In Raúl Bobadilla, FC Aarau have signed a player who has oscillated between genius and madness throughout his career. Most recently, the 37-year-old played for FC Schaffhausen.
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- The Challenge League is back: Aarau face FC Thun in the season opener.
- FC Thun narrowly missed out on promotion to the Super League and are also one of the favorites this season. After a disappointing season, Aarau would also like to return to the top.
- In Raúl Bobadilla, Aarau have signed a player who has often made headlines - both on and off the pitch.
Raúl Bobadilla has played for GC, YB and Basel, scored for Augsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, and the Argentinian-born center forward also made eleven appearances for the Paraguayan national team. It's been a long time.
The 37-year-old center forward has now joined league rivals Aarau on a free transfer from FC Schaffhausen for the new season. Bobadilla has scored 23 goals and 5 assists in 58 games for FCS over the last three seasons - interrupted by a six-month stint with Turkish club Banirmaspor. Last season, he played the first half of the season in Turkey without any luck before returning to FCS, where he scored four goals and provided one assist in 17 games.
"Bobadilla is a top professional and has no airs and graces"
These are not outstanding figures, but Bobadilla is said to be more than just a center forward. When the transfer was announced, sporting director Elsad Zverotic was quoted as saying: "Raul will strengthen our attacking play with his outstanding forward qualities. Our young players will also benefit enormously from his many years of national and international experience."
The new blue Sport expert Admir Mehmedi, who was head of sport at FC Schaffhausen last season, also has nothing but good words for the brawny striker: "Bobadilla is a top professional and has no airs and graces. He's a real leader and keeps the dressing room together. A really good guy. He might seem a bit rough at first glance, but he's a really fine guy."
Bobadilla's scandalous record
A few years ago, it would have been laughed out loud that Bobadilla could be a good role model for the youngsters. Because the 37-year-old's scandal file is thick. He caused a stir with insults to referees, brawls, a drunken drive and a speeding offense, for which he was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence of 16 months and had to pay an additional fine of CHF 15,800.
And even when he was cheering, he didn't always have himself under control. On Christmas Eve 2020, when he was playing for Guarani in the Paraguayan Primera Division, he caused a scandal. After scoring a goal, he not only took off his jersey, but also pulled his trousers down a little further. He smiled away the action: "I regret it. I hope my wife didn't see it and she stays calm, because it's all hers." The federation was less amused and handed him a five-match ban for pulling down his pants.
