From Pele, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer to David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and now Lionel Messi, soccer in North America has been a late-career drop-in for many superstars.
The Canadian Premier League will not get that level of former megastar after only five years of existence, but it has stepped into that game on a relative basis with Spanish midfielder Alberto Zapater, former captain of La Liga side Real Zaragoza, signing with Atlético Ottawa through the remainder of the 2023 CPL season with an option for 2024.
The 2022 CPL-finalist Atlético Ottawa (3-6-2 in wins-losses-draws) is on the Island tonight to play league-leading Pacific FC (7-1-3) at 6:30 p.m. at Starlight Stadium but Zapater, who will be the oldest player in the CPL at 38, can’t play until after the summer transfer window opens July 5.
Zapater was on the Spain team in the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup that included eventual 2010 World Cup champions David Silva, Cesc Fàbregas and Fernando Llorente.
Although he never got the call-up to the senior national Spanish team, every soccer fan in Spain knows who he is as Zapater had a solid career in La Liga, reaching the Copa del Rey final, and also played in Serie A one season with Genoa for $6.5-million Cdn. and Russian Premier League with Lokomotiv Moscow. One of the best defensive midfielders during his prime, Zapater was nicknamed the “The Bull” by Diego Maradona.
“While I had offers in Spain, I chose not to continue playing there because Real Zaragoza is the club of my heart,” Zapater said in a statement.
“I wanted a new challenge, something entirely different from my past experiences. sa国际传媒 was among four countries where I received offers.”
Atlético Ottawa is owned by La Liga giant Atlético Madrid and that provided a somewhat familiar landing pad in North America.
Although the whole point of the CPL is to develop young Canadian talent, PFC head coach James Merriman said such moves could help the CPL if they are strategic.
“If you like the experience and character of the player, and the reasons for them coming at that point in their career, it could help young players and help the league and raise the awareness of the league,” said Merriman.
“The fact players like that are coming to the CPL is really important and shows we are credible and that somebody wants to come and be a part of it and help to build,” said Merriman.
Zapater will join an Ottawa lineup that includes former PFC players Ollie Bassett, the 2022 CPL MVP, and original Trident Noah Verhoeven. Although Bassett showed enticing flashes as part of the 2021 CPL-champion Tridents team, he really bloomed and came into his own last season in Ottawa. There are multiple reasons why players transfer teams, and it is not always possible to retain them, but Bassett is one PFC might rue, especially when Atlético Ottawa beat PFC in the playoff semifinals last year.
Not that PFC is hurting this season as the clear early class of the league and with a deep roster.
“We have the kind of depth you want, and need, in a team,” said Merriman. “It is incredibly competitive internally.”
Meanwhile, what could be more Canadian than playing the team from the nation’s capital in the sa国际传媒 capital on the eve of sa国际传媒 Day in a sport that is beginning to take some steps forward in this country?
“The growth of the CPL has been incredible in five years and young Canadian players are getting the kind of opportunities that had never existed before. Those players could have fallen out of the game but now they are pushing and are the future of our game,” said Merriman.
“The CPL is the best opportunity this country has had to be a true footballing nation and has helped the success of the national team and of players getting bigger moves and created more interest and awareness of the game across the country.”
