Gianluca Lapadula summarized about what the Peruvian national team meant for his life and for now it's true.

THE DISCOVERY OF LAPADULA

Gianluca Lapadula's unusual discovery for Peruvians was thanks to his goal at Pescara in December 2015. “IL Peruviano”, was the word of the Italian rapporteur in one of his goals in Serie B. The Italian-Peruvian striker was known for in Pescara and his football environment for his Peruvian ancestry by his mother Blanca Aida Vargas Higinio, married to Gianfranco Lapadula (his father), and his little-known nickname was disseminated until he reached the technical command of the Peruvian national team of Ricardo Gareca.

SCOUTING LAPADULA

The sports scout Victor Zaferson received information about the existence of Gianluca Lapadula in the Serie B of Italy. “IL Peruviano” caught the attention of Colombian journalist Juan Arango and the news reached La Videna immediately through Peruvian scouting.

THE MEETING WITH GARECA

The national media began to follow Gianluca Lapadula and between December 2015 and January 2016 the attacker had already scored six goals out of the 30 scored to become the top scorer in the Italian Serie B.

On February 7, 2016, Ricardo Gareca and part of his technical command traveled to Italy and met with Gianluca Lapadula to invite him to be part of the Peruvian national team. It was precisely, on the day of his 26th birthday, and prior to the matches against Venezuela in Lima (2-2) and Uruguay (0-1) in Montevideo, the 5th and 6th matches against Venezuela in Lima (2-2) and Uruguay (0-1) in Montevideo, respectively, of the Russia 2018 Qualifiers.

LAPADULA POSTPONED PERU

Days after the meeting in Turin, Italy, Peruvian national team coach Ricardo Gareca announced that Gianluca Lapadula had decided not to play for the time being with the Peruvian national team. “Lapadula needs more time to think about it. He communicated with me. But at the moment he is focused on Serie B, but he maintains the interest of the national team. The doors for Lapadula are open. I might be in the Copa America. We will have to watch,” said the coach of Peru at that time. However, he was not in the 2016 Copa América either.

The Pescara attacker himself later explained that his decision was based that his priority was to obtain promotion with Pescara from Italy who achieved it in June 2016. “You, Peruvian people, have filled my heart with an immense love and I am sure that so much strength that I have now in the countryside is thanks to you. I can say one thing: the call for the Peruvian national team is the most important opportunity I have had so far in my life,” he quoted on his official Facebook account on February 23, 2016.

MEDIA CONTROVERSY OVER LAPADULA

The case of Gianluca Lapadula, the possible call in the first instance, added to the meeting with Gareca and his subsequent postponement of the decision to concentrate on his club Pescara in Italy, became a matter of controversy between the press and Peruvian fans who argued in both ways that it was not necessary, that it could be harmful or who was the striker that the Peruvian national team needed.

CALL TO ITALY

In July 2016 Gianluca Lapadula signed with AC Milan and in November of that same year he was summoned to the Italian national team for the Russia 2018 Qualifiers. He did not play for the European qualifiers, but in May 2017 he played a friendly with 'Azurri' and scored a treble to San Marino. The 'Bambino' was at that time off the radar of the Peruvian national team.

LAPADULA'S DNI AND ITS CALL

In October 2020, Gianluca Lapadula had gone more than three years without being called up for the Italian national team and Peru had already played his first World Cup after 36 years. With Claudio Pizarro out of Gareca's calls, he was not even called for Russia 2018, and in the absence of Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan, the bicolor faced the qualifiers for Qatar 2022 and the Italian-Peruvian managed his DNI and was called for the first time to the Peruvian national team.

Gianluca Lapadula entered in the second half of the defeat with Chile in Santiago (2-0) and then started in Argentina in Buenos, in the match that Peru also lost (0-1).

The striker showed his game and attitude on the field and began to win the love of the Peruvians. Her hugs and her different publications that showed her interest in knowing her mother's roots increased her popularity, despite the poor results.

SECOND CALL AND UNCOVER

Gianluca Lapadula appeared again on Ricardo Gareca's list for matches against Colombia and Ecuador for the South American Qualifiers. In the match with defeat (3-0) against the coffee growers, he entered in the second half to replace Paolo Guerrero.

In Quito, against the 'Tri' he was the protagonist of the 2-1 victory with two assists for the goals of Christian Cueva and Luis Advíncula. It was Lapadula's best match and the start of the recovery of the Peruvian national team towards the repechage.

AMERICA'S CUP WITH LAPADULA

Lapadula scored his first goal for the Peruvian national team against Ecuador for the 2021 Copa América. At the end of the South American tournament, the attacker scored four goals and became one of the best players in the bicolor and essential for the technical command of Peru.

HEADING TO THE REPECHAGE

Gianluca Lapadula scored three goals in Peru's three wins in the Playoffs. The most important was against Paraguay in the 5th minute that led the victory and qualification to the repechage towards Qatar 2022.

Previously, he had scored against Bolivia (3-0) and Venezuela (1-2). Gianluca Lapadula started in the last five of six matches for the Peruvian national team in which he scored 13 points out of 18 possible to secure fifth place in the standings.

BUMPS, HUGS AND TEARS

Gianluca Lapadula is on the verge of fulfilling his World Cup dream with a shirt from the Peruvian national team. But the most important thing is the stamp that has been stamped on each of his interventions with the bicolor.

The 'Inca Gladiator' as they usually call him has aroused the love and respect of Peruvians. Each arrival in Peru meant a return with some serious injury. A fracture of the septum included, who decided not to have surgery to play for Peru on the last double date of the qualifiers, has not been an impediment to him continuing to play and leaving everything on the field. In addition, his face of suffering for every missed goal occasion or his attacks as a child's tantrum on the pitch, are part of his irresistible charisma that was complemented by his fluent Spanish, his hugs, his perfect intonation of the National Anthem and recently his tears when singing 'Contigo Peru'. He went from controversy, doubts and mistrust, to unconditional love in times of repechage.

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