Maximum Banguera, goalkeeper for Barcelona and the national team, does not neglect his gloves when leaving the field, as since July of last year he has been dedicated - while not in action in the goal - to enhance his business selling gloves under his own brand: MB.
"I have been researching this whole glove making topic for many years, looking for materials, learning about latex. We know that many companies want the benefit for themselves and not for the goalkeepers," Banguera explains about the motivation behind his venture.
"That's why I made the decision to create my own glove brand, because we (the goalkeepers) are the ones who know what we really need and it is difficult to find it here due to import issues. That's when I started working hard on the product quality," explains the Canary.
"All materials are obtained and made (the gloves) abroad. The raw material is from Germany, because the best latex comes from that country," he adds.
Banguera also reveals that he himself was the 'lab rat' for his own product. "It took me almost a year of making samples on myself, until the glove came out perfect," he says.
Another motivation, according to Banguera, was "as a father, seeing that my son, who also likes to play, couldn't get gloves that fit him. That's why we also manufacture gloves for kids with almost the same amount of latex as the professional glove." Due to the quality of the product, there are already goalkeepers in the country who use the MB brand. "There are colleagues (goalkeepers) who use the product, like Víctor Mendoza, Gonzalo Valle, Brian Heras, among others," he says.
And with this article, Banguera hopes to go much further, even to Russia, the host of the 2018 World Cup. "We are also looking to reach an agreement with Sergio Chiquito Romero (goalkeeper for the Argentina national team, who already promotes MB on social media). We also have a Venezuelan goalkeeper who is participating in the Sudamericana, and we also sell in Colombia. The idea, hopefully, is to be with the brand at the World Cup," Banguera's goal.
But his business doesn't take up all of his time, as he also has to focus on his role as the star goalkeeper for Barcelona. "The company is already on track. There are people in charge, like Nancy Cellán, who is in charge of administration." For now, until opening stores in shopping centers, orders for MB gloves can be made via social media: @MB1Ecuador. (D)
July 6, 2017
Banguera launched his glove brand eight months ago. The new design will be released soon, and its sales will go to support Solca patients. They are collectible gloves.