Simeone’s ‘gunner’

Without making noise, practically in the same background in which he now acts as Simeon’s assistantand, Nelson Vivas He became one of the champions of the Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. He was never a starter, but his two seasons in London after the French coach became infatuated with his signing after detecting him as one of the architects of Lugano’s rise to the Swiss Super League, they were enough to add two Charity Shields to his record.

In fact, faithful to his success from anonymity, he would go on loan from Boca Juniors to a League with so little glamor in Europe as a result of problems with his passport to become the first South American in Arsenal’s history after the Gunners paid 1.6 million pounds.

However, in an Arsenal with Henry, Bergkamp, ​​Vieira, Ljunberg and companythe focus never focused on Nelson, decisive in his role as a replacement for the right back. So much so that before completing his second season, he would go on loan to Celta which also allows him to prove on his service record having played in three of Europe’s major leagues, since after Arsenal he would still go through Inter Milan.

A mirror of Cholo

There had to be something about that right-handed side that was purely a team player to first call the attention of Wenger, as a player, and of Simeone, as a coach. In the case of Cholo, he would sign him to be part of his coaching staff after discovering his character while sharing the Argentina shirt. As it could not be otherwise, Vivas came to the national team (Bielsa was not just any supporter) amidst criticism and in the shadow of Zanetti, but that also forged the perfect way of being to accompany the man who would change the history of Atlético.

His aggressiveness, his winning mentality, his lack of grace that made him lose at anything and, ultimately, his way of competing and his sanguine temperament in the dispute for each ball, his personality was totally related to that of Simeone, hence El Cholo did not hesitate to remember him when he had to form his work team. That’s why I would call him a second time after Nelson tried an adventure as main actor in Estudiantes and in Defensa y Justicia. More evidence that its brightness increases from the background