There was a time when Juan Sebastian Veron was a very good player. Then, for a few years, he was wasn’t so good. But recently, at 34-years-old and back playing for his hometown club, Estudiantes, the playmaker has recaptured his very best form.
The relationship between Veron and Estudiantes runs deep. His father, Juan Ramon Veron, played for the club for ten years during the 1960s and early 70s and scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the 1968 Intercontinental Cup final.
Veron jr. has always maintained his ties with the club. Whilst playing in Europe he contributed financially towards the development of the club’s infrastructure and training facilities. He also petitioned Argentina’s former-president, Nestor Kirchner, to develop the Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, to bring it in line with modern standards.
In terms of output, the midfielder’s languid style of play hasn’t become any more compelling since his time in England. He’s lost a yard of pace that he never really had and his contribution to defensive applications is still minimal. However, his passing ability, vision and awareness have all developed with age, and Estudiantes have built their team around him.
Veron is the conductor with everyone else moving to his tune. Strikers Mauro Boselli and José Luis Calderon feed off his through-balls and set-pieces with midfielders Matías Sánchez and Enzo Nicolás Pérez doing the leg-work in the centre of the pitch.
During his first season back at the club, Estudiantes won the Argentinean league championship for the first time since 1983. The following year they reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana (South America’s equivalent of the UEFA Cup), only losing to Brazilian side Corinthians after extra-time.
Veron’s performances both domestically and in continental competition led to him being named South American Footballer of the Year in 2008.
This season he has maintained that form, earning a recall to the Diego Maradona’s Argentina squad, and Estudiantes have just qualified comfortably for the knockout stages of the Copa Libatadores.
Alex Ferguson always gave short shrift to those who questioned Veron’s performances at Manchester United. “He's a fucking great player. You are all fucking idiots,” said the irate Scot. It turns out, eventually, that he is.