Ángel Correa: A Rising Star for Atlético de Madrid

Ángel Correa is one of the projects of Atlético de Madrid that is starting to bear fruit. The Argentinean started the season knowing that he was behind Antoine Griezmann, Fernando Torres, and Kevin Gameiro. However, his performances have led Simeone to take him more into account.

Argentinean coach has started to field his fellow countryman more, who he has seen explode and play well. Correa has managed to provide that quality leap and change of pace when replacing one of the forward players. The former San Lorenzo player gave an interview to 'El Enganche' from his country where he revealed crucial aspects of his life.

"On a personal level for me, football has always been a beacon of joy. Since I was 10 years old, when I lost my father, it became something that took me away from everything that was bad for me. Then I lost two brothers and football is what makes me forget about that. Every time I step onto the pitch to play, I forget about the losses I've had and all I want is to have fun with my teammates at Atleti or with friends in Rosario," he said.

"I realized from the day when my agent paid me and I gave my entire salary to my mom so that we could have food. It was a thousand or twelve hundred pesos. Then I always had my godfather who was over me. He was the one who bought me boots, clothes, the one who forced me to study. That's why I will always be grateful to him. Giving my mom and my brothers what I'm giving them now is what I always dreamed of. It's giving them the life they have now. My mom suffered a lot with everything that happened, the same as us but higher because she lost her husband and her children. I don't want to imagine the pain of losing a child, but I try to do whatever it takes every day to see her with a smile because it's the greatest thing we have, my mom," he added.

Heart Surgery

"I was here with my agent for the medical examination and to sign the contract with Atlético, but the doctors noticed something strange and told me that I had to have heart surgery. The first thing I thought at that moment was that I didn't want to because I wanted to play in the Libertadores semifinals with San Lorenzo. It's just that it took us so much effort to get there that I was really looking forward to playing. But then, in hindsight, we decided that it was best for me to have the operation, because I was young and the recovery would be good, and it was. But it hurt me a lot not to have played the semis and the final with San Lorenzo," he said.

"The first thing I asked when they told me was if I could keep playing football. The doctors told me that everything would go well and that there was no risk of not being able to play again. But they had lied to me, in order to get me to have the surgery. They confessed to me afterwards, after the operation, they told me. Luckily, everything went well," he concluded.