Geronimo Rulli: The Argentinean “arquero” at the forefront of recent success
By Callum Jones
It seems the Argentinean goalkeeper not only has a profound talent at catching and distributing the ball, but as of late a great reputation for catching headlines too. Geronimo Rulli has kicked off the 2022/23 season with a bang keeping four clean sheets out of a possible six so far; one of which was no mean feat as the Yellows came away with a 0–2 win against Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano on LaLiga Matchday 2.
Rulli’s breathtaking talent comes as no surprise though as he was a well-defined goalkeeper in LaLiga before moving to the Yellow Submarine. He transferred to Villarreal CF in the summer of 2020 and has been a pivotal figure being the star man in Villareal getting their hands on their first major trophy in the club’s history, the UEFA Europa League. Already continuing on to his legendary status at the club by scoring and saving the final penalty from David De Gea of Manchester United to claim the Europa League, Rulli has his eyes set on continuing the season on the front foot and stapling his spot in the Argentinean national team squad for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Geronimo Rulli joined Villarreal CF on the 4th September 2020 from his loan spell at Montpelier. He previously made 149 appearances for Real Sociedad where he solidified his name as a top goalkeeper in world football. He caught the eyes of many clubs all over the world from his early days in Argentina playing for Estudiantes. He then moved to Club Deportivo Maldonado where he went out on loan to Real Sociedad after making no appearances for the club. At this loan spell he caught the eyes of Manchester City before being loaned back to Real Sociedad.
Rulli was a part of the summer transfer window where he joined Villarreal CF alongside Dani Parejo, Takefusa Kubo and Francis Coquelin. He cost the club €5 million but it is safe to say he has already repaid his value from the two seasons he has been at the club and now into his third. Having put pen to paper on a four-year deal at the beginning, it was clear from the outset that this would be a signing for the future. At the time of signing the club’s CEO, Fernando Ruig Negueroles, claimed: “We think the best Rulli is yet to come.” And he wasn’t wrong.
At just 19 years of age Geronimo Rulli made his professional debut for Estudiantes making a name for himself quickly by setting a record of going 588 minutes without conceding a goal. Seems like it is becoming a habit for the man between the sticks.
Real Sociedad came calling a year later where he spent the following five years until 2019. Following the stint in France, Rulli explains how he finally feels happiness back in his game when he joined Villarreal CF. According to Rulli, he claimed it is the next step up in his career to represent such a prestigious club. At Villarreal he has made his biggest footballing accomplishment in winning the Europa League but accredited not only his physical skills on the pitch but the immense mental strength that he has as a goalkeeper. He took every set back in his stride and in the 2021/22 season in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Liverpool, the result was put on the shoulders of Rulli after a couple of mistakes that decided the game. Alongside his mental capacity he can really bring calmness to the situation as he broke his silence after that game to reassure people that Villarreal CF are taking the right big steps in their history and explaining that when you wear your heart on your sleeve there is no going back.
This mental strength has evidently been at the forefront of his success at the start of the 2022/23 LaLiga season as Rulli has only conceded two goals from six games this season. Rulli will be desperate to keep this form going ahead of the busy European and league campaigns heading into the World Cup. If he continues pulling off special, memorable moments throughout the season like his epic off-the-line last ditch save versus Atlético Madrid, he will certainly be on Lionel Scalonis plane heading to Qatar.
Geronimo Rulli is no stranger to representing his country having done so on three occasions so far, but having gotten his first call up to the Argentina squad in 2015. He did not feature until Scaloni took over the Argentina squad and he made his debut on 8th September 2018 in a friendly against Guatemala. He represented his nation at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio where he played all the group stage games. He will be looking to add to his caps as he battles against Emiliano Martinez for that spot in the starting eleven come the World Cup.
The 2022/23 season has only just begun and Rulli has proven how instrumental he is to Unai Emery’s history-making squad. After a solid start to LaLiga and as favourites to win this season’s UEFA Europa Conference League, could more success be just around the corner for the Yellows’ beloved Argentinean “arquero”?
