Ordino, a small txuri-urdin bastion

39 years old jonathan estrada (Medellin, 1983) continues to hit the ball. The person who is a txuri-urdin player during the promo season is living his life. Second season in the Andorran league. Now in Ordino. He played for CE Jenlai last year. “He looks like a 20-year-old kid. He’s a source of pride for us because we learn from him, from his experience. And he’s one of the best as a teammate,” he says with a laugh. Stefan Gomez, another hero of this story. oh He is the eldest son of one of the most beloved foreigners in the history of the blue-and-whites like Juan Gómez. The last character in this story Andoni, also the son of ‘black’ and someone living outside of Argentina, whose first experience he loved so much.

“It was very strange, but I lived it with great enthusiasm, with great joy,” he recalls. path When she finds out that J will be sharing a dressing room with her two kidsand Gomez. “Somehow, many memories were erased from me when I had the opportunity to get to know them up close and meet the ‘black’ who was a touchstone for Real and also played in the USA. Atlético Madrid. It was great talking to them. These are the good things that this sport has,” he continues. “You meet people who make you erase all these memories of the past, live and comment on things that have happened,” says the former Real Madrid. For Estrada it is an opportunity to continue enjoying football, while for the two Gómez brothers it is a “challenge”. For andoni, “Searching for a better future, trying to make a leap in quality, gradually becoming known. It’s a wonderful experience being so young,” he assures. “I wouldn’t try. I always knew I could achieve something in football but it was comfortable and I wanted to be Messi every day but things just don’t work out that way. I talked to my father and he told me that if you don’t make an effort, you won’t get what you want. The day has come when Esteban called me and told me to come, and here I am. I spoke to my mother and she told me the same thing. It didn’t work out: “I remember once telling my father that I was afraid to try this and dedicating myself to amateur football. It was the horrible months I thought I missed the opportunity. Born in Madrid 21 years ago, I said to myself, ‘I’ll be unhappy if I don’t try.’ stefan It is essential: “Personally, it was very difficult for me to leave my mother. If it wasn’t for Esteban, I wouldn’t be here. My problem was the extra sports. Play football, wherever they tell me, I will do it,” he says clearly.

Esteban, on the other hand, has more experience outside of Argentina than his brother. In fact, he was a member of Ardore in Category One, the sixth Italian division, when he got the call from Ordino. “There were some doubts at first, but I’m commenting on my ‘dad’ who helped me with these issues and gave me his opinion. We were in the middle of the tournament in Italy, three months before the end of the competition. When he finished he told me to keep going, it would be very beneficial for both me and my brother, it would be our first experience as a professional and I didn’t think much about it,” says the eldest. Gómez brothers.

“It’s always been a dream for me,” Esteban says as he shares a dressing room with his brother Andoni. “We looked so different when we were kids. Now we are in football, we are together more. I haven’t seen my family for a long time and having them by my side is a great support,” he said. “My brother and I are very different. He is more homely, more close to family. It cost him a little more. I’m more relaxed You tell me you should play in Japan and I’m going to fulfill my dream. That’s what I did in Italy, I had no idea about the language, I didn’t know how to act, and I left alone and without fear,” says Esteban. I am the oldest and I always want him to be well. I’m more worried about him than he is.”

How could it be otherwise, for Esteban Gómez, his father is a “reference”. He understands that he always wants the best for us. Whether we are footballers or not, tomorrow will always be proud of us for what we have done and will do. It gives us peace of mind to choose our destination, our dream, or whatever we want to do.” It is the same for Andoni, although he is more cautious: “If someone doesn’t tell you who my father is, you’ll never find out from me. I love being Andoni. I’ve always been proud of what my father was, but to me he is nothing more than that. He is my father and I love him as my father. “He is a former football player and I admire him a lot,” he said. He even admits that he revealed his father’s character on the field: “You are the striker who receives the most yellow cards,” he tells me. It came from him,” she says proudly.

Andoni’s job was to come and kiss the saint. He scored his first goal in his first game with Ordino, which was very important for a striker like him. “He gave me a lot of confidence. And he helped me communicate to my colleagues that they can trust me. That’s important to me”, the attacker analyzes when it comes to self-definition “I like to run more than crash. I’m a striker who likes to be intense when it comes to putting pressure, reaching the middle and running behind the defence.” I compete with adults because I’m very young. In that sense, I consider myself smart because I won’t measure my strength with grown-up, experienced men and others. The only way I can win is technique and speed. I think I can gain an edge in speed. I did athletics when I was younger, I did speed tests, so I’m strong this is me” he emphasizes.

‘Til I’m tired

jonathan estradaFor his part, he had already made up his mind to finish his long career as a football player in a country he loved so much. Colombia, but a call from a former colleague made him change his mind. “I was calm with my family, but when I got that call, I liked what I heard. It was about getting to know another country, its culture, having another experience and continuing to play the football that we are very passionate about. I decided to accept it and came to see what Andorra is like, the football and the cold,” he says with a laugh. He liked what he found: “It’s a very small country, but it has so many beautiful things, such beautiful landscapes. The quality of life in terms of peace caught my attention. Very different from what we are used to, at least in Colombia. I like. I came to learn, to try, and I am enjoying the experience”.

Even though he is 39 years old, he still enjoys his work. “I don’t know if I saw myself playing at this age, but I always thought of enjoying this profession and playing until God allows and my body can handle it. It’s something I enjoy a lot, it’s a passion. No matter where you play, the important thing is to have fun, to experience what a training session is like, every match, meeting new people and teammates, everything playing football brings. “I’ve been feeling great so far and I’m enjoying what I want most right now, whether it’s a year, months, days, I don’t know what’s left, but I’m enjoying it to the fullest.” As with Andoni, at his age – the senior of the team – he is also a football player who likes to help beginners: “In terms of experience, you can help, give advice. For young people who have just started football, who have dreams, hopes and expectations about football, you feel good because you can use all these years of football well. It is very gratifying if they can be helped at any time with comments, advice and experiences.”