Fan of Racing de Avellaneda

A congenital malformation prevented Santiago Fretes from developing his right leg normally when his mother, Sabrina Bonomo, was four months pregnant. Doctors in Argentina didn't consider it a major concern, but it turned out to be something more serious.

"In our family, we had never seen anything like it. No one had experienced something similar to what happened to Santi. I was really scared about what would happen, but since he was born, I said, 'let's see what we can do and keep fighting'."

Despite the absence of his right limb, Sabrina never allowed herself to become the primary dependence of Santiago. The strong character she regained after seeing her disabled son was also reflected in his daily life.

"I didn't pity him much. I made sure he saw that he could do things. He did most things by himself from a young age. When he went to get juice from the fridge, he would crawl or hop. We raised him in a way that he wouldn't be ashamed of his condition."

Santiago is 11 years old and is in sixth grade; in a few months, he will enter high school. He has been a student known for his good grades and for taking his disability lightly, for now. The "why was I born like this" questions sometimes arise in him. But the support and the simple way his mom explains it make it easier for Santi to understand.

"He was born with this condition. I explained to him when he was little that he was born with one leg, just like others may be born with really big ears and be called 'big-eared'; others with a giant nose or being chubby. You were born like this, and there's no problem because you can do things just the same."

That convincing capacity was essential for Santi to forget about his problem from a very young age and find distraction in soccer. Being a Racing fan, thanks to his mom, since his dad doesn't like soccer, let alone going to the stadium. Sabrina took her son and brought him to the Presidente Peron stadium, all the way from Buenos Aires, to watch a match of their team.

His first contact with the Avellaneda team came because the club was training very close to where Sabrina and her family lived. Circumstances allowed Santiago to go watch the training session.

"I found out and I went with my son. We got to know everyone there. Diego Milito gave him a shirt autographed by all the players, as well as some boots. They took some pictures and published them on the team's website, and that's when the board contacted us to arrange a spot in the disability area."

A year ago, at Diego Milito's farewell from soccer, Sabrina took a photo where Santiago is standing on a crutch to get a better view of the details. The friend, who couldn't see over the high wall of the stands, was helped by Santi, who let him borrow one of his crutches, and that's how they both witnessed "El Príncipe's" farewell. An image that caused a stir and that they never imagined what would come next.

"I took that photo. At that moment, I was in the stands watching the farewell and I saw that he was standing on the crutch and the other kid was jumping to see the field. So he signaled to him to get on the crutch, just like he was. I took the photo to send it to my husband, thinking that the crutch might break because they're made of aluminum. I took it for that reason. I didn't think that what would happen next would happen."

In the following days, Sabrina and Santiago received calls from media outlets from Argentina and even from other countries. The young Racing fan, unaware of what was happening, started to be recognized by people who greeted him as if they had known him before.

"He was surprised because he didn't know that I had taken that photo. Some media outlets came to the house and he answered them all the same, saying that he didn't know that I had taken that photo. For him, it was no big deal because he didn't understand what he had done."

After being recognized for his act, the young boy prefers not to talk much when asked at school about appearing on TV or the internet. His dreams to keep kicking the ball for up to four hours, when he's not at school, make him stronger.

An idol of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paulo Dybala internationally. And also of Lisandro López, the forward of the team coached by Diego Cocca, and of Milito, now retired, inspire him to follow in their footsteps and become a soccer player someday.

"He wants to be a soccer player. The Argentine amputee national team contacted us to train with them since he can't play due to his age. He can join the team when he turns 15. He tells me that there's no problem. We'll see later on what he really wants to do in his life."

Sabrina, Santiago's mother, and the mother of a 19-year-old girl who is a firefighter in the city, is very satisfied to have them. To her family, seeing Santiago is a reason to get up during the most difficult moments. If she had to repeat her life as a mother, without hesitation, she would choose Santiago again because he has been her main motivation. For now, Santi and Sabrina will continue to support Racing at the Cilindro, and she will continue to be his main support in good and bad times.