Jesús Corona celebrated his 37th birthday this Friday, and at La Noria he received a cake in the face, as well as being serenaded with a mariachi band. The Cruz Azul goalkeeper celebrated another year of life and took the time to explain the reasons why he will not attend the Mexican National Team call-up next week to face Bosnia in the first friendly match of El Tri in 2018.
"We were taken into account, it's true. (Juan Carlos Osorio) spoke to me and I imagine he also spoke to Oribe, I spoke to him and he was very clear. Personally, I wanted to stay here with the team because we changed coaches, and also in terms of specific goalkeeping work, I want to progress, there is very little time for work during trips, so that decision was made, but I am also grateful because we were taken into account," said the Cruz Azul goalkeeper after Friday's training session.
The goalkeepers called up for El Tri to face Bosnia were Rodolfo Cota, Gibrán Lajud, and Jonathan Orozco, while Corona was considered, but in the end, he requested to stay at his club to complete the week of training.
"I feel very good physically, in a stage of maturity, very happy to be here at Cruz Azul and to be included in the National Team. We will keep working, trying to maintain a good level and responding to the fans," he said about his current situation both at La Máquina and with the national team.
Outside La Máquina's training facilities, Corona received congratulations from various fans who even brought him mariachis and banners.
"I'm really happy, grateful for this gesture, that they took the trouble to come and celebrate with me, along with the fans, my family, teammates, coaching staff. I'm really grateful and happy to have experienced it that way," he said.
About how the celebrations went with his teammates, he recounted that there was "a cake in the face, I still have cake in my ear, we also sang 'Las Mañanitas' with the mariachi band."