Hero of the Day: Emmanuel Culio

By: Daryl | September 16th, 2008

Yes, the Champions League is all about the big names. Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, Francesco Totti, Steven Gerrard, Kaka and so on and so on. The reason we love the Champions league is that we get to see these guys go head to head.

But equally good, perhaps even better, is when some guy you’ve never heard of appears from nowhere to grab the headlines. Which is exactly what CFR Cluj’s tiny Argentine attacking mid Emmanuel Culio did today. At time of writing Emmanuel Culio’s Wikipedia entry was just two sentences long. But pretty soon someone will be adding a paragraph about the 25 year old scoring both goals as CFR Cluj beat Roma on their Champions League group stage debut. Goals after the jump.

Cristian Panucci had given Roma the lead at home with a 17th minute header, but Culio equalized in the 29th with this laser guided left footed strike:

The second replay shows just how perfectly placed it was, smack in the corner.

And then the winner in the 50th minute, lashing home a left footed volley:

Incredible start to Cluj’s campaign, with an away win over Roma that no one saw coming. Odds on a Cluj win were 10/1.

And while Culio isn’t quite up there with Kaka and C-Ron just yet, think it’s safe to say the football world will be paying closer attention to him in the future.

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Category: Champions League

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Cheeseman

to Mikhail: I highly doubt he will go to dynamo moscow unless you pull out 10 million euro which is his current price.
Mikhail

We'll get him in few months. He should be a good acquisition for our Championes League debut.

Dynamo Moscow forever!!!
John From Mundo

Sorry for writing in English.

But well, what can I say about Cluj? Perhaps one of many reason that why football is a beautiful game.

I'm happy many of the Argentine players in the team. That goal from Culio simply marvelous! beautiful! sensational!

Now everyone in the world will know jusu a bit more about them. But most importantly, other will take notice of this and take them seriously. That is for sure.

Anyway, enough from me. What about your opinion/comment about their performance? How far do you think they can go?

http://mundoalbiceleste.blogsp...
a fan from romania

i am from romania and i am not a cfr cluj fan, but culio is one of the best players in our championship. it is wonderful to watch him play, he's brilliant! the former coach of cfr, ioan andone, didn't give him much credit but the new one, an italian, maurizio trombetta, has considered him his first name of the team and culio thanked him last night with two goals. there are three more players, at least, that you will hear about again: trica, stancioiu and tony.
Laurie

I am taking note of the fact that it is Daryl and not RomaChris who wrote this post.