The Legend of EL FLACO
In 2018, Orlando Gill was playing amateur football and wondering if his dream had already slipped away. As recently as last year, he was merely the backup goalkeeper at San Lorenzo de Almagro in the Argentine Football League.
Today, he is the man who helped eliminate Germany from the World Cup.
The 6’6 Paraguayan goalkeeper has authored one of the great stories of this tournament. After standing tall through 120 exhausting minutes, Gill became a national hero in the penalty shootout, making the decisive saves that sent Paraguay into the round of 16 and one step closer to immortality.
The journey here has been anything but straightforward.
There were times when football barely paid the bills. Gill’s wife once revealed that he sold some of his equipment so the family could afford food while their son fought for his life in the hospital. For years he struggled for recognition in Paraguay and eventually moved to Argentina in search of an opportunity.
That opportunity arrived by pure chance.
San Lorenzo had been pursuing Keylor Navas but financial difficulties prevented the move. With no new goalkeeper arriving, manager Miguel Russo handed Gill an unexpected opportunity. He took it with both of his big ol hands and never gave it back, establishing himself as the club’s No. 1. His teammates affectionately called him El Flaco which means “The Skinny” or “The Lean One” because of his tall lanky build and stretch-armstrong shot stopping abilities.
Now the rest of the world knows his name.
From amateur footballer to reserve goalkeeper to World Cup giant killer, El Flaco has become the face of Paraguay’s remarkable run. Every tournament produces a folk hero, a player whose story reminds us why the World Cup captures the imagination like nothing else.
This summer, that hero wears gloves and a shiny purple shirt.
