In this era of instant worldwide news and communication, it is hard to believe that not so long ago it was possible to create a completely false, but very public persona, which would completely fool otherwise sensible and hardheaded men and women for well over a decade.
Equally, it is also hard to understand how someone can be very publicly revered, worshiped, and declared the best ever in their chosen sport, yet remain completely anonymous and unknown outside a certain area or population, despite that sport being the most televised in the world.
Yet in recent times, it has been widely recognised that both of these things happened and their existence documented. The records exist and the eye witness testimony of some of the greatest names in world football is there to persuade the reader, the listener or the viewer that what seems totally impossible, actually happened.
This is the tale of two totally different men. One might be reluctantly admired for being such a blatant fake, a rogue and for pulling the wool over the eyes of numerous football clubs, their owners, managers and players.
The other?
To be honest, the other is possibly the greatest enigma in the history of sport, someone who would bring a tear to the most hardened football fan eye, and who would make you wonder – “just exactly what did I miss?”
At the same time it might be hard to find any player in the history of football who seems to have been loved and worshipped more deeply, and more personally, than “The invisible magician” described below.
But let’s start with football’s greatest con man!
Very few will be familiar with the name Carlos Henrique Raposo.
Born in Brazil in 1963, as a youth Carlos wanted nothing more than to live the life of a professional footballer and he would show remarkable dedication, determination, bravery, daring and, some would say, skill in achieving that ambition.
There was only one small problem.
Carlos could not play football, at least not to any decent professional standard, and to be honest, he didn’t really like football – but he fancied the lifestyle of money, adulation, cars, bars, girls, beaches and more girls, that professional footballers seemed to attract.
At the age of ten he was among the ranks of young hopefuls who were playing for Botofogo in Rio De Janeiro.
Between 1973 and 1977 he found himself playing football across the city in the youth ranks of Flamengo, and possibly it was here that he saw how senior players were lauded and treated by adoring fans. It was also at this time that he came into contact with some of Brazils greatest footballers and made friends with some who would go on to great professional careers in later years.
However, Carlos would not be among their ranks. He lacked the skill and ability which was so abundant in Brazil among the football mad youth of the day and Flamengo let him go.
Physically fit, athletic, good looking and extremely confident, Carlos spent two years without any club at all but all the while he was determined to live the lifestyle and so set about somehow achieving his dream.
It was said that he had a passing resemblance to the captain of West Germany and so Carlos ditched his surname and became Carlos Kaiser.
By 1979 he somehow found himself in Mexico training with Puebla FC . Where he had been for the previous two years was a bit of a mystery but the scouts somehow saw enough to offer young Kaiser a short term contract and so began the extraordinary footballing career of Carlos Kaiser the most famous footballer — to never play a single game!
Carlos stayed at Pueblo, who played in Mexico’s top division, for a few months before eventually being released. He never played in a match of any description for the club but he could now claim that he was a senior professional player and had the contract to prove it.
Armed with that “experience” Carlos Kaiser lived the life of a professional footballer for the next 11 years in the bars, nightclubs, restaurants, beaches and beds throughout South America and Europe without ever kicking a football in any kind of competition.
Any examination of the football records will show that over an 11 year period he was signed professionally by Puebla, Botofogo, Flamengo, Gazelec Ajaccio, Bangu, Fluminense, Vasco de Gama, El Paso Sixshooters, and America (RJ) between 1979 and 1990 and for each of these clubs he played precisely zero minutes of football.
For 11 years he lived the life of the playboy football star (longer than some real professionals ever lasted in the game) in Mexico, Brazil, Corsica and the United States.
He turned up at every single club looking fit, sounding eager, happy to train but determined NEVER to play.
At each club he would suffer an injury shortly after joining. Pulled muscles, torn hamstrings, tooth infections, and damaged toes all followed Kaiser wherever he went.
Yet at each club he somehow found doctors and dentists to back him up and report to the club on his injuries, and so the club concerned would pay him for months on end while he trained when he could yet was never fit enough to play.
Meanwhile, he lived the playboy lifestyle of a footballer. He befriended many top class footballers and hung out with them in the clubs, bars and beaches and he always had a string of good looking girls at his beck and call – as any young playboy footballer would?
But Carlos was not stupid.
He knew that eventually each club would get fed up with paying his wages for no return and so he carefully developed and honed the second and third parts of his plan to continue in football without ever playing.
He befriended local journalists and would get them to write stories saying that he was frustrated at this club or that, hinting that he was being kept out of the team partly because of injury and partly because he was just not a good fit for the club concerend.
The stories would always hint that he was performing well in training but could not get into the team.
In this way, other clubs were alerted that there was a star or potential star who might be available at the right price and the club concerned might be able to get him on the cheap and maybe sell him for profit further down the line.
At the same time, Carlos would hang around the latest club to be conned into paying his wages and would regularly be heard fielding phone calls from clubs who were supposedly interested in signing him. Except these calls were “taken” on fake mobile phones and there was no one else involved in any conversation at all.
It was just a coincidence that Kaiser always had to deal with these supposed calls within earshot of club directors or a manager.
They would hear Kaiser state clearly that he was not interested in a move, that his current club had treated him very well through injury and that he wanted to repay them for their loyalty so thanks – but no thanks.
As often as not, his existing club would pick up on this and offer to release him with regret and, of course, on payment of a suitable fee for terminating his contract early!
Carlos would pocket the money, bid the club farewell and thanks, and then go on to a new club with a new wage and possibly even a small signing on fee – but with no intention of playing for them at all! Ever!
By 1986, the wily Kaiser had moved to Europe joining French Division 2 Club Gazalec Ajaccio who played in Corsica. He had been recommended to the club by a friend who also played there. The new Brazilian star was presented to the fans at a training session and both management and spectators were keen to see him show of his skills.
Kaiser got around this problem and his obvious lack of skill by having a trainer pass him lots of balls which he then shot directly into to the crowd while kissing the club’s badge.
He was an instant hero!
Needless to say, within a year he was on his way back to Brazil having never played a game for the French side, but he arrived armed with a newspaper story which said that he had been in France for several years and was the top scorer for his side for eight seasons in a row!
Because he had never been seen on a football pitch in Brasil, and because Brazil is so vast, this piece of sheer fantasy somehow worked and he was signed by Bangu FC.
Here his fake injury scam nearly came unstuck because after a few months the club’s hard-nosed owner insisted on seeing Carlos Kaiser on the field of play as he was fed up paying the wages of a player who never played!
As a result, Kaiser was listed as a substitute for a senior game, and with his side losing two nil the owner told the manager to “get Kaiser on” as the club had nothing to lose.
The manager told Carlos to warm up and it appeared that after several years he might just be in danger of taking to the field of play.
However, Carlos Kaiser was not to be underestimated or found lacking in the sly as a fox department.
As he warmed up at the side of the pitch he heard some of his own club’s fans berating his team mates. Carlos immediately answered back, started shouting at the fans, became embroiled in a fight with his own spectators – and was sent off by the referee before even getting the chance to set foot on the pitch.
Problem solved!
He told the owner that the fans had called him a thief and insulted his honour – with the result that the owner extended his contract for another six months!
When his days at Bangu were over, he went to Fluminese but there his scams and fake phone calls were exposed by a trainer and he quickly moved on to Vasco da Gama as a squad player where he trained and gave help to a first team colleague who had a drink problem. As Carlos didn’t drink he was seen as a good mentor for the player concerned!
The fake newspaper stories and phonecalls continued always with a view to getting him a move elsewhere and always to an area where his past was difficult to check.
The stories included how, when he was at Puebla, he had been so good that he was asked to become a Mexican citizen so that he could play for the national team.
How he had played in Argentina at Talleres de Cordoba and Independiente having been brought to both clubs by a man named “Alejandro”, who was a friend of Jorge Burruchaga.
He also claimed that he was part of the squad that won both the 1984 Copa Libertadores and the 1984 Intercontinental Club by portraying himself as Carlos Enrique, an Argentinian player who was genuinely part of the squad.
Eventually he used his fake stories to get himself to the USA but after only a few months he returned to Rio and ended his “professional” career with America RJ.
Some of the clubs mentioned in this tale have huge fan bases, are very professionally run, and have fielded some of the greatest names in football in their sides at one time or another.
Yet for over a decade they were consistently hoodwinked by a wannabee playboy who hid in plain sight in the bars, nightclubs and beaches, and who was no stranger to newspapers and publicity.
It is astonishing to think that Carlos Kaiser got away with living the dream without ever playing a single game — but he did!
It is not surprising that no one knows his name because he never played a single game for anyone.
However, it is surprising that someone who did play, was regarded as a genuine footballing genius and is lauded by many of the greatest names in football is relatively unknown. Or is it?
In many great football cities there is a “third team” – one that is neither of the big two teams in the city concerned. A less fashionable and much poorer team when compared to the top clubs in the city.
In Argentina, one of the hotbeds of football, if not the hotbed, is the city of Rosario in the province of Santa Fe.
Sitting 300 hundred miles north west of Buenos Aries and with a population of 1.25 Million, the city boasts two of the biggest clubs in the country in Roasrio Central and Newell’s Old Boys.
Between them these two clubs have won 10 national championships, 9 national cups and one international competition.
Numerous city natives have represented Argentina at International level including a certain Lionel Messi.
Yet, possibly the most highly regarded, and locally famous footballer, did not play for his country because — well basically, he couldn’t be bothered!
He didn’t even play for one of the two big clubs and instead his most famous period came with the much less fashionable Central Cordoba which, to him at least, was the greatest club in the world situated in the greatest city in the world.
So great was his affection for his club and his city that he never wanted to leave no matter what offer came his way.
So great is the admiration for the man concerned, for his skill and legendary attitude, that in this city his name and portrait are painted on walls and his name is sung decades after he hung up his boots.
Who is the greatest player ever to play football?
In Rosario, even some of the fans of the big two clubs will tell you that the answer is easy.
The answer is “El Trinche” – Tomas Felipe Carlovich – to some the matador, or the Maradona who never was, and to a whole generation and more he was simply the invisible magician.
Carlovich was one of seven children born to Yugoslavian (Croatian) immigrants who had made their home in the Belgrano district of Rosario.
That district, or Barrio, would represent the boundaries of Tomas’ ambition and vision of himself. He loved the area and its people and never wanted to live, work or play anywhere else.
Born in 1946 Tomas loved to play football, but …… it could be said that he didn’t really want to be a professional footballer.
Unlike Carlos Kaiser, he definitely did not want to live the life of a professional footballer. He did not want the spotlight, the fame, the money, the nightclubs or the girls.
Instead, he would cut a Jesus like figure – tall, long haired, a little mystical, laid back like a hippy, no great pace, lacking physicality – but gifted with a football like you would not believe.
In later life he was asked about his attitude to football and about why he never “made it” on a bigger stage?
He replied: “What does it mean to ‘make it’? In truth I never had any other ambition than to play football. Above all, to stay close to my neighbourhood, my folks’ house, to stay with El Vasco Artola, one of my best friends who took me as a kid to play for Sporting Bigand… I’m a solitary person. When I played at Central Cordoba, if I could I would change by myself in the kitman’s office rather than the dressing room. I like peace and quiet.”
El Trinche literally means “The Fork” and even Carlovich himself is not sure where the nickname came from. Some say it is because a fork is a long thin instrument with even thinner legs or prongs – and that Carlovich looked like that when he played.
El Trinche should have, could have, played for Argentina but didn’t. He played only two games in the top flight of Argentinian Football, won no titles, no top class medals or awards, and yet the list of football greats who cite him as one of the greatest of all footballers is long and impressive.
Among them is Jose Pekerman the former manager of Argentina and Columbia who said that Carlovich was the greatest midfielder in the history of the game, the greatest footballing talent ever to come out of Argentina and was “The most marvelous player I have ever seen.”
When asked to name his all time best Argentinian 11, Pekerman put Carlovich at the heart of his midfield.
The list of who was left out of that team reads like a who’s who of football!
It is comments like that which have in part created the legend of El Trinche.
Like many South Americans, young Tomas honed his incredible skills in the street. At 15 he signed for one of the big two clubs in the city, Rosario Central, where he developed as an elegant, graceful, but slow, midfielder.
Carlos Griguol, a notoriously tough coach, gave him his first-team debut at 20. He played two games and was selected for a third, an away game in Buenos Aires, which meant a journey by bus for several hours to the country’s capital.
The story goes that on the day of the match Carlovich arrived early and boarded the bus with only the driver on board. He had got the departure time wrong and was told he would have to wait for about an hour for his team mates to arrive and for the bus to set off.
After about 10 minutes, he got off, said goodbye to the driver, turned his back on the club, went back home, and played that afternoon for the amateur club Rio Negro under an assumed name.
He never returned to Rosario Central or top flight football, and he never really explained why he got off that bus having got on it in the first place.
Later it would become clear that this son of a Yugoslav was only ever at home on the streets of Rosario and that the bright lights of Buenos Aires or international football held no allure for him at all.
His then manager Griguol was later asked about Carlovich and his departure from Central. “He was a phenomenon of a player,” said Griguol, “He had unique technical abilities but he did not succeed with me. He did not sacrifice – he preferred to go hunting or fishing! What a pity.”
Having walked out on Rosario Central at the age of 20, Tomas eventually joined the “third” club in his home city, the unfashionable Central Cordoba, for whom he scored twice on his debut, and played a total of 236 games in four separate spells, helping them twice earn promotion from the third division to the second.
It was mostly at this club, and briefly at one or two others, that he cemented his legend especially when he always returned to Central Cordoba.
“Many things have been said about me,” he said, “but the truth is that I never liked being far from my barrio, my parents’ house, the bar I used to go to, and my friends.”
It was for that reason that he never sought to move elsewhere.
So why, and how, did he become a footballing legend?
There is very little video footage of El Trinche in action, and the main piece was filmed when he was 42 at the time, and so his is a true word of mouth legend, relayed through stories told by those who were there to see him play, and by those who played with, and against, him.
The one piece of footage that exists shows an older player who clearly can’t run but who shows some amazing flashes of skill. However, perhaps the most remarkable thing it almost shows is a goal scored by the legendary Trinche.
Shaky footage shows him take a throw in, receive the ball back and apparently fire a volleyed shot at goal from the sidelines and some 35 yards out. There is an argument to say that the goalkeeper made a mess of the shot. Some, however, point out that the last thing anyone on the field expected was the big bearded player, who was as slow as a tractor, to suddenly shoot at goal from there.
Perhaps the keeper was caught out. The cameraman certainly was!
It was this kind of thing that created and furthered the legend of El Trinche!
However, surely much of what has been said about this mythical figure is precisely that – myth rather than fact?
Surely, it is not possible to be one of the greatest players in the world and to have only played for an unfashionable side in the lower leagues of Argentinian football?
Not so, say many journalists, ex players, managers and spectators. A billboard bearing his face and name in the city actually says “This was not a myth. This was the reality. El Trinche!
The El Trinche who played for Cordoba Central would become famous for being able to read the game in the middle of the park, for pinpoint 40 yard passes delivered with ease and without seemingly trying, and for amazing dribbling skills for a big man who stood, but rarely ran, with his socks rolled down, his shirt unbuttoned, and looking for all the world like a displaced hippy.
Reports say the he liked to sit and dictate the game, with his speed of thought and vision more than making up for his lack of pace. He once talked about how, before receiving the ball, he would imagine controlling it and passing it where and when he wanted to. He apparently saw moves and passes that others couldn’t, or didn’t see until much later, and he had the ability to make the seemingly impossible or unforeseeable happen.
With his unusual appearance and stature, the crowds loved him.
Perhaps one of the most famous legends surrounding Carlovich was his ability to perform what became known as “The Double Nutmeg” on an opponent whereby he stuck the ball through the legs of his opposite number only to drag it back through the legs again before the bewildered player knew what was happening.
This phenomenon became so regular an occurrence that it was rumoured that Tomas was being paid a bonus every time he preformed the trick. Crowds flocked to see him play and so it was entirely feasible that he was financially encouraged to nutmeg as many opponents as possible.
Of course, all of this might be understandable and explainable against lower division opponents, but surely El Trinche could not shine and show off in this way against top class opposition?
Well, the growing legend would reach stratospheric heights on the evening of 17th April 1974.
The Argentinian National Team were in full preparation for the forthcoming World Cup which was to be held in West Germany.
Part of that preparation was to play a friendly against a Rosario select – a team which would feature 5 players from Rosario Central (who were champions that year) and 5 from Newall’s Old Boys.
The joint managers of the regional select team were Juan Carlos Montes and the same Carlos Griguol who Tomas had walked out on years before.
It was suggested to Griguol and Montes that the regional select team should not just consist of players from the two big clubs in Rosario, and so Montes made a suggestion to Griguol; “How about the big number 5 from Central Cordoba? Carlovich?”
And that is how it came to pass that “El Trinche” took to the field one evening, with team mates he had never played with before, to play against a team of Argentinian Internationals which included Ruben Ayala, Rene Houseman, Daniel Bertoni, Alberto Tarantini, Ramon Heredia and Pancho Sa – who would become the most decorated player in the history of the Copa Libertadores.
It would be the first and last time that many of these players would share a field with Carlovich and it would be an experience they would never forget and were never allowed to forget.
Among his team mates that evening was a young Mario Kempes and the regional side also fielded some very good local players including Carlos Aimer of Rosario Central who was to become a huge Carlovich fan.
Before the match, the World Cup squad did not really have anything to fear in a regional friendly match, even although they were playing against top flight colleagues and an as yet relatively unknown big hippy.
However, the inclusion of that hippy had caught the imagination of the local press and one headline of the time predicted that El Trinche would test La Selección as the National side were known.
As it turned out, Tomas Felipe Carlovich did not test the national side — he tore it to shreds!
The story goes that by half time the regional team were leading two nil with El Trinche wandering about the midfield dominating and humiliating the most famous footballers in the country.
At one point the ball came to Carlovich. Pancho Sa, the most experienced and successful defender in Argentina went to close him down.
Carlovich nutmegged him.
The crowd knew what was coming but Sa didn’t.
Carlovich checked back and nutmegged him in reverse.
The stadium erupted and went wild.
Radio commentator Hector Vidana describing the match spoke of “the dance of the Rosarinos.” with Carlovich conducting the orchestra.
Legend has it that the Argentinian manager, Vladislao Cap, and senior members of the National Football Association asked that Carlovich be substituted at half time lest he further humiliate the national team and cause lasting psychological damage to the nation.
What is absolutely true is that at half time the Argentinian manager did ask “Just who is that number 5?”
Some reports say he never played the second half but in actual fact he was withdrawn 15 minutes into the second period by which time the damage had been done and the headlines written. The national team never recovered and eventually suffered a 3 – 1 defeat after young Kempes scored a third for the select – a goal which possibly persuaded the national coach to take him to Germany – and La Selección scored a consolation goal towards the end.
Kempes had played very well, and was undoubtedly one for the future, but he had not been the star of the show – and everyone knew who had.
The front page of one newspaper the next day showed a picture of El Trinche with a headline “Carlovich: El que la rompio contra la seleccion” – The one who broke the National team. The headline became so famous that it is still repeated and printed on posters and t-shirts over 45 years later.
For the next few years the legend of El Trinche grew and grew and stories about him abounded.
He was never the most punctual at turning up for training and it is said that he overslept for one game and so had to be collected from his home as a matter of urgency by the team bus on the way to the match. Apparently he got on the bus still half asleep and wearing just his underpants. The game ended with a one nil win with underpant man scoring the winner.
On another occasion the game took place in searing heat which was virtually unbearable. The story goes that one part of the pitch was in the shade and so Carlovich took the ball there and, either on his own or with the occasional help of one other team member, kept it in the small shaded area for fully ten minutes to the frustration of everyone with the referee having to eventually halt play and ask him to resume a proper game of football.
During another match he supposedly back heeled the ball into the air suddenly taking out the entire opposition midfield and so laid on a goal for a team mate.
At every possible opportunity he nutmegged away to his heart’s content and occasionally sat on the ball just to have a rest, although he insisted this was never a sign of disrespect to anyone.
His performances for Cordoba Central attracted more and more attention.
But at the back of it all, Tomas Felipe Carlovich just didn’t want to be a “professional” footballer in the true modern sense of that word. He enjoyed playing the game, and having fun while doing so, but he never took the whole thing too seriously and he had other things to do such as go fishing and spend time with friends and family. That was what was important – not football.
In 1976, Carlovich joined Independiente Rivadavia in Mendoza, 500 miles to the west. He hated it, but while there was crowned “The King of Mendoza” by the local people for a series of brilliant performances. One Saturday, however, he was playing a game but wanted to get back home early so he deliberately got himself sent off just before halftime and ran straight out of the stadium to catch a bus back to Rosario in time for Mother’s Day!
In October 1974 Cesar Luis Menotti was appointed as the manager to the Argentinian national team. Menotti was a clear footballing romantic and believed that Argentina could win the world cup in 1978 by playing fabulous football with really gifted players.
The chain smoking manager had played for Rosario Central and had been a coach at Newell’s Old Boys. He had also played with Pele at Santos in Brazil before ending his career with Juventus in Italy. Known as “El Flaco” meaning “the thin one” in his playing days, “Skinny” Menotti came to the international job knowing that his side did not have to qualify for the tournament as they were the host nation and so he had some leeway in building a squad which he thought would beat the best in the world while representing the best image of Argentinian football and thrilling the home crowds.
By 1976 The Skinny One had started to entertain the idea of El Trinche wearing the national colours in the midfield of his entertaining side, even although he played in the lower divisions of the Argentinian league and had absolutely no experience at anything like World Cup level.
Despite this, Menotti was of the view that El Trinche’s undoubted skill demanded he be included in the squad at least.
Speaking of Carlovich the National manager later said “Carlovich is one of those kids whose unique toy has been a ball since they were born. Watching him playing football was impressive. It was a delight to watch Carlovich play, he had so much ability on the ball,”
However, the world cup of 1978 was not to be for Carlovich. Menotti had a strong array of talent to pick from but he never got the chance to somehow fit the fabulous “El Trinche” into the national team. At the mere mention of Tomas’ name, Menotti’s deeply lined and craggy face breaks into a smile, he looks a little amazed, shakes his head in bewilderment and explains “I picked him for the national team – but he didn’t show up! I can’t remember if he had gone fishing or was on an island but his excuse was that he couldn’t get back because the river level was too high!”
And that was the end of that!
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this incident with Menotti is that in several interviews Carlovich says he can’t even remember being called up to the National squad but adds “If Menotti says it happened then it probably did!”
Menotti never called on him again but clearly remained an unfaltering devotee of Carlovich’s seemingly supernatural skills if not his temperament and complete inability to get from A to B on time.
Others too wanted Carlovich to play for them. It is said that AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Pele’s New York Cosmos all wanted Carlovich to play for them at one point or another, but he was never going to leave Rosario.
The approach from Milan came after the Rossoneri played a match against a third division side from Mendosa called Andes Talleres while on a tour of Argentina.
The Italian champions had remained unbeaten on their tour and as part of a local festival in Mendosa, which celebrated the links between the area and Italy, Milan took to the field against Andes in a match which turned out to be anything but “friendly”.
El Trinche agreed to appear as a guest player for Andes and so lined up against a squad which included household names such as Capello, Rivera, Antonelli and a 19 year old central defender called Franco Baresi.
In one of its most famous victories, little Andes Talleres defeated the Italian champions by three goals to two in front of 6,000 fans. As for the performance of El Trinche, he only came on for the second half, made two goals, and the reports of the day noted that he gave young Baresi a “torrid time” from the moment he took to the field.
The match became so heated that Milan had two players sent off and perhaps coincidentally, this match would be the last time the great Gianni Rivera would ever pull on the famous black and red shirt to appear in Milan’s midfield.
Carlovich was named man of the match, was reaffirmed as the King of Mendoza and was the subject of an immediate enquiry from the Italians.
It is clear from the newspaper reports that during the game he made glorious passes, nutmegged his Italian opponents, and was once again the star of the show. When asked about the game he himself said that while he hadn’t scored he had had “a little fun”!
Carlovich played for Colon de Santa Fe and Deportivo Maipu between 1977 and 1979 but he always wanted back to Rosario and so he returned to Cordoba Central in 1980 before retiring in 1983, only to come back and then retire again in 1986.
Despite retiring from the professional game, he continued to play in “local” games in and around his barrio, while working as a bricklayer until osteoporosis made both impossible. In Rosario large crowds came to see him play even though he was now older and slower than ever. Such was the pull and the magic of El Trinche.
In fact, he was so popular in his hometown that when he needed surgery doctors and surgeons agreed to treat him for nothing although a benefit evening featuring two exhibition matches was arranged to help pay for treatment. The great and the good of Argentinian football turned up to play and pay their respects to El Trinche.
The crowds again sung his name and to this day they sing of El Trinche even although many of them never saw him play.
Over the years, numerous articles have been written about this tall long haired myth and the man himself has been interviewed by Argentinian television on numerous occasions. He is seen still sporting a shaggy head of hair, now turned to gray, and walking with a slight limp. The older Carlovich has often been asked to reminisce about his playing days and his career.
He says he was always happy just to play in Rosario and never wanted to be anywhere else. He explains that he was always shy, tended to socialise with lifelong friends from his neighbourhood and liked a quiet life away from the limelight. Not for him the flashy playboy life craved by Carlos Kaiser.
However, in later years TV cameras catch a journalist asking a somewhat frail Trinche if there was anything he would change about his career, anything he would do differently?
For the fist time ever there is a tinge of obvious regret.
“No,” he said, voice wavering. “No, sir, don’t ask me that.” He bites his lower lip. “No, not that.” Then tears fall from his eyes. Nobody had realized before that he eventually felt regret, that he wondered what he might have achieved, what could have been, and that there had ultimately been a cost to pay for always playing locally and loving his home town so much.
Yet there is footage of Carlovich dinning with his former Cordoba Central team mates and other “local” players which shows that he was clearly loved and admired as both a footballer and a person.
Stories are told of his skill and outrageous play which he dismisses with unaffected and genuine modesty among the laughter of his former team mates.
He has always remained a simple modest man and long after he retired from playing he could be found sitting on the terraces with other fans to watch his beloved Cordoba Central.
Today in Rosario, you will find the legend of El Trinche lives on. His face is to be found on murals, posters, numerous T shirts and sweatshirts, mugs, computer sleeves, phone and ipad covers, babygrows, and even facemasks. Many fans of Cordoba Central have El Trinche tattoos.
Full Songs are dedicated to him and during matches crowds sing “Ole, Ole Ole Ole, El Trinche, El Trinche”.
In bars and cafes, old and young debate who is the greatest player ever to come from Rosario. Is it the six times Balon D’or winner Lionel Messi with his clutch of Spanish Championships, Champions League medals and International caps – or the languid six foot bearded hippy from the barrio who won nothing and never played for his country because he had gone fishing or got lost in a boat?
It is hard for the young to comprehend how there can even be a debate or competition, but those who saw El Trinche in his prime are adamant that he had, and still has, no equal.
He is described as a cross between Requelme and Redondo in playing style and others such as Veron, Villa, Ardilles, Simeone, Valdano, Mascherano, and all other “greats” are dismissed as not being worthy of mention in the same breath.
Such is the devotion to this enigmatic lower league player.
Yet this devotion and adulation is not merely the fond myth or fantasy of fans who watched him play. Some of the great names in football also swear by the legend of El Trinche. Cesar Luis Menotti, Jose Pekerman and Marcelo Bielsa — three former Argentina managers — all testify to his greatness with Bielsa in particular reported to have followed him for years just to watch his skills and technique.
Jorge Valdano, another international manager, said of Carlovich that he was “the symbol of a romantic football that practically does not exist anymore.” while others such as Mario Kempes talk in terms of wonder at his skills.
Carlos Aimar, one of his teammates in that famous Rosario select when asked to describe what El Trinche could do with the ball once said “He did things that were against the law of gravity,”.
However, the legend of El Trinche reached new heights in 1993.
After 9 years in Europe with Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla, Diego Armando Maradona returned to his native country and signed for Newell’s Old Boys of Rosario.
The 91 times capped World Cup winner, who would later be voted joint winner of Fifa’s player of the 20th century, was introduced at a press conference where a journalist welcomed “the best player in the world” to Rosario.
Maradona, who is not noted for his humility or want of confidence in his own abilities, responded immediately. “The best player in the world has already played in Rosario. His name was Carlovich.”
Last year, the same Diego Maradona paid a visit to the home of the septuagenarian and once again furthered the legend of El Trinche by giving Tomas a signed shirt which also bore a hand written message saying “Trinche, you were better than me!”
The fact that there is even a comparison with Messi or Maradona tells you everything you need to know. El Trinche was no myth.
Sadly, the legend of this mythical man has since been further strengthened by the tragic events of 6th May 2020. Riding his bicycle in his beloved home town, Tomas Felipe Carlovich was violently attacked by two men who wanted to steal the new bicycle he was riding. He was knocked to the ground, suffered concussion and fell into a coma.
His fame is such that the attack made the National news in Argentina, and when he died two days later on 8th May there was a genuine sense of National mourning – quite remarkable for a footballer who had only ever played in the lower leagues of Argentinian Football.
Numerous television programmes featuring all sorts of famous guests have devoted time to the skill, persona and the influence of El Trinche. Newspapers from Buenos Aires to Bengal have carried obituaries and football magazines and blogs the world over have dedicated articles to this “unknown” player.
Alberto Tarantini (who was given the job of marking El Trinche on that famous night in 1974), Mario Kempes, Daniel Passarella, Pancho Sa, Daniel Bertoni and numerous others have all spoken about the football player who they all say was simply outstanding.
Tarantini in particular talks about Carlovich as being truly special and barely tries to hide his feelings “As a footballer he was incredible. I played in that famous game in 1974. Few games were left in my memory to see a footballer play the way the Trinche did that day. From the time he entered the field until they took him off, he gave a soccer masterclass, of technique, of personality. He was impressive, the complete example of what a classic Argentine soccer player is. I looked at him that night, his size and build, his skill and technique. He looked and played like a hero. He was a beautiful bohemian whom we are going to miss greatly – and his death was murder, plain and simple, an act of barbarism — all for a bicycle!”
Describing that same night Kempes says simply “His death is a real disgrace but I want to remember his essence. That night, he dazzled – absolutely dazzled!”
Sanch Pa, who fell victim to the double nutmeg added “The greatest thing about El Trinche? He gladdened people’s hearts. I had never seen him before that night but had heard about him. He was a legend of Rosario Football.”
In 2015, Carlos Kaiser signed a deal with a production company who made a documentary film about the most famous footballer to never play a game. It has no doubt brought him a degree of fame, if not infamy, and he continues to make money out of a game he never played.
In Rosario, Kaiser could walk down the street wearing a suit made of lightbulbs and no one would recognise him or bat an eye. His name will never be sung from the terraces and he will soon be forgotten.
In the same city, there are portraits, cartoons and murals of a long haired, sometimes bearded, man who never sought fame or fortune, or wanted the glamour and lifestyle so craved by Carlos Kaiser.
His name will never be forgotten here or indeed anywhere where football is played in Argentina.
In a time where football has become a business full of agents, contracts, sponsorships, image rights and lucrative endorsements, generations of football fans mourn the loss of a player who represented none of those things and had no interest in them.
He was from the Barrio or neighbourhood, where as a kid you don’t dream of wealth or status but just want to play football in a certain way – a classic way. It is said that in the entire history of the sport, Carlovich had a unique relationship with the ball and could make it do anything — when he wanted to.
It would appear that he certainly had a unique relationship with football and football fans in Argentina and in Rosario in particular.
This was a player, and a man, whose appearance, style, skill and demeanor made the crowd roar, brought a smile to the face and caused footballing romantics like Cesar Luis Menotti to grin, shrug his shoulders, and give a simple wondrous shake of the head which said more than a thousand words.
For those of us who never knew of El Trinche, believing in his legend can be no more than an act of faith. There are no detailed records, no videos, and only occasional newspaper reports and mostly regional newspaper reports at that.
However as one commentator put it you have to believe, accept the reports of those who saw and who witnessed, even if their recollections are exaggerated with the passage of time. Pekerman, Aimar, Valdano, Menotti, Bielsa, Tarantini, Kempes, Pa, Bertoni, Passarella and even Maradona (a virtual galaxy of Argentinian football) and many more, all subscribe to the El Trinche legend.
However, the final words go to his friend Daniel Killer who played for both Rosario Central and for Newall’s Old Boys, was part of the Rosario select when they defeated La Seleccion, and who was part of the victorious Argentina squad of 1978.
Killer and his brother Mario, who also played for Rosario, come from the Belgrano Barrio just as Trinche did.
“In Belgrano, most folk don’t talk about Maradona or Messi, they talk, and always talked, of Trinche. When he had the ball no one could get it from him. But sometimes you wanted to kill him. He would never train, sometimes he wouldn’t even show up unless someone went to collect him. I know of occasions when he was collected and appeared just with his boots. No towel or anything, no shin pads, no bandages, just boots.”
“I remember playing with him one day at Santa Clara in Bella Vista (a local ground) and there were all these people coming with wooden chairs which folded up so they could just sit and watch him play. They would ask “Does La Trinch play?” – that is what they called him — it was like taking Messi or even Diego to a local match.”
As the legend of Carlovich grew during his career, celebrities and others would simply turn up, sometimes driving many miles, just to see him play and be able to say they saw him play.
“He could do anything with the ball – but you had to run for him! He was all pure skill and only wanted to play with the ball. He wasn’t interested in anything else.”
When asked what Carlovich would be “worth” in the modern game Killer simply couldn’t tell you. “He had an innate talent – God given- worth? Who knows? Diego says Trinche was a better player than he was…….”
However, it is when Killer (known as “The Horse” in his playing days) talks about Carlovich the man, and the circumstances of his death, the true emotion comes out.
“For me they did not recognize him. He went out with the new expensive bicycle that a friend gave him instead of the old one everyone knew he had. Maybe if he was on the old bike nothing would have happened? He was wearing a hood so they didn’t recognise him and everyone knew and loved Trinche. He was a really special person. That blow was so strong that he fell passed out and went into an induced coma. He was a very dear person, he did not hurt anyone and he never changed. We would meet every Friday for lunch and he would never even lock the door of his flat or secure the old bike. His face and legend is everywhere but he never sought to make any money from that.”
Some footballers are instantly recognised or as soon as their names are spoken everyone knows you are talking about a famous player. The really great ones are often known by just one name whether that be a surname or a christian name. In Argentina there only ever was one Trinche – Tomas Felipe Carlovich – the reluctant footballer, the beautiful bohemian, and the invisible magician.
That title “Invisible Magician” possibly stems from that night where he pulled the Argentina National team apart and left the field of play after 15 minutes of the second half.
It was the greatest performance of his life playing against world class players who had never seen or even heard of him before, and playing with players he had never played with. It was a night which could have led to great things and substantial riches for El Trinche if he had been a more commercial person.
When the final whistle went, many of those players – even those of the national squad – and virtually all of the press who were present, wanted to meet and speak to the hero of the night who had produced such magic on the football field -The fabulous El Trinche.
They were to be disappointed.
As soon as he was substituted, Carlovich took of his boots, showered, threw on his sandals and left the ground without saying a word to anyone. He had played well, was satisfied with his night and had “had some fun”.
By the time the final whistle went he was sitting down to dinner with his friends in the Barrio. The magician had indeed disappeared into the night and was nowhere to be seen!
Until now you may never have heard his name and never knew he existed. He may have never left his home city or traveled very far , but his legend – his very real and verifiable legend – continues to travel right around the world and is stronger than ever in Rosario.
He will always be identified by that one name — not even his own name– El Trinche – or even just Trinche – Tomas Felipe Carlovich – The invisible magician and the greatest footballer you had probably never heard of.
Until now.
Strandsky Tales & Stories 