The jump with scale of Taty Castellanos, the new offensive reference of Girona

MLS has long been an elephant graveyard, yet another alluring destination where world soccer stars could choose to end their careers (with deep pockets) ever since David Beckham gave soccer a boost in 2007 with his signing by Los Angeles Galaxy.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
14 August 2022 Sunday 15:02
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The jump with scale of Taty Castellanos, the new offensive reference of Girona

MLS has long been an elephant graveyard, yet another alluring destination where world soccer stars could choose to end their careers (with deep pockets) ever since David Beckham gave soccer a boost in 2007 with his signing by Los Angeles Galaxy. But something has changed in recent years.

The growth of the North American league – with an average age younger than many of the major competitions – is ideal for getting a feel for it, a showcase for young Latin Americans who can make a stopover in the United States before making the leap, sometimes abruptly, to Europe. This is the case of Valentín Taty Castellanos, a footballer already shot (23 years old) on whom the responsibility for the goal in Girona will fall on his return to Primera, with Stuani's permission.

Not even three weeks ago he set foot in the Catalan city for the first time and the Argentine striker has already made a good impression. He added three goals in his first games as a rojiblanco (Andorra, Bolívar and Napoli). He arrives in a very good physical tone because the MLS does not stop in the summer. With 22 goals, he was the top scorer in the competition last year with New York City, a club that belongs to the City Football Group like Girona itself – he is on loan until the end of the season – and in the current one he had scored 13 in 17 games.

After four years in the Big Apple, he felt it was time to prove himself in one of the big leagues. Pep Guardiola had blessed that he crossed the pond at the end of 2021, when Taty was proclaimed cup champion.

The tentacles of the City Football Group, owned by Abu Dhabi royal family member Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, keep the company's clubs interconnected. For that reason Quique Cárcel, sports director of Girona, followed him from his time at Montevideo City Torque, where he advanced his position to striker and began to emerge as a scorer. He had previously had to emigrate to Chile as he had no opportunities in his country – he had been discarded by River Plate and Lanús.

Uruguay catapulted him to New York, where he landed attracted by Domènec Torrent, Guardiola's right-hand man at Barça, Bayern and City. There he continued to grow in Mendoza until joining another club of the business group. The Americans rejected succulent offers from the Premier, benefiting their sister club, Girona, accustomed to feeding off Manchester City. Without going any further, this season has the transfers of Yangel Herrera and Yan Couto.

Discovered by the late Leopoldo Luque (world champion with Argentina in the '78 World Cup), he owes his nickname to the sound that the horn of his stroller made when he was little. He called all of him "taty". At the Mestalla today against Valencia (7:30 p.m.), and in the League this season, Taty wants to start making noise.