Name: Fernando Edgar Galetto
Nickname: "El Conde de Monte Cristo"
Country:
ArgentinaClub: San Lorenzo / Panathinaikos
Shirt Number: 5
Position: ★DMF
Side: RF/BS
Age: 24-29 years (13/03/1971)
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Attack: 72
Defence: 73
Balance: 84
Stamina: 80
Top Speed: 72
Acceleration: 74
Response: 82
Agility: 71
Dribble Accuracy: 83
Dribble Speed: 73
Short Pass Accuracy: 84
Short Pass Speed: 78
Long Pass Accuracy: 81
Long Pass Speed: 77
Shot Accuracy: 67
Shot Power: 78
Shot Technique: 68
Free Kick Accuracy: 62
Swerve: 68
Header: 76
Jump: 78
Technique: 85
Aggression: 68
Mentality: 78
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team work: 84
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition/Fitness: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 4
Weak Foot Frequency: 4
Consistency: 5
Growth type: Standard
CARDS:
P02 - Anchor Man
S02 - Passer
S05 - 1-Touch Play
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Playmaking - Passing - 1-Touch Pass - Centre
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Balanced
INFO:
Fernando Galetto is an Argentine former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in Monte Cristo, Córdoba (13/03/1971), one could argue that Galetto started his professional career by chance. After failed tryouts at Instituto at 14 years old, Galetto did not play in the youth ranks of any club in his native Córdoba until he was 18 when the local baker recommended him to try out for Racing de Córdoba, where he would stand out from the other young players and would sign for the Nueva Italia team. At the age of 19 he was already part of the first team, he spent the entire Racing season in the B Nacional playing as a starter and a year later he was sold to the Córdoba giant, Talleres, where he debuted in the First Division. In 1993 he arrived at Lanús, his first team outside of Córdoba, where he established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the second category, and a very short time after, he received a call from San Lorenzo, one of the traditional big teams in Argentina. In San Lorenzo, Galetto would quickly become an idol, being one of the pillars of the 1995 champion team, which won the league for the blue-and-red institution after 21 years of not winning it. He played 5 years at San Lorenzo until 1999 when he was sold to Panathinaikos in Greece, where he would play the 99/00 season as a starter and make his debut in the Champions League, playing against clubs of the caliber of Manchester United and Real Madrid. Panathinaikos remembers him fondly as the author of a goal in a derby against Olympiakos in the 2000 season. After losing ground in Panathinaikos, and with his body already deteriorating, in 2002 he returned to Argentina to retire with Lanús, a club that had served him in his youth as a showcase to show himself to the world of football. He also had a brief stint at Racing de Córdoba in 2004, at the request of a close friend who asked him to come back from retirement. In Racing de Córdoba he would put an end to an illustrious professional career.
Ahead of his time, Galetto was what they called in Argentina "a galley-and-cane number five", meaning a very elegant midfielder. At a time when the only functions of a defensive midfielder were to cut off the opponent's advance and get the ball out of the way as quickly as possible, Galetto stood out as an excellent passer of the ball, in addition to having great vision to distribute it. Although defense was never his strong suit, he worked on it over the years: he took over very well with the center backs, over time his marking improved a lot and he was not afraid to go to the floor to recover the ball, and also, due to his size, he was a very strong midfielder. In San Lorenzo he used to play every game, he had a lot of endurance and physical condition; the problem with his body began in Greece, since Panathinaikos played games much more often than San Lorenzo, leaving the players little time for training and consequently, deteriorating Galetto's physical condition, who would eventually stop having game time in Greece. He didn't go up much in attack, he dedicated himself entirely to orchestrating the game from the back of the field. Possessor of exquisite technique as well as very good teamwork, he had many comparisons due to his playing style to Claudio Marangoni, and some others to Fernando Redondo. In San Lorenzo, he is remembered as one of the best quality midfielders to have ever played for the team, and after Roberto Telch, many people consider The Count of Monte Cristo as the best number five to have passed through the institution.
Spoiler: show
C.A. Racing (1991 - 1992) - 38 games, 0 goals.
C.A. Talleres (1992 - 1993) - 37 games, 1 goal.
C.A. Lanús (1993 - 1994) - 33 games, 1 goal.
San Lorenzo (1994 - 1999) - 161 games, 2 goals.
Panathinaikos (1999 - 2002) - 89 games, 2 goals.