He was born in the footballing world of a family. A character who went from acting to running a team and who today, is very close to achieving the permanence of a team in the first division after his first adventure. His name is Rafael Puente Del Río.
The current manager of Lobos BUAP continues to show that his ascent to the top Mexican football league was not a coincidence. Today, it has been over three and a half years since he left Club Deportivo Guadalajara, where he served as the team's operations director.
In 2014, Rafael Puente arrived with the firm mission of reversing Chivas' bad form. His main objective was to save the team from relegation. The current coach of the Licántropos, at the time, criticized the projects led by Jorge Vergara, the team owner. However, he did not manage to stay with the team for even half a year. Despite that, he now finds himself in a stable moment that could allow him to get closer to a new objective, and interestingly, Chivas could be an accomplice in achieving that feat.
He left the rojiblanca squad in October 2014. Two years later, Rafa received another opportunity at a football team, this time as the coach of Lobos BUAP. Puente joined the team from the Ascenso MX tournament in the Apertura 2016, in October.
In the Clausura 2017 tournament, he remained with the Puebla institution and led them to the promotion playoff, which the institution achieved for the first time in its history. Today, after a year and a half in charge of Lobos, he is nine points away from ensuring at least one more year in the top Mexican league.
Lobos BUAP is just nine points away from securing its permanence in the Mexican First Division and could get even closer to that goal if they win the match on March 10th, when the Licántropos host Chivas at the University Olympic Stadium of the BUAP.
In the current 2018 Clausura tournament, Rafael Puente's journey with the Licántropos has been difficult. After playing just over half of the tournament, they are in the penultimate position in the overall table, but it has been enough to remain with great mathematical possibilities of staying in the First Division. On the other hand, Chivas also has the same number of points but is located in the antepenultimate position.
The Licántropos have obtained eight out of a possible 15 points at home, while the Rebaño Sagrado has obtained six points out of a possible 15 playing away from Guadalajara. It is worth noting that Rafael Puente had a victorious return against Chivas at their own stadium, with Lobos BUAP winning 2-1 in a match corresponding to Round 11 of the Apertura 2017 tournament.