Chile's midfielder-turned-defender Gary Medel has an undeniable penchant for the dark arts of football. More than a few players across Europe and South America have been on the receiving end of Pitbull's 'enthusiastic' chases for the ball, with red and yellow cards a regular sight for the diminutive hatchet man.
It is against Argentina, however, that the player tends to showcase his most aggressive side. From the Under-20 ranks to the present day he continues to leave his mark on Chile's great South American rivals.
Lionel Messi is likely to miss out on Monday's Copa America opener between the two 2015 finalists. While the Albiceleste captain will be disappointed not to have shrugged off the injury he received against Honduras a week ago, he may not be too upset at missing another meeting with Medel, who left a big mark in Santiago.
But it was in 2007 that Medel really started to mould his budding reputation as one of football's biggest hitters. The setting was Toronto, Canada, as Argentina's Under-20s took on their Chile counterparts in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final.
Mauricio Isla, Arturo Vidal and a young River star by the name of Alexis Sanchez lined up alongside Medel in the Roja team. The Albiceleste kids, meanwhile, included Angel Di Maria, Ever Banega, Sergio Aguero and Sergio Romero, all of whom are expected to play a big part in this Copa. The match promised a lot, with plenty of flowing football; but a violent tone was also set early as both sides pulled no punches going into tackle.
The team coached by Jose Pekerman's former No. 2 Hugo Tocalli took the lead after 11 minutes, when Banega's majestic pass released Di Maria to smash home on the volley. The current Paris Saint-Germain star then raised tensions even further by raising his finger to his lips, pleading 'silence' from those Chileans in attendance.
Just three minutes later chaos reigned. Medel clashed with Gabriel Mercado on the left flank and went in hard with his shoulder, while the Argentine youngster made the most of his fall. Furious at the exaggeration, Medel smashed the ball squarely in the direction of his prostrate opponent, earning an automatic red card for the midfielder.
Argentina made the most of their numerical advantage, and Claudio Yacob and Maxi Moralez added goals in the second half to ease the Albiceleste into the final. A sad epitaph was then added for the Chileans, as Canadian police refused to let fans approach their heroes in the National Soccer Stadium car park and several players and members of the coaching team were hit by pepper spray and taser discharges.
It was a nightmare end for a team that had played wonderful football in Toronto, and would indeed form the base of the squad that triumphed under Jorge Sampaoli just under 12 months ago in Santiago....
- Goal