Mexican soccer players finding success in Andorra
Between the borders of Spain and France stands a town organized into seven parishes, a small country where Catalan is spoken, with a parliamentary co-principality government, and where, like in many other places, football is breathed as the passion of thousands. It is Andorra, a destination that, although it may seem hard to believe, has served several Mexican players to continue their development in the First and Second divisions of this territory. Currently, with the different rules in the Liga Mx, more than one has decided to try their luck in this European sector, achieving positive results in this regard, with a peaceful life far from Mexico, but closer to their individual goals.
For the 2017-18 season, there are eleven Mexican soccer players between the aforementioned divisions in Andorra. Eduardo Kupersmit is one of them, although it is only temporary; he is an ambidextrous full-back and plays for Jenlai FC, in the second professional category of the Principality: "I was trained in Cruz Azul, where I received the bases and fundamentals; after two years I moved to América, where I finished my training. Difficult times came, I was in the Player's Commission, waiting for some opportunity to show myself. That's how I came to Celaya and by chance, a representative saw me and invited me to try out in Bulgarian football (two seasons), from there I came here," he said.
It is due to his footballing skills and the fact that the league is constantly supervised by agents looking for young talents that Eduardo is considering emigrating, although it is clear that he would not have achieved this without first finding a place in Andorra: "Here I have found many positive surprises. The people are very involved with the team and the city is fantastic," he said over the phone to La Afición. "I believe in processes and I am excited to continue growing, evolving, developing as a professional footballer and reaching better scenarios," concludes the Mexican defender.
Like Kupersmit's story, others stand out for their sporting success. Just last season, Eduardo Escalante, a young goalkeeper born in Culiacán, played in the preliminary round of the Europa League with Santa Coloma, the top league in Andorra. "Different situations lead you to leave your country in search of a better destination; at first it seems complicated, because if you didn't find a team here, it seems even more difficult to find one abroad; however, there are opportunities like those in this country, it's not easy because nothing is given to you, but with perseverance and enthusiasm, you can achieve your goals," said the goalkeeper to Marca Claro a few months ago. "I played for different teams in Mexico, but the doors are closed to you, you can't establish yourself, especially if you are young," he warned.
The good news was a determining factor for a veteran like Odín Patiño to accept perhaps his last professional adventure. Just a few weeks ago, Inter Escaldes announced the transfer of the goalkeeper, who, at 34 years old, still dreams of making an impact in Europe: "First, I am grateful for this opportunity and of course I would like to stay for a long time, hoping that things go well, of course." His team is a contender for the league title in the top division, and they have also stood out in the Copa del Rey, where they are already in the semi-finals.
In fact, Jenlai, where Kupersmit plays, and also Jaime Flores, made it to the playoffs to earn promotion to the First Division thanks to a 3-3 draw against Athletic America, with a goal by the player from Puebla. "Fortunately, we managed to win and score in most of the last games, which gave us access to the promotion playoffs; now we have to try to be there, to move up; personally, closing the tournament with a goal in the last match gives me more motivation to fight for the championship," he said to Milenio.
Like the Mexicans in Andorra, there are many more scattered across different places in Europe, not only are they the visible faces of established stars like Andrés Guardado, Guillermo Ochoa, or Hirving Lozano. Unknown names like David Rosas and Érick Sandoval are carving out their path in Swiss football, in lower divisions, while Rodrigo Cerrilla and Francisco Zúñiga are doing the same in Gibraltar; Alberto Alvarado Morín and Josué Soto play together for AC Oulu in Finland, where they have been for several years... Iceland has Érick Ragnar as its national representative; Poland has Enrique Esqueda and in Cyprus, there are Raúl Gudiño and Édgar Pacheco.