This is post one of a wider series. A series for FM22.
“Humility! Nobility! Integrity!”
In-game date: 1 February 2021
Here at theangrylinesmen, we have always kept a keen eye on Peruvian manager Fernando Teixidó.
When he was first announced as head coach of Bolivian side The Strongest, many scratched their heads at the curious appointment of the forty-something Cusqueña-sipping, cigar-smoking former data analyst at one of the nation’s highest profile clubs.
Fast forward 24 months however, and even the most sceptical Tigre fanatics were sad to see him move on.
Despite my colleague Carl Hagedorn’s probing journalism around his side’s disappointing Copa Libertadores progress, domestic dominance was a virtual certainty with Teixidó at the helm. After two league titles featuring an incredible run of sixty league games unbeaten and two cup wins in two years, the extreme altitude in La Paz finally got the better of the Peruvian and he decided to leave.
Teixidó’s adventures in Bolivia were documented across seven (FM20) posts, hosted here.
A move to Spain was next, where Fernando spent a little time away from football with his elderly Catalonia-born and based father, Carlos Alberto Teixidó.
Being appointed manager of the famously socialist club Rayo Vallecano (then in Spain’s second tier) began with a hugely memorable unveiling punctuated by Rayo’s passionate fan group the Bukaneros chanting “No, no, no pasaran!” with Teixidó effectively acting as cheerleader in front of a room full of puzzled and slightly scared journalists. It was quite the introduction.
Fernando Teixidó remained at the helm in Vallecas for six years. His motto of “Humility! Nobility! Integrity!” ended up immortalised in commissioned graffiti art in the corridors of Ciudad Deportiva Rayo Vallecano, where the first team train. His impact on the club now eternal.
His final season culminated in the lifting of LaLiga with an incredible 97 points in a campaign which saw Zinedine Zidane finally lose the Real Madrid job at the much wealthier end of the city. Los Blancos finished in a desperately disappointing eighth place while their historically tiny rivals lifted the silverware.
If Teixidó arrived in Spain typecast as a generically bullish coach like many South American imports, he left Madrid hailed a nuanced tactical and motivational marvel, certainly emerging from la sombra in the process.
Ever the philosophist, Teixidó’s televised Rayo exit interview included him famously quoting Pericles by saying “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
A club full of heart and warmth led by a man who mirrored those qualities.
Teixidó’s time at Rayo Vallecano was documented across 11 (FM21) posts, hosted here.
Fernando Teixidó remained in Spain after leaving Rayo Vallecano until the sad death of his elderly father earlier this year. Teixidó was devastated by the loss, but comforted by the presence of his wife Andreia and young son, Antoni, who had been born during his father’s final season in Vallecas. The Bob Dylan classic ‘Buckets of Rain’ was played at the funeral at Fernando’s request. His closest Dylanista had been laid to rest.
Truly a global family, Andreia Teixidó was born in Portugal but had family links in Chile. Family connections between the Iberian Peninsula and South America was something Fernando and his wife had in common. The family were said to one day plan to return to either Chile or Fernando’s native Peru, once family ties in Europe were no more. Could now be the time?
This brings us to the present day.
Chilean powerhouses Colo-Colo have won their domestic league, the Campeonato AFP PlanVital, a record 32 times. Despite their nickname Eterno Campeón, or ‘the eternal champion’ in English, they have only lifted one league trophy of the last available seven. What’s worse is that the other six have gone to bitter rivals Universidad de Chile or Universidad Católica.
Colo-Colo’s manager Gustavo Quinteros, who coincidentally formerly played for Teixidó’s old club The Strongest in two spells between 1989 and 1994, was recently given his marching orders after just over a year in charge. He failed to return El Cacique to their perch at the top of the Chilean football tree.
Full details have not yet been announced, but very strong rumours coming from our sources in South America are suggesting that Fernando ‘La Palanca’ Teixidó is soon to be announced as the new Colo-Colo manager on an initial two-year deal.
Could the Chilean giants represent just the type of challenge the Peruvian tactician needs at this point in his career?
How would Teixidó’s ‘Milan under Ancelotti’-inspired tactical style translate from the beauty of Spain’s elite level back to the mischief and mayhem of South American football?
Finally, would the Copa Libertadores which eluded him so frustratingly in his time in Bolivia now be within reach? Colo-Colo are the only Chilean club to lift the famous continental trophy, but that was 30 years ago in 1991.
If the rumours are true, it would be a hugely intriguing appointment and the start of a chapter in Colo-Colo’s history we will certainly follow with interest.
Our journalists are in Santiago, eagerly awaiting any kind of official confirmation from the club.
Tom Phillips for theangrylinesmen
Thanks for reading.
FM Stag