Marcelo Carrusca is set to mark his 100th appearance for Adelaide United against Sydney FC on Saturday night.
The A-League has seen future Australian stars and legends of the game alike grace our pitches, yet only a few talented players in any league across the globe can capture the minds of spectators on a weekly basis,
The man affectionately known to the Cooper’s Stadium faithful as ‘Chelo’ is one of these talents. Bringing a silky touch, boundless imagination and impeccable judgement whenever he is on the ball, the Buenos Aries native is one of the most feared forces in the Australian competition and an impetus behind the football culture the Reds have been trying to create in recent seasons.
It seemed as though Carrusca was always set for the football spotlight, beginning his journey at Argentine Premiera Division club Estudiantes’ youth program and first appearing for the senior side in 2001. After 103 games for Los Pincharratas, he would spend short periods with high-profile sides such as Galatasaray (part of a Turkish League 1 winning side in 2007-2008), Cruz Azul in Mexico, San Martin and Banfield back in Argentina, while also returning to Estudiantes for the 2009 Club World Cup.
The fated move to the City of Churches would come in August of 2012, with the Reds then under the leadership of John Kosmina and eventually Michael Valkanis as an interim.
At the time, Adelaide United football director Michael Petrillo could see the potential that the playmaker possessed to change not only the club, but the competition as a whole.
“All of our reports have indicated that Marcelo is a high-quality player and individual,” Petrillo said.
“He ticks all the boxes that Kossie (Kosmina) has been looking for in the type of player he wants and we are expecting him to not only add some real quality to our play but he is also an exciting type of player that not only our fans but football fans in general will want to see in the A-League.”
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Reds fans had seen similar players come from South America only to fall by the wayside, yet Carrusca immediately took to the new environment and style of competition to record five goals in his debut season where Adelaide finished fourth and had little luck in the finals.
However, the appointment of Josep Gombau as coach at the beginning of the 2013-14 season would forever change the Hindmarsh landscape. Bringing a Barcelona-inspired ‘tiki-taka’ mindset and expanding the club’s Latin flavour with the signings of Isaias and Sergio Cirio, what was a bumpy road at first for Gombau paved the way for what many observers labelled as the most stylish team in the competition, in turn bringing out the best from ‘Chelo. At their best, this slick unit would bamboozle most opposition defences and the Argentine would record himself six and seven goals respectively in Gombau’s two seasons at the helm.
His creativity and insight when looking to set up a teammate may be even more valuable though. One can see this in full display as Adelaide defended their FFA Cup title in 2015, with Carrusca’s ‘rabona’ assist setting up Dylan McGowan for a 115th minute winner against Sydney FC to move into the quarter-finals.
As the Spanish influence at Cooper’s Stadium continues under Guillermo Amor, Carrusca has pledged his future to the Reds and 2015-16 has provided all the same breathtaking moments, especially now that he has Craig Goodwin to combine with in the midfield as well.
“It’s an honour to play so many games for this club and to be part of history,” he told AdelaideNow’s Val Val Migliaccio
“Since I arrived here I have enjoyed every game and my 100 will be special.”
The Argentine is a pleasure to watch every week on the field and we can only hope he spends another 100 games in the red strip.
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