Champions: Adrin San Miguel and the gift of stopping penalties | Champions League 2019

The Sevillian goalkeeper, who went from having no team to being one of Liverpool's heroes, replaced Alisson against Atlético

Adriaaan! What a story!, exploded Jrgen Klopp, getting into the skin of Rocky Balboa, in the statements at the foot of the field after being crowned super champion Europe thanks to the decisive penalty stop against Chelsea. Adrin San Miguel won hearts that August day net when his leg stopped Abraham's shot at the most important moment. The German technician referred to the turns of life, those in which as soon as you train on your own without a contract with any club as you become the hero of the second European Super Cup that looks in the Liverpool showcases.

This Wednesday, the goalkeeper will have to replace the injured Alisson Becker in the second round of the Champions League against Atlético, who prevailed 1-0 in the Metropolitano. The Sevillian will be the starter and will show his 1.88 meters high. Its wingspan is one of its weapons. As they tell from his circle, Adrin is a calm man, although his Sevillian blood makes it impossible to deprive him of that Andalusian joke. With two children and a very familiar, very homely lifestyle, he has always been a football fan. Since mid-2013 he lives in England, where the knowledge of the language has helped him adapt perfectly to the United Kingdom.

The Andalusian goalkeeper started as a striker when he was a child when it came to kicking the ball. By chance, his team needed a goalkeeper to defend the goalkeeper. His unexpected quality led him to the inferiors of Betis. Adopt the lose manque from the first day and was faithful to the verdiblanco until fulfilled the dream of debuting with the first team in 2012. It seems that his most representative images are associated with the white circle painted in the area.

His first day against Joaqun

In his professional debut, when he was the third goalkeeper at Villamarn, fate decided that his first action under the sticks was to face Joaqun, when the winger dressed in the colors of Malaga. The illustrious green and white scored that penalty, but it served for Pepe Mel to bet on him. Everything seemed perfect consecrating in its first year until it saw the offer of renewal of the heliopolitana entity, in which it had remained 16 years. I did not feel valued, came to comment on that topic.

That summer, Sam Allardyce, coach at the time for West Ham United, noticed him. Picture hammer He decided to make an offer to the Andalusian to incorporate him into their ranks. San Miguel was doing bubbles until the summer of 2019, when the contract ended and they did not renew him despite having left several milestones with the hammer jacket. There are goalkeepers who are born with the luck necessary to shine in special moments and the 33-year-old goalkeeper is. The Sevillian has a special color when he plants his feet on the goal line and waits for them to come to test him from the maximum penalty.

Among his great memories is the sudden death streak against Roberto Martnez's Everton in a FA Cup duel in his second year with West Ham. When the count went 8-8, Joel Robles (curiously, the current keeper from Verdiblanco) crashed his shot from eleven meters on the crossbar. Adrin, on the decisive pitch, took a run, threw his gloves to the green and hit underneath to give victory to his own.

Later, he would enter the Premier League history of becoming the first goalkeeper to stop three penalties in a row. First Harry Kane at Tottenham, then Nugent in a duel against Leicester, and finally, when he guessed the intentions of QPR striker Charlie Austin.

It is not known what will happen at Anfield against the Atlantic, but the fans of the box net They know that they will not walk alone if the tie is decided from eleven meters.