The Nacional Sentinel
Boardroom11 Feb 2030
Nacional to lose Luciano Romero for free
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Luciano Romero has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Tempers go at Nacional
Alan Velasco was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom11 Feb 2030
11 academy graduates step up at Nacional
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Market11 Feb 2030
One of our own: Brian Da Silva joins the Nacional first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Brian Da Silva is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market11 Feb 2030
Sergio Acosta steps up from the Nacional academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Sergio Acosta has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market11 Feb 2030
One of our own: Marcelo Diaz joins the Nacional first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Marcelo Diaz is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market11 Feb 2030
Felipe Ramirez steps up from the Nacional academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Felipe Ramirez has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Boardroom11 Feb 2030
A promise the Nacional board did not keep
There was a commitment, there was a date, and the date went past. Trust at a football club takes years to build and one afternoon to spend.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Luciano Boggio falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
In brief
- Loan watch Lautaro Codina has seen enough of Villa Espanola
- Looking ahead Geiner Martínez faces his old club
- The dugout Tiago Rijo asks for a word with the manager