About Alex Aguinaga's Record in the Copa America

It is usual to ask a soccer player what it feels like to play in a Copa America; it is usual to ask Alex Aguinaga what it feels like to play in eight. The Ecuadorian cerebral midfielder holds that incredible record of appearances. This is the second installment of our Mexico-Buenos Aires dialogue with the never-replaced number 10.

"Having my name associated with the Copa America brings me a lot of joy, a lot of emotion, I love it because for me it is the most important tournament in the world, beyond the World Cups, because in the World Cups so many people are involved that the history gets a bit diluted, but here we are ten, like a select group and it is easily comparable. One dreams of having their name put on a trophy someday and being the one to present it, things that would fill me with pride because it has been a pleasure to represent my country, but also a sacrifice to have played it for seventeen years," Aguinaga said.

He debuted in the Copa on July 2, 1987, and retired on July 13, 2004.

"Precisely against Mexico, in Peru 2004, I played my last match in the Copa. I knew it was the last one because we had been eliminated, I was 36 years old and the next edition was in 2007, I was not going to make it anymore," he said.

Aguinaga says "precisely" because Mexico is the other great love of his life. He arrived there in 1989 and has been there ever since.

"My children are Mexican, I work here on television, my life is in Mexico," he said.

That of '87 represented, he says, both a huge illusion and a strong disappointment. But if it is true that soccer always gives a rematch, Alex had it two years later in Brazil '89, where he dazzled the public and press. Surprising all observers, Dusan Draskovic's Ecuador debuted by defeating the strong Uruguay of the Maestro Tabarez 1-0. A Celeste full of stars: De Leon, Ostolaza, Alzamendi, Francescoli, Ruben Paz, Ruben Sosa, the Patito Aguilera, Bengoechea, Manteca Martinez... Almost all winners in Europe, but the continent talked about that blonde boy that night, still only 20 years old, from the records of Deportivo Quito.

• The 'unforgettable' 2000 Club World Cup of Aguinaga and Delgado's Necaxa

"I did very well, Uruguay had an impressive team, we surpassed them based on speed and good ball touch. Aviles got away on the right, the defender tried to turn him around but fell, because in addition to being fast, Raul was very strong, he took a shot that was half cross, half shot at goal and Ermen Benitez, who was coming in, scored. And it should have been 2-0, because in the last second Aviles scored a goal and when the ball was going in, the referee (Note: Carlos Maciel, from Paraguay), blew the whistle and ended the match. It was a goal... But we didn't even bother because the referees always killed us, it was normal for them to kill you. We drew with Argentina, which also had a great team with Caniggia, Maradona, Burruchaga, Ruggeri... I was chosen among the best players of the Copa. I mean, it went well for me. Then we drew with Bolivia and lost to Chile, the match that cost us the qualification to the final round. Argentina won the group, we tied in points with Uruguay and Chile, but Uruguay qualified on goal difference and reached the final with Brazil. It was a nice tournament because the weather favored it. In the south, it is usually very cold whenever the Copa is played, but in Goiania that time it was warm and that helps to generate a better atmosphere, in every sense. We surprised, we were a young team, but with the experience of the previous Copa and with a Yugoslav coach, Dusan Draskovic. That's where Ecuador began to build its qualification for the 2002 World Cup, that's where a whole process was born," Alex recalled.

'Something strange' in Brazil 1989

Alex speaks with the same clarity and courage with which he played. And, just like on the field, he doesn't hold back...

"Something strange happened against Bolivia... At that time, it was customary for some teams to share the same hotel. We shared with Uruguay. They brought their chef, who went down to the kitchen, we didn't have anyone there and the day we were supposed to face Bolivia, we all woke up sick to our stomachs, something caused by the food. Six or seven starters were even on drips, but we had to play anyway. And that draw deprived us of qualifying with a match to spare. We could have won, but we were out of strength, we couldn't finish it. Well, think evil and you'll be right..." he said.

That dazzling performance against Uruguay earned him a move to Mexico. In the stadium's VIP box, a swarm of talent scouts studied how to get to the dressing room first to talk to the young man wearing the number 8 jersey. And the emissary of Mexican America arrived first. After returning from Brazil, he had to travel to Mexico.

'Always celebrating birthdays during the Copa'

And from Mexico, he continued to come to the Copa America. In 1991, it was in Chile, where a beautiful edition was played despite the cold and the intense rains, which hardly stopped bothering the tournament.

"In that one in Chile, I did well individually because I scored two goals, one against Uruguay, another against Bolivia, and I just missed another one against Brazil, but we didn't perform well as a team. The only group joy was the 4-0 victory over Bolivia. We first lost 1-0 to Colombia, a very good team (Note: Rene Higuita, Luis Perea, Andres Escobar, Leonel Alvarez, Freddy Rincon, Carlos Valderrama, Anthony De Avila, Albeiro Usuriaga, Arnoldo Iguaran, among others). Against Uruguay, we played on July 9, my birthday, and Dusan Draskovic had a nice gesture, he said to me, 'Well, Alex, as a gift, today you are going to wear the captain's armband.' And from that day on, we had two captains, Luis Capurro and me. I surely had better games, but that one against Uruguay is the happiest memory the Copa left me: it was my birthday, I was captain for the first time, and I scored the equalizing goal, 1-1. I always ended up celebrating birthdays during the Copa. I was just turning 23 and I had already played three Copa tournaments," Aguinaga concluded.