Jair Peláez, who at some point was also a substitute for José de Jesús Corona, advised Sebastián Jurado "not to get frustrated, to keep working, to keep going on the same path."
The former Cruz Azul goalkeeper, who is now playing for Cruz Azul Hidalgo, explained: "Seba is a great goalkeeper, a great guy; I know him. I just want to tell him to keep working, to keep going in the same direction, and sooner or later, the opportunity will come, and I'm sure he will take advantage of it."
He said that he had the opportunity to talk to Jurado when they faced each other with the U-20 teams of Cruz Azul and Veracruz, and he explained that, in his case, he always tried not to get frustrated being in the shadow of Corona, "because if I got demotivated, I wouldn't do things right, as I had to do them. In my case, I had that hunger to want to play."
Jair Alejandro Peláez recalled that "Chuy", Memo Allison, and himself were the only goalkeepers for six years; we were, I believe, at such a good level that no one else was brought to the team at that time."
He also pointed out that Jurado should take advantage of Corona's quality to learn from him: "There are many things you can learn from 'Chuy' and I believe 'Seba' is doing it; he understands very well and knows that being where he is, is also a learning experience for him."
He stated that the starting goalkeeper of the Máquina Celeste, "is a professional in every sense, a born competitor. He trains very well, and as the third goalkeeper, I had to be equal or better than him. His day-to-day work has kept him for so long, and above all, his consistency. He's going through a tough time right now, but other than that, it's very rare for him to make mistakes."
He added that what he learned the most from Corona "was serenity and maintaining momentum during a match or in training. If you notice, he is a very calm guy, very peaceful, he doesn't show much expression. That's what has kept him playing for so long, he knows how to control his emotions very well."
"HE SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED BY ONE MISTAKE"
On the other hand, Armando Navarrete, who went from being the starting goalkeeper to being a substitute for Jesús Corona at the beginning of the 2000s, also recalled old memories to explain how this happened.
"I was 21 years old when I made my debut for Atlas, but I got injured and didn't return to play in the last few games. That's how Corona took the spot, and the following season they put me on the transfer list because we couldn't both stay there: one on the bench and the other playing."
"The coach was Fernando Quirarte. At that time, he told me to recover and that he would continue with me in the position, that I should be calm, but when I returned from the injury, it wasn't like that."
Navarrete acknowledged that "Corona did things well, and the coach gave him more confidence; he lied to me. Sometimes we have to keep quiet, and if at that moment it was best for the team, I simply let time put each one of us in our place. The following season, I went to Toluca, and he stayed for another six months."
He affirmed that "my goalkeeper career has been very unfair because during the little time I got to play, I didn't have the opportunity to have a follow-up. The following season, I simply wasn't part of the plans and they sidelined me. There are goalkeepers who have performed poorly, they are kept for the next season, and then they perform well, which I didn't have the opportunity to prove."
Despite everything, 'Nava' maintained that "Corona seems to me a great goalkeeper, at the moment he is one of the best because I had the opportunity to know him, train with him, and live it."
He stated: "The reality is that when a goalkeeper has played so many games and has been a national team player, that's when we have to value Mexican goalkeepers. We shouldn't judge them based on one mistake or because they haven't been consistent. Corona is one of Mexico's best goalkeepers."
Finally, Navarrete recalled that he was not only a substitute for the Cruz Azul goalkeeper but also throughout his journey in Mexican soccer, "I had very good goalkeepers alongside me, such as [Erubey] Cabuto, [Guillermo] Ochoa, [Alexandro] 'Mostro' Álvarez, among others. That is why I grew a lot, and that's why they grew a lot because there was very good competition."