The Peruvian who rejected Real Madrid, burned money for fun and died in poverty

There was a Peruvian player who could have put on the Real Madrid shirt, however he rejected them because he did not want to travel through the Atlantic and leave his family. It's Valeriano López, a lethal striker in the area. Valeriano became so successful that he even smoked dollars, he didn't need the money, he made a credit for a poem told by Arturo Corcuera.

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What ebony whirlwind is that that advances overwhelmingly with a turban of goals on his head?

There is no wall that comes out in front of it

Demolishing barriers,

Cannoning with the head,

Man goal of glittering helmet,

The 'Casma Tank' Valeriano López,

And his buddy Barbadillo

Grass and barley carnal

Drinking all the dew of the meadows

Where will we go to look for them?

According to information from La República: "(Valeriano López) was crowned as top scorer of the tournament for three consecutive years, achieving 62 goals in 53 games." This caught the attention of Santiago Bernabéu, president at the time of Real Madrid. He offered him a contract with Real Madrid, but Valeriano López decided to reject it, something he surely regretted later because he was not only able to achieve sporting glory, but also secure his future financially, for him and his family. Even according to information from Infobae, Santiago Bernabéu himself went looking for the Peruvian: "I went to look for Valeriano, because I had never seen such an extraordinary header, but then I came back for Alfredo. And I'm not complaining... because he gave me five European Cups."

Valeriano López, after his days in sports, ended up in poverty because he wasted his money according to Trome. "When he retired from football, he suffered severe economic shortcomings. In his last years he spent it hospitalized in the Carrión del Callao Hospital for a kidney condition and poor nutrition," the media stressed.

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How Valeriano López justified his fall after soccer

"It's because of the fame I've had. When I walked through the streets, people stopped me. Most of them invited me to have a drink. I couldn't despise them. Then came another and another glass. Until a real drunkenness is reached," Valeriano López told the Peruvian media. The striker lost his life at the age of 69.