Igor Lichnovsky returns to Universidad de Chile after 12 years away

Twelve years is a long time. Long enough for a 20 year old to pack his bags, long enough to build a career abroad, and above all, long enough that the urge to come home never quite fades away. That is exactly what Igor Lichnovsky went through. On Monday he finally stood in front of the microphones as a new player for Universidad de Chile, even though his arrival in Santiago and the official announcement of the signing had already been made the week before.

The defender, now 32, did not dodge the obvious question: why did he leave the club that developed him? His answer was honest and straight to the point.

If it hadn't been necessary for me to leave the U, I never would have done it, but there were footballing reasons, financial reasons. I left when I was 20. When I was 25, I remember I was already talking about coming back for a spell, and only my closest family supported me in wanting to come back to the U.Igor Lichnovsky

It's clear from that answer that the idea of returning is nothing new. It had been on his mind for years, even when the people around him weren't fully convinced. And if back then his form hadn't fully backed up the idea, the player himself made sure to draw the line between the Lichnovsky who left and the one coming back.

"While in my younger years I didn't get all the playing time I wanted, today, at 32, I'm at a high level, a level that won't just show on the field but off it as well," he added, hinting that he arrives with the intention of bringing experience and leadership, not just legs.

Eyes on the Superclasico

The inevitable question came right away: the Superclasico against Colo Colo, set for this Sunday at Estadio Nacional. For Lichnovsky there's no need to talk it up, the nature of the match itself carries enough weight on its own.

The most important game is always the next one, in this case it's Colo Colo, and we'll approach it knowing the responsibility we carry as a big club, and of course because it's a clasico.Igor Lichnovsky

That said, whether he'll be fit to play is another matter. The defender was honest about his physical condition: he just arrived, without recent match rhythm, and that's no small detail when it comes to a demanding clasico.

"I'm available and ready. I don't think there's any doubt about my performance and what I can do, but there's the physical side of things, it's been two months since I've done a 50 meter sprint. Those are risks that go beyond how I feel and what I can produce. The coaching staff will make the call," he explained.

So the final word on his debut will rest with the blue side's coaching staff, who will have to weigh the need for experience in the back line against the risk of pushing a player who isn't yet at full physical capacity. What is clear is that, twelve years later, Lichnovsky is returning to a place he never truly left behind.